Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois

Geography

History

The vault

The legend wants that Charles Martel, in 732, after having pushed back Buckwheats of the doors of Tours and to have beaten them on the road of Poitiers, exterminated the last troops in wood which bordered Holy-Moor then.
To thank God for this decisive victory over the Moors, Charles-Martel made build in this wild place called Fierbois ( set bocus ) a small vault, dedicated to holy Catherine of Alexandria, owner of the soldiers. In Ex-voto, it deposited there, behind the furnace bridge, its épée.
This vault was undoubtedly the object of large a devotion, but no document was preserved to support this histoire.

The first reporting manuscript Holy-Catherine-with Fierbois is a work of the 15th century: Life of holy Catherine in whom the first miracle of the latter is reported.

“the year millet three hundred and sixty and fifteen, the pilgrimage of holy Madam Catherine called Fierbois, being in the parish of Holy-Moor, with the diocese of Turns in Touraine, was found by an industrial tribunal of the known as place which one calls Jean Godefroy… This Jean Godefroy, living to that the place of Fierbois, was then in such disease that it was seven years without being able to make use of members whom it had… However it returned to this catch that, at one time, there had been a vault of Mrs Sainte Catherine and in a place which was full of large wood, with bushes and brambles. And there was no which been able there to have access. It came to him a pious idea and was to him opinion that, if it made neuvaine in this place, are state would amend itself. And it made as much as, by its servants, through knocked and iron instruments, it made do one feels by which it was carried to that the place. And sometimes that it was in front of the aforementioned vault, before its neuvaine, it was completed saw well and clear, and healthy and was cured of all its members. And still it at this hour in also a good state is which it was never. Thanks are returned from there to God and Mrs Sainte Catherine. ”

At that time, France is sick - it is the Guerre One hundred Year old (1337-1453) - the Church also - it is the time of the Great Schism of Occident (there will be to three popes simultaneously) - and in his distress, the people turn to the marvellous one.

In these time of disorders, where bands of robbers, brigands and enemies English furrowed the country, much knights, peasants and travellers who fell between their hands, recommended themselves to this holy and made wish of going in pilgrimage to its vault, if it recovered freedom.

As from this moment, noise of the miracles which took place in Fierbois were spread quickly and attracted, consequently, a crowd of patients and pilgrims.

The chaplaincy

To receive the pilgrims who flowed consequently to Saint-Catherine, Jean Meingre, known as Boucicaut, which was lord wanted to build there about 1400 a hôpital.
This chaplaincy consisted of a building located in the borough, composed of a vault dedicated to Saint Jacques de Compostelle (1), of three rooms (dormitory) including one for the poor with " court, pre garden and, and thirty-two arpents of ground on Saint-Épain ". It had been founded thanks to the assent of Jehan de Craon, as one sees it by the charter thus designed:

“With all those which these present letters will see, Jehan de Craon, knight, lord of Moncontour, Holy-Moor, Montbazon, etc knowledge faisont that, like Lord Jehan Meingre says Boucicaut, count de Beaufort and of Arles, Viscount of Tourrienne and Valerne, Marshal of France, moved by devotion founded and makes build and build a hospital and chaplaincy to lodge the poor and to make achieve works of mercy in the honor of God downtown our of Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois, being in our barronie and Châtellenie… which thing could not be done without having on this our leave and license.

To know let us make that: For the honor and reverence of God , and considering the good will and affection of Lord Jehan Meingre de Boucicaut… let us want, grant and authorize that the aforementioned heritages and places declared above are and remain always perpetually plain… Donné in our manor house of Montbazon under our scel and manual signature, in witness of the truth and perpetual memory, the 10th day of August of the year of grace 1415: Jehan de Craon”

(1) at that time, the pilgrimage of saint Jacques de Compostelle made party of the four great pilgrimages of the Christian world with Jerusalem, Rome, and Saint Martin's day de Tours)

Jeanne d' Arc and Holy-Catherine

Jeanne d' Arc, born on January 6th, 1412 in Domrémy, is made lead by the lord de Beaudricourt, pushed by its voices, near the dolphin (future Charles VII) . She starts from Vaucouleur the escorted on February 23rd of 6 men, and arrives on March 4th, 1429 at Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois, Jeanne wearing male clothes then. She is lodged in the chaplaincy built by Boucicaut and makes write a letter with the dolphin that she makes carry by two men of her escort and went to request in front of the statue of holy Catherine who trônait in the vault dedicated to her name. The following day it attends three masses in this same vault. Having received answer to its mail, it gets under way for Chinon on March 6th.

Once recognized like sent of the Lord, it goes to Tours to recover the armor made for it there, and when a sword is proposed to him, it refuses it pretexting that " its voices " he had revealed the existence of another, buried behind the furnace bridge of the vault of Holy-Catherine-to-Fierbois and recognizable to five crosses engraved on the blade (sword of Charles Martel). Here what one can on this subject read in the minutes of his lawsuit:

… While I was in Tours, I sent to seek a sword which was in the church Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois behind the autel.
- How did you know that this sword was there?
- This sword was out of ground, very rusted and it guard was decorated of five crosses. I known that it was there by my voices, and the man which suited it to seek it had ever seen. I wrote to the ecclesiastics of the known as place that they wanted to send this sword well to me, and they sent it to me. It was not inserted too much out of ground, behind the furnace bridge as it seems to me. At once after the sword had been found, the ecclesiastics of the known as place rubbed it, and at once rust fell without difficulty. It was the arms manufacturer of Turns who suited it to seek. The priests of Fierbois made me gift of a sleeve, and the inhabitants of Turns of another. One thus made make two sleeves, one of vermilion velvet, and the other of gold cloth. And me I made some make a solid leather third…

The parish

After the fire of the vault in 1440, the cardinal Hélié de Bourdeilles, archbishop of Turns, made build the current church, on the site of the old vault, about 1450. It was completed thanks to generosities of Charles VII.
About the middle of 16th century, the devotion for holy Catherine is still popular, and to protect the church and the relics that it conceals, by letter patent of the king of January 2nd, 1545, Louis de Rohan, lord of Holy-Moor was authorized to close the borough of Holy-Catherine of walls and ditches (disappeared since) what authorized it to take the name of ville.
Very early the parishioners of Holy-Catherine wanted émanciper supervision of Holy-Moor. The first request goes back to 1464 with the pope Pie II which accommodated it favorably and delegated a canon to it to begin a lawsuit of information of control unit and incommodo . The business trailed because of the wars and in 1516 the pope Leon X decided to declare Holy-Catherine branch and parish. But Holy-Moor made opposition and, by a judgment returned on February 6th, 1519, the inhabitants of Holy-Catherine were déboutés of their demande.
In 1686, a new request will fail, in particular following the different ones which opposed the pope Innocent XI and Louis XIV about the Régale and especially famous Déclaration of the four articles of 1682 . It will have to be waited until April 1704 so that finally Holy-Catherine become a cure with share entière.
During the time of the revolution, the church was plundered, sold furniture, the broken stained glasses and the very beautiful sculptures more or less endommagées.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the church is in a lamentable state and the first repairs are made with the expenses inhabitants and especially of Mr. de Commacre, former lord of the parish. The sacristy is reconstruite.
In 1848, at the request of the Maubois abbot, priest of the parish, the government commissioner with Tours, went to visit the church in company of the abbot Bourassé, president of the archaeological Société of Touraine and two architects of which Mr. Chateignier who submitted a double report/ratio, one announcing the Contracting State of each of the church, the other, repairs necessary. Its work was approved by the committee of the historic buildings, whose president, Mr. Prosper Mérimée went itself to inspect the building, that it then made classify “historic building”.
June 6th, 1851, the prefect of Indre-et-Loire, communicated to Mgr Morlot, archbishop Turns, the parts relative to " a request for help addressed to the State ". July 5th Mgr Morlot turned over the file with estimate and plans by uniting there a letter for the Minister of Interior Department:

” the church of Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois… is one of the most admirable buildings of the Christian art of the end of the 15th century, to which the most invaluable memories of our national history are attached. But it becomes urgent to promptly restore this monument which is for a long time in a deplorable state, and whose ruin would be certain if one did not undertake soon the repair work… It is obvious that the project in question could never be put in execution if the government did not grant a help proportioned to the needs… ”

The State aid was partly granted and work started, directed by Mr. Chateigner. In 1853 the funds has suddenly missed, one had help with a subscription and later, in 1856, with a lottery whose principal lot was offered by the emperor Napoleon III. Work finished in 1859.

Administration

Demography

Graph of evolution of the population, 1794-1999

Places and monuments

The church

Seen outside, the church presents a perfectly directed Latin cross and its architectural character is purer Gothic style blazing. Long 34 m and broad 12 m, it was built on the site of the old vault (burned in 1440) and one can see while entering, on the line, the site where was found the sword of Jeanne d' Arc. She is surmounted by a Campanile of 41 m haut.
The Transept makes 26 m length and is composed of two vaults. That of right-hand side is dedicated to holy Catherine of Alexandria and one can see there a furnace bridge of the 15th formed century of 7 panels of ogival style blazing (sold during the revolution, it was found at the 19th century in a nearby mill). one can also admire there a splendid confessional due to the scissors of the Chaffiot cabinetmaker in Gothic style Tudor (19th century). The other vault is devoted to the Virgin Marie.
By looking at the chorus, one sees on the right the door of the surmounted sacristy of the weapons of Boucicaut and Jeanne d' Arc. Opposite, the vault seigneuriale, built at the 19th century. The high altar is the work of the same cabinetmaker who made the confessionnal.

The house of the Dolphin

It bears this name because it is known as that Charles VII placed there. It was built in 1478 by the lord d' Estouteville, lord of Holy-Moor
. It is characterized by four lattice windows and a low door in accodance. The gable S ornamented of hooks carry at their base two winged dragons. Of each with dimensions of the door are two escutcheons, of which one with the weapons of France (semi-part), and the so mutilated second which it is impossible of the définir.

The town hall

In fact, the municipal monument almost entirely occupies the old chaplaincy rested by the marshal Boucicaut (around 1400), whose frontage was restored lately. The old vault dedicated to Holy Jacques de Compostelle, was used then as presbytery, and is currently occupied by the public library. One still sees there a small statue of the Virgin Mary in the buttress which borders the route.

Personalities related to the commune

The caricaturist Jules Baric (1825 - 905) is native of Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois. A street and the school of the village bears its name there.

See too

Common of Indre-et-Loire

External bonds

Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois on the site of INSEE
Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois on the site lion1906
1379-1446 - miracles of Holy Catherine de Fierbois: testimonys of 15 miraculés of the diocese the Holy ones.

Sources

For the history part, abbot J.B. Fourrault, Holy-Catherine-of-Fierbois - Its monuments and memories of Jeanne d' Arc , Turns, 1887

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