Ansbert of Rouen
Ansbert (629-694) is a holy Christian third abbot of the Abbaye of Saint-Wandrille, bishop of Rouen
Its life
Saint Ansbert was born into 629 with Chaussy-in-Vexin in a noble family. Very quickly it is located for its intellectual abilities. His/her Silvinus father thus decided to marry it with the cousin of Lantbert saint, whose father had a load of chief clerk to the chancellery of Clovis II, in order to make of Ansbert a civil servant of the Palate. Saint ansbert was thus promised in marriage to Angadresme which did not want to marry but live as a nun, the oldest accounts affirm that it had a skin disease and succeeds in cancelling its engagement, then it entered a monastery. Ansbert thus left to the court without marrying, and he became chief clerk (preparation of the diplomas for royal signature…). There remains the trace of a chief clerk of this time: judgment of
Clotaire III, between the abbey of Saint-Denis and the bishop of Mans Baracharius marked in November 659 - 660. Later he becomes chancellor (charged to keep the royal ring with whom one authenticated the acts). Often requesting, it made a running away in order to join holy Wandrille in the abbey of fontenelle. It set out again following a discussion with Wandrille saint, and obtained from the king Clotaire III the freedom of its loads, then he became monk in the abbey of Wandrille saint. There holy Ansbert started has to study the books of the abbey in construction (of which write them of Gregoire the Large one, and of Colomban Saint) and became a “model” monk.
In 668 Wandrille saint died and holy Ansbert and holy Lantbert became the abbots of Fontenelle. In 680 Lantbert Saint was destined for Lyon and Saint Ansbert thus became the abbot of the abbey of Fontenelle. During these ten years of abbatiat the famous one of the abbey grows and of many of which were made according to its biographer with the abbey. With died of Holy Ouen (bishop of Rouen), in 684, the king convened Ansbert and obliged it to become bishop of Rouen, and was crowned by Lantbert saint.
One tells that it gave much money to the poor, in particular by distributing at the time of the food shortages the saved money. He wrote a book
Quaestiones . May 7th, 688 it moves the remainders of Ouen Saint in the Saint-Pierre church of Rouen. But the changes policy condisirent so that Pépin of Herstal off-set it with the monastery of Haumont-on-Sambre. February 9th, 694 he died and was buried with the abbey saint wandrille, where many miracles occurred on the way.
Articles related
- Holy Wandrille
- Abbey of Saint-Wandrille