Privat de Mende

Saint Privat is a Saint of the Church Catholique, probably born close to Clairmont, and which would have died towards 255 or 260. It is known for its Martyr on the slopes of the Mont Mimat with Mende in Gévaudan. Its hermitage is a place of pilgrimage, which was very popular with the Moyen-âge. The date of its death is however disputed, some advancing Ve century sometimes, but great number of writings tend to prove that the date of IIIe century is most probable.

It belongs to large the Saint of Gaules with Denis of Paris, Saturnin of Toulouse, Martial of Limoges, Martin de Tours, Ferréol of Vienna and Julien de Brioude.

Biography

Gregoire de Tours gives the name of “épiscopus urbis gabalitanae”, that is to say “bishop of the country of Gabalum”. He would be indeed the first bishop of the Gévaudan, although certain Sévérien was celebrated a long time. The Gabalum term is the other name of Anderitum (today Javols), then capital of the Gévaudan. Mende is only one borough, where Privat would be the " chef" or guides it. Privat would have been sent by Austremoine since Clairmont for évangéliser the Gévaudan. The logical place of évêché seems to be however Anderitum, and not Mende. It seems indeed that évêché, initially installed in Anderitum, then forwarded by Banassac (at the time of holy Frézal) after the destruction of the capital gabale, before arriving at Mende. The first bishop to be signed as bishop of Mende being Etienne, at the 10th century.

To Privat one grants his good heart towards the Gabale people, protecting poorest. The writings want that it bought sometimes corn (very expensive) to resell them with lower costs (even to offer it) with the inhabitants. A saying Occitan is drawn from this generosity besides: “To make coma SEN Privat de Mende totjorn crompar per jamai sell ” (what gives in French: “ To make like Privat Saint, always to buy, never sell”)

At the 3rd century, the Gaulle is invaded by the Alamans to which one grants many plundering of which the Mercury temple on the Puy de Dôme. When they arrive in country gabale, the inhabitants took refuge in the fortress of Grèzes, Privat is to him in period of fast, withdrawn in a crypt of the Mont Mimat. During two years deny themselves the invader. Alamans end up finding Privat and try to make use of him, like hostage, in order to manage to make open the fortress. Since the caves which it would have arranged on the heights, to the village of Mende, it is drawn, struck and mutilated. Always according to Gregoire de Tours, Privat would have refused to deliver its people despite everything the cruel torments that one made him undergo (“good Pasteur refused to deliver its ewes to the wolves, and one wanted to force it to sacrifice * to the demons”). Exténués, Alamans would have left free Gabales in their promising peace. Privat, it, will succumb to its wounds in the days which follow. The path of interpretation of causse, installed by the town of Mende, brings back another version of its martyr. Thus it would have been locked up in a barrel, nails being pointed towards the interior, and is thrown in cliff, rolling of its hermitage to the foot of the city (the causse not being then wooded). Always is it that the hill where the torment would have ended, with the top of the district of Vabre, names the hill of the torturer, undoubtedly in connection with this episode.

Perhaps however Gregoire de Tours gives a too great importance to Privat, which could not be in fact that one hermit and not a chief. Its act of resistance, refusing to deliver its compatriots does not remain about it less one fact, and Alamans could exploit the fact of solidarity between Christians to obtain the opening of the fortress, that he is or not a chief. The term of bishop as is to him subject to deposit, indeed, in 314, Genialis represents the Gévaudan with the Concile of Arles in time as deacon and not of bishop, this concept undoubtedly arriving only later in the area.

Privat would have been buried towards the place where taken end its martyr, on the hill of the torturer, where its body would have been transported by Saint Ilpide, which will undergo to him also a martyrdom. Privat since is buried with the foot of the Mimat mount, where Urbain V made set up the Cathédrale Our-Lady-and-Saint-Privat of Mende. A vault was drawn up before in the same place, with the top of the tomb of the Saint.

The hermitage of Saint-Privat

One associates many miracles with the hermitage of Privat Saint in the caves which it would have arranged with the top of Mende. Several hermits elected residence with the wire of the centuries there. It is in 1873 that the cave of the Martyrdom was bored, and built the stations of the way of cross which carries out to it still nowadays. A Relique (tibia) of the Saint is preserved in the vault which is next to the cave. The bored cave is located just in lower part of the natural caves where Privat would have been withdrawn, it makes it possible to celebrate ceremonies in outside. Two natural caves are opened to the public, highest of both being pretense that where Alamans dislodged the bishop of Gabales. Photography opposite watch these caves, arranged for the pilgrims.

The hermitage a long time was a place of pilgrimage, which allowed the town of Mende, become successively episcopal see and capital of the Gévaudan, to thrive. About 1315, the bishop Guillaume Durand founds there collegial (Saint-Privat college it Roche). He will disappear in 1562, burnt during the wars of religion. The collegial one will be restored in 1584, and the brothers hermits will have as a task to take care on the caves starting from their installation in the house in 1673. This hermitage there will be destroyed in 1793, with the seizure of the goods of the clergy. The new vault will be set up in 1850. In 1960 it is the hotel of the hermitage which is built, as well as a cultural reception center (the white building of preceding photography).

One associates several miracles in the cave of the pilgrimage, that which is besides accessible to the public exhibe crutches and other prostheses, as well as messages of thanks to the Saint and in Notre Dame.

A little higher than the hermitage, with the summit of the Mount Mimat, draws up a cross, enlightened the night, the cross of Privat Saint who entirely dominates the valley of the Lot.

On preceding photography one can see the cross at the top of the mount (slightly masked the trees in alignment, it is on the left of the antenna), and on the line (a little in withdrawal) one sees the hotel (in white) located beside the vault of the hermitage. One guesses arranges it natural cave, the bored cave is it slightly masked by the vault.

Plan of the hermitage

The plan opposite illustrates how the hermitage of Privat Saint is made up. In top (in dark green) and in bottom (out of chestnut) they are the natural barrier of the view-point: mountainsides. On the right, the part in white is the road by which one arrives, once the door crosses, one arrives in the course of the hotel (here pink). While passing under a porch one even arrives on the view-point him. The staircase (out of orange) goes up until the original cave. In clear green, one finds the old garden of the hotel, which is nothing any more but one lawn today. In black, in lower part (on the left) of the cave, is the artificial cave. The building in yellow being next to it is the vault. Finally one can see a part out of clear chestnut on the left, it acts of the arrival of the way of cross.

Pilgrimages

Three festivals were dedicated to the Saint gabale. In addition to the August 21st, one celebrated it 3rd Sunday after Easter (to commemorate the Re-discovery of its relics in 1170), and 3rd Sunday of October (transfer of its relics in 1256).

The pilgrimages of Privat Saint are done, since 1170 to the hermitage, according to the will of Aldebert III of Tournel.

Although more topicality, the pilgrimages took place between its two last dates, of the May 10th to the October 10th. Their popularity ensured the prosperity of the city. In 1913 one counts even more: 13000 Pilgrim S

Its relics

Buried to the foot of the mount, its body would have been transported towards 631 in the suburbs of Paris, with Saint-Denis. Then in direction of the Lorraine at the 6th century, in the church with Salone. It is a monk of the Gévaudan which will bring back the body in its country, the mendois being given the responsability to preserve its relics in a crypt arranged in lower part of what will be their vault, then the cathedral of Mende. This return is a will of the bishop of Mende at the 10th century. Hidden in a crypt, these relics disappear towards 1110 but are found by the bishop Aldebert III, towards 1170. Most of its relics disappeared following the wars of religion, then with the French revolution. The crypt is always present under the cathedral of Mende, but the last relics are in the vault of the hermitage.

Other information

Date of beatification: ?
Date of canonization:
Festival: the August 21st
Saying related to the festival: In Saint-Privat, the hazel nut is in the bolats (ditches)
Latin Nom: privatus (private)

Anecdotes

the town of Carmaux (Tarn) organizes each year celebrates it annual Cavalcade for the Saint Privat (August 21st).
the great festivals of the town of Mende are held in August, initially near to this date of the 21.

Associated places

Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin in the Loiret, having accommodated relics of the Saint at the 7th century.
Saint-Privat in Ardeche
Saint-Privat-of-Old man in the Gard

Sources and references

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