Saint Hadelin
Saint Hadelin (born c. 610 AD in Aquitaine, Gaul, modern France; died c. 690 AD in Celles, Liège, modern Belgium) was a Frankish monk and companion of Saint Remacle, who founded monasteries in the Ardennes region and lived as a hermit near the Meuse River in what is now Belgium. His relics are preserved in a magnificent 12th-century silver shrine at Celles-sur-Lesse and at the Collegiate Church of Saint Martin in Visé (Liège), where they are solemnly carried in procession every seven years. His feast day is February 3.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Hadelin
| Saint Hadelin | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | February 03 |
| Profession | Monk; hermit; monastic founder; companion of Saint Remacle |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Irish-influenced Frankish monasticism; Ardennes monastic tradition |
| Patronage | Celles; Visé; the Ardennes; Liège; pilgrims; those in plague or epidemic; Wallonia |
| Attributes | Monk's habit; deer or stag (Ardennes hermit); pilgrim staff; his silver shrine reliquary |
| Birthplace | Aquitaine, Gaul (modern France) |
| Death Place | Celles, near Dinant, Namur, modern Belgium |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died as a hermit-abbot at Celles near the Meuse c. 690 AD |
| Primary Shrine | Collegiate Church of Saint Martin, Visé, Liège, Belgium — his reliquary; the seven-year procession (Tour Saint-Hadelin); one of the great medieval reliquary traditions of Wallonia |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast February 3; observed in Diocese of Namur and Diocese of Liège and Wallonia |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; locally observed in Belgium |
Biography
Hadelin was born around 610 in Aquitaine (southwestern France) into a noble Frankish family. He was drawn to the monastic life and came into contact with Saint Remacle, a great monastic organizer of the Ardennes who founded the twin monastery of Stavelot-Malmedy (c. 650 AD).
Under Remacle's direction, Hadelin established a hermitage and small monastic community at Celles, in the valley of the Lesse River near Dinant in what is now the Walloon region of Belgium. He lived there as a hermit-abbot for decades, practicing severe austerity and drawing followers. He died around 690 AD.
His relics were initially kept at Celles in a superb Romanesque silver and enamel shrine (12th century), but during the period of Norse raids on the Meuse valley, they were translated to Visé (Province of Liège) for safety in the 11th century. At Visé, his relics became the center of a major local cult. In 1233 the people of Visé made a vow during a pestilence to carry his relics in solemn procession through the city every seven years if the plague ceased. It did. The Tour Saint-Hadelin — this solemn seven-year procession — has been maintained for nearly 800 years and remains one of the most distinctive living pilgrimage traditions of Wallonia.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Aquitaine, Gaul (modern France)
Death location: Celles, near Dinant, Namur, modern Belgium
Notable location: The hermitage and monastery he founded near the Lesse River in the Ardennes; his relics were kept here in a magnificent Romanesque shrine; a small church and pilgrimage site mark the spot today (Celles, Namur, Belgium)
Notable location: His relics were translated here in the 11th century for protection from Norse raids; the Collegiate Church of Saint Martin in Visé holds his shrine; a solemn procession of his relics through the streets of Visé takes place every seven years (the Tour Saint-Hadelin), a tradition dating to 1233 (Visé, Province of Liège, Belgium)
Notable location: He was associated with the great twin monastery of Stavelot-Malmedy founded by Saint Remacle; he helped establish monastic life in the Ardennes under Remacle's direction (Stavelot-Malmedy, Liège, Belgium)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Collegiate Church of Saint Martin, Visé, Liège, Belgium — his reliquary; the seven-year procession (Tour Saint-Hadelin); major Walloon pilgrimage tradition.
- Celles village, Namur, Belgium — site of his hermitage; small church; local veneration.
Feast day
February 3
Veneration
Saint Hadelin is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on February 3, observed in the Dioceses of Namur and Liège and throughout Wallonia.
Prayers
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Intercessory
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