Gerard de Toul

Saint Gerard de Toul is the 33e bishop of Toul, it died on April 23rd, 994. He is celebrated on April 23rd and on October 21st (translation of its relics in 1051).

Accession with the episcopate

Gerard was born with Cologne about the year 930. His/her parents, Inframme and Emma took care to give him a solid Christian education. Raise Chapitre near the cathedral, it felt quickly called with the sacerdotal life.

Once become priest, it continued his studies and preached in the parishes of the city, while achieving the tasks of cellerier of the Chapter.

At this point in time the Chapitre of Toul sent a delegation to achevêque Cologne in order to give a successor to Saint Gauzelin, their bishop. The Council presbytéral of Cologne chooses Gerard unanimously. This one was surprised of this choice, but accepted it. He was crowned on March 19th 963 with Trier becoming thus the 33e bishop of Toul.

Life and work

Of a great faith, he requested long hours, had a deep piety and multiplied the offices in his city and all his diocese. Not neglecting the service its faithful, it received the poor with his table, opened its attics in the event of food shortage to them, and regulated justice in its diocese in a deep Christian spirit.

Not far from the cathedral of Toul, it founded an old people's home lodging the patients needy, entitled House-God , as well as a reception center to the profit from abroad who left their distances country to flee misery. Concerned of all, he visited it regularly, and requested with them.

The Gerard bishop continued also the work started by his predecessor, fighting against the paganism which was still quite long-lived in the campaigns, and by supporting the establishment of monasteries.

Wanting to equip its town of a cathedral which would be the witness of the spiritual life, he undertook the construction of a vast building which still lets it guess in the current cathedral, of the 13th century.

It could set up only the chorus and the transept, and devoted it in 981.

Gerard into force gave the worship of several local saints, Saint Élophe, Saint Mansuy, Saint Epvre, by preaching the worship of their relics, and while building oratorical and vaults.

Many miracles were also allotted to him.

End-of-life

Exhausted by its multiple loads, it crumbled one day at the time of the office of Matines and was brought back to évêché. Suffering much, he exclaimed:

“ Since my body must be used as stone in the building of the Heavenly Jerusalem, it is necessary well to cut this stone and to polish it by the suffering ”

He died out on April 23rd 994 after 31 years of episcopate.

Veneration

It is during a pontifical voyage that the Pope Leon IX came to Toul for the translation from the relics from the Gerard bishop, of which he had been the successor. The night of October 20th 1051 the office started, with the opening of the sepulchre:

“ one raised the stone sépulcrle and the body of Gerard Saint appeared in pontifcaux clothing, the grey hair, the closed eyes, as deadened in waiting of resurrection ”

It is after three days of ceremonies that the body of the saint was placed in a mounting, on a furnace bridge with the northern brace of the transept. All this representing the equivalent of an authentic canonization.

The furnace bridge of Gerard Saint disappeared at the 18th century, and if some relics were disseminated in other parishes, the cathedral of Tours still preserves its chief and of many bones.

The town of Gerardmer, whose Saint Gerard de Toul is owner jointly with Saint Barthelemy, had a relic of the saint which was lost at the time of the destruction of the church, on June 22nd 1940. It was replaced in 1951 at the time of important festivals which devoted the protection of this city by this saint.

Iconography

It is very reduced apart from the Toul where one finds:

a painting with fresco discovered in 1892 behind the woodworks of the cathedral. It dates from the 15th century and represents the bishop upright, with his feet three pilgrims, cured in the presence of the Pope.
Another table, of 1625, located in the middle of the decoration of the chorus, represents it.
Saint Gerard is reproduced on the window of the northern transept of the cathedral of Toul but also on a more modern stained glass of the northern transept of the church of Gérardmer.

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