Frézal de Mende

Frézal de Mende is a Saint of the Catholic church. Bishop of Gévaudan, it is assassinated in 828, according to a legendary text. It appears only little in the writings history (no participation in a Concile) but has a great oral tradition around its history.

Biography

It is known as being the bishop of the Gabales under the reign of Louis the Piles, wire of Charlemagne. Its greater task was to earlier remove the Gévaudan from the idolatrery, in particular the ritual of the Lake Saint-Andéol (close to Bonnecombes), started three centuries by Saint Ilère.

The “life” of the saint tells us that arrived at the age where old age was to do its work, Frézal was still robust, with large the distresses of its Bucilinus nephew, called to succeed to him the episcopate. It would then have sliced the head of his uncle in his own residence. The legend associated speaks that it is the devil him even which would have indicated to Bucilinus the way of proceeding, in order to get rid thus and of the uncle and the nephew (that he, the devil, would have strangled with leaving the house of Frézal). Always according to this legend, Frézal would have collected its head to go to the place where he wanted to be buried. This however gives the indication which the episcopal see was not with Mende but with Canourgue at this time there, because forty kilometers separate Mende from the source where Saint-Frézal rests.

This proximity of Frézal and Canourgue joined the thesis that Frézal could be member of the prestigious family of the Canilhac (one of the eight Baronnies of Gévaudan), advanced by several historians, knowing that he was the oldest son of a “very noble consul”.

The statute of Martyr was however questioned at the wire of the centuries.

Its relics

Its tomb is a Sarcophage of Roman time (employed again), and rests in a vault of the 12th century close to Canourgue in the vault of Saint-Frézal. The fountain is just at side. This one was known as of the Romans for its therapeutic benefits.

A miracle is associated with its relics, indeed it would have been opposed to its transfer. In 1628, another bishop of Mende, Crusy de Marcilhac, wanted brought back to the episcopal see the remainders of its predecessor. The history teaches us that “the body of the saint bishop was found whole one carried it without sorrow to the door but it was impossible to make it leave, some efforts which one could make, and that with the sight of an infinite number of people”.

The sarcophagus has had for summer visited several time, first of all examined in 1871 then the November 22nd 1894. Finally the skeleton there resting was dated with the carbon-14, the result agrees with the legend.

Associated places

Saint-Frézal-with-the-Canourgue (Lozere)
Saint-Frézal-in Albuges (Lozere)
Saint-Frézal-with-Ventalon (Lozere)

Sources and references

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