Saint Menele

It is believed that Saint Ménélé wa s born i Précigné Birthplace of Saint Meneleus in the Sarthe department. n Précigné, a small town in the Sarthe department, in the current diocese of Le Mans, the primitive diocese of Angers. His father was named Amanulfus and his mother Docula, of illustrious lineage. While still very young, our Saint showed what he would one day become: the purity, candor, and chastity that he displayed from his most tender years astonished all who knew him. At the age of seven, kneeling before the holy altars, he made a vow to the divine Jesus, whom his virgin heart already loved with such strong love, to keep a perpetual virginity.

Alas! Virtue encounters so many and such great obstacles in this world! As soon as he was of an age to accept a position in the world, his father, jealous of perpetuating through his son the noble blood that flowed in his veins, wished to have him marry a young person of high birth: she was Sensa Sensa Fiancée imposed upon Ménélé, who eventually dedicated herself to God at Lisseuil. , daughter of Duke Barontus. To the first proposals made to him, Menele replied courageously that he had never dreamed of anything but the sublime delights of chaste souls, and that he would never consent to know any others.

The father, irritated by the failure of his approach, made his rebellious son bear the full weight of his indignation; he even forgot himself to the point of striking him, and subjecting him to the harshest treatment. The struggle lasted several days. Tired of such an unequal combat and desirous of putting an end to a position all the more false as it doomed him to inextricable difficulties, Menele finally acquiesced to his father's wishes.

This act of condescension, which he reproached himself for as an act of unworthy weakness, troubled the peace of his heart. He consulted two of his in timate f Savinien Brother of Saint Sabina, martyr at Troyes. riends, Savinien and Constance, and all three resolved to flee from the paternal castle. Guided by Providence, they left Précigné, and, after a few days of walking, they arrived near the ruins of an ancient monastery called M énât Ménât Benedictine abbey restored by Saint Ménélé in Auvergne. (Menatum, Bracum). It was an abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict, located between the Sioule and the Bouble, nine leagues from Clermont, founded during the reign of Clovis, before the year 500, and consecrated under the invocation of Saint Savior and Saint Martin.

Our young travelers had already established themselves forever in this solitude, when they were visited by a young mo Théofride Monk who guided Ménélé to his uncle Eudes' monastery. nk named Théofride, known in Auvergne by the name of Saint Cha ffre, and n saint Eudes Abbot of Calméry and spiritual master of Ménélé for seven years. ephew of Saint Eudes, abbot of Calméry, in Velay (Calminiacum), a Benedictine monastery founded around 570 in honor of the prince of the Apostles, and later called Saint-Chaffre. Théofride proposed that they come and place themselves under the direction of his uncle: they accepted, and spent seven whole years with Saint Eudes in the fulfillment of all the duties of monastic life. However, on the faith of a vision, Ménélé and Savinien requested permission from Saint Eudes to return to Ménât: they cleared the land surrounding the ancient monastery, built an oratory where Savinien, who was a priest, could offer the holy sacrifice, and rebuilt a portion of the ruins of the old abbey.

However, the virtues of our young solitaries could not remain hidden for long: their fame spread far and wide, and Ménélé's mother, Docula, his sister Bocula, and his fiancée Sensa came to present themselves one day at the threshold of the monastery. Ménélé feared at first that they had come to tear him away from his solitude, but he was suddenly filled with joy when he learned from them that they had come to him to consecrate themselves to God. Ménélé hastened to build, at some distance from Ménât, cells and an oratory which he placed under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin, and which he abandoned to the three handmaidens of Jesus Christ. It is around this oratory that t he monastery of Lisse monastère de Lisseuil Monastery for women founded by Ménélé for his converted family. uil and the parish of that name were subsequently formed. It is today a humble village church in the shape of a Latin cross and of the simplest structure, with nothing to suggest that it replaced a more important edifice. Lisseuil was once very frequented as a place of pilgrimage: people came from several leagues around, especially on September 8, which is the patronal feast, and the influx, even today, is considerable. Pious people come there to ask Mary for their healing, drink water from the nearby fountain, or take some with them for their sick relatives.

Since this happy encounter, the days of Ménélé flowed by in peace; disciples in great numbers attached themselves to his footsteps; and, joining his efforts to theirs, he built on the ruins of the small monastery of Ménât th e immense abbey of that na l'immense abbaye de ce nom Benedictine abbey restored by Saint Ménélé in Auvergne. me. Alas! a dreadful fire came to destroy in one day the fruit of long labors; however, at the mere name of Ménélé, all the peasants from the surrounding area rushed to help, and the new edifice rose even more splendid than the first. Our Saint had its church consecra ted by Saint saint Bonnet Bishop of Clermont who consecrated the church of Menat. Bonnet, Bishop of Clermont.

Exhausted by the fatigues of a life so well spent, Saint Ménélé, feeling his end approaching, desi gnated Saint S saint Savinien Brother of Saint Sabina, martyr at Troyes. avinien as his successor, and fell asleep gently in the Lord a few days later.

There still exists, in the parish of Précigné, a chapel dedicated under the name of Saint Ménélé: on August 23, 1712, there was in this parish a solemn translation of a significant portion of his relics and those of Saint Savinien, obtained from the abbey of Ménât.

We have used, to compose this biography, the Acta Sanctorum; Notre-Dame de France; and the Saints d'Anjou, by the Rev. Fr. Dom François Chamard.