St. Vigor
From
http://mistral.culture.fr/culture/inventai/itiinv/sable/fr/ptmm/pmm9.htm
HE was born in Artois France and studied at Arras under St. Vedastus.
When ordained priest he began his service to God as a preaching hermit at Ravière near
Bayeux and served as a missionary among the people until
513 when he was consecrated bishop of Bayeux. He was well know for his strong
opposition to paganism, converting many to Christianity. It is said
that he built a church on the site of a large
idol that he destroyed. Later he founded a monastery
that became known as St. Vigeur-le-Grand (the town where the monastery still stands now
has this name.) The Normans would later inhabit the area and accept St.
Vigor as their favorite saint.
St. Vigor died 537 AD. His feast day is November 1, however
because this date is also All Saints Day his feast day is often celebrated on another day
in deference to the Solemnity of All Saints.
William the Conqueror would later introduce St.
Vigor to Great Britain during the Norman Conquest by building Churches
dedicated to the Saint.
Abbey of Cerisy in Normandy France founded in 1032 by the duke Robert
the
Splendid and dedicated to Saint Vigor.
From http://www.chateauxcountry.com/chateaux/cerisylaforet/index_fr.html
Under the influence of the Normans, two churches in England are
dedicated to St. Vigor.
One of these churches is Stratton-on-the-Fosse in Somerset. The other
is St. Vigor in FULBOURN England, built shortly after the Norman Conquest of
England (1066) and before 1086. Around the same time a second church, All Saints,
was built immediately adjacent to St. Vigor. The two churches served
separate manors of the village but when All Saints Church burned down in 1766 St. Vigor
served the whole village; today the Church still serves the village http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/CAM/Fulbourn/StVigor/index.html.
REFERENCES
