June 10 St. Landry

[Denise]

St. Landry, the patron saint of the Catholic Church whose name is so prevalent in and around Opelousas, is actually one of four saints bearing that name.

The saint for the Louisiana honors is the Bishop-Saint Landry of Paris, France. He is the patron saint of the church in Opelousas.

There were actually four St. Landrys:

Saint Landry of Sées (c.405 – 480), in the Basse-Normandie region of France;

Saint Landry of (Soignies) Belgium, also known as Saint Landry of Metz (c. 622 – 700). He served as bishop of the See of Metz and later became the abbot of the monastery at Soignies and of the monastery at Aumont.

Saint Landry of Savoy was a Benedictine monk of Novalise in Savoy (1012 – 1050). He was murdered in 1050 by Muslims occupying Lanslevillard, Savoy, France, in resistance to Christianity.

Saint Landry, Bishop of Paris, also known as Saint Landry the Confessor, serving as bishop from 650 – 661 A.D. The church in Opelousas is named after this Saint Landry.

In 650, during the reign of Clovis II, Saint Landry, or Saint Landri, (Sancte Landericus in Latin) succeeded Audobertus as Bishop of Paris. Prior to serving as bishop, Saint Landry was the chief clerk at the Royal Chancellery.

During the famine of 650-51, Saint Landry sold all of his personal possessions, as well as some of the furniture and sacred vessels of the church, to feed the poor. In 651, Saint Landry founded a hospital, dedicated to St. Christopher, near the Cathedral of Notre Dame (which later developed into the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris. It is Paris’ oldest public hospital).

Bishop Landry asked his servant, a monk named Marculf, to draw up a formulary of documents for use in legal and administrative matters, resulting in Marculf’s Formulas, which were dedicated by the author to Saint Landry.

In 653, at the synod of Clichy, Saint Landry and 23 other bishops signed the foundation charter, granted by King Clovis II, for the newly established Abbey of St. Denis, a Benedictine monastery, which was to be exempt from episcopal jurisdiction. After Clovis’ death in 657, Balthild, wife of Clovis II and later regent, founded monasteries and supported the reform of old monasteries, including St. Denis, along new principles, including that of independence from the local bishop. The new privilege of St. Denis ensured that the bishop of Paris would no longer be able to exact payment for his liturgical duties or use the monastic funds when he needed; Landry of Paris acquiesced, saying, “the request of the king is for us like a command which it is extremely difficult to resist.”

It is believed that Saint Landry built the original church of St. Germain l’Auxerrois, which became the church parish of the kings of France in the 7th century. It was rebuilt several times, giving it mixtures of several architectural styles such as Roman, Gothic and Renaissance.

During the French Wars of Religion, the sounding of St. Germain l’Auxerrois’ bell marked the beginning of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, when thousands of Huguenots were murdered.

Saint Landry served as Bishop of Paris until his death, which occurred in 661. According to a manuscript found in the church’s archives by Bishop Pierre d’Orgemont in 1408, Saint Landry’s body was buried there by Bishop Maurice de Sully in 1171.

Bishop Pierre d’Orgemont gave two of Saint Landry’s bones to the Parish Church of Saint Landry in 1408; however, they were destroyed, along with other saints and martyrs’ relics, prior to the French Revolution, and were scattered and buried at the Church of Saint-Germain des Prés.

The Parish Church of St. Landry in Paris was a small church under the jurisdiction of St. Germain l’Auxerrois and dedicated to Saint Landry the Confessor; however, by 1160, it had become its own independent church parish. The church was originally a small chapel near Saint Landry’s home. He was accustomed to praying in the chapel daily. In 1792, St. Landry Church was sold and it became a manufacturing building producing dyes.

In 1828, the building was torn down. It is interesting to note, that when the parish church of St. Landry was sold in 1792 to a manufacturing family, the church in Opelousas changed its name from the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Post of Opelousas to the Parish Church of St. Landry. The old building was finally torn down in 1828, the same year that the first brick church of St. Landry was built in Opelousas.

The baptismal font from St. Landry’s church was removed and hidden prior to the French Revolution. The baptistery of the church was destroyed; however, the baptismal font from St. Landry’s actually survived and was returned to the Church of Saint-Germain des Prés, where it is on display today.

There are three chapels dedicated to St. Landry in Paris: a chapel at Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois (where his tomb is located); a chapel at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris; and, a small, modern chapel at the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris.

In addition, Saint Landry is depicted in small statues and sculptures in Paris. One is prominently placed above the main door at the Church of Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois. Also, at his tomb at Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, there is a statue and several paintings. Another commanding statue of Saint Landry is in the Chapel of St. Landry at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. There is also a small statue of St. Landry behind the high altar of St. Landry’s Church in Opelousas as well as a stained glass window in the rear of the church.

Saint Landry is the patron saint of both Opelousas and the civil parish of St. Landry. His feast day, which is June 10, is celebrated each year in Paris and in Opelousas.