Holy Rolende

Life of Holy Rolende

According to the legend, Rolende was girl of Didier, king of the lombards. Sought in marriage by the son of king d' Écosse, warrior of value and reputation, Rolende flees of the royal palace because she wanted to devote herself to God and to carry out her intention belonging only to Him. She wandered a long time and, exhausted, reached Villers-Pottery where she was well accommodated. But there, in the castle of Villers-Pottery, she died of exhaustion.

It was into 774. One still sees in the vault of this castle a stone on which is engraved, in Gothic letters, the following inscription: " difficulty obiit Virgo Rollendis".

When one had brought back with pump the crowned skin of Rolende to Gerpinnes, one deposited it in the church, of the right-sided, where a mausoleum was set up to him to preserve it.

This tomb became so famous for the bright miracles of all kinds which took place there that one saw there flowing an avid innumerable crowd to obtain the delivery, either of the body infirmities, or of the spiritual blindness. It is said that " virginal body of Rolende, oozed in great abundance a crowned oil whose oiling cured the wounds. However a malevolent man threw by ground oil and the flask which contained it; for punishment of what, him and all its descent had large nodes at all the joints of the fingers, and oil ceased suinter".

It is at the beginning of XIIe century that the religious authorities proceeded to the solemn exaltation of the remainders of the saint body. A long time after, this area was tested by a very great sterility. A larger plague occurred: an extraordinary mortality prevails in several provinces. Each one, struck terror, put its confidence in the protection of Happy Rolende, all gathered around its tomb, always famous for the miracles, convinced that it would deliver them of such a plague and decided that, each year, after fasts and tears of penitence, the very holy body of the Virgin would be carried in large pump in a procession around the limits of the parish. The more one put devotion to achieve this act of Piety, the more the Sky and Rolende hastened to put an end to the calamity.

Text coming from the book Gerpinnes Vade mecum.

Miracles

It is by this miracle and a crowd of others which this Happy Virgin showed that it took care for always on her servants.

Here the relation of some miracles translated into the XVIIe century, of a Latin manuscript, by Crespin Paradise, priest of Gerpinnes.

" There was some girl resident in ceste Parroiche which had the so curved knees that the vestiges of its heels are voyent with its kidneys, estant made up avecque large devotion pardevant the Virginal body deserved to receive her health corporelle."

" Of advantage veue esté (seen) some young woman, which estait so relieved of the arteries of the voice, which it could not utter perfectly a word alone, for this every day mettoit in knees in front of the furnace bridge, where it deserved to obtain the opening of the voice and whole cure. " " In the month of julet 1601, Charles Lebenart, aagé of two or three years, deulloit and délamantoit saying that it had badly towards its génitoires, and estant visited by several people, was found to be desrompu whose to provide for the pain, his/her mother contracted avecque a maistre operator to make it slice and the arrived estant maistre, the child fell sick, pourquoy that was differed for the danger from dead whose mother seeing her child enduring an extreme pain carried out the day of the procession a pilgrimage and with the return his/her child entirely guérit." found;

Text coming from the book Gerpinnes Vade mecum.

The revealing recluse

There was a servant of God, named Engerrand, which endeavoured to move away " body and âme" glory of the world, null and frivolous, and which lived holily. This recluse, locked up in a contiguous cell with the vault where the body of Rolende was found, réfrénait all his covetousnesses there. Rolende appeared to him twice to say to him to reveal the place of its burial.

Third once, it was " strongly beaten rods " like negligent. Hesitating, it is summoned to be carried out.

Having obtained its grace, it will obtempéra. Patient, it briefly published the vision that it had had and causes it its disease. To give more certainty to its revelation, it described, of its cell, with a stick, the contour of the tomb.

Text coming from the book Gerpinnes Vade mecum.

Oger saint

The death of Rolende was painful with the one of its servants, Oger, single confidant of the holy one.

Perhaps Oger, under its vulgar envelope of servant, had a heart sensitive, generous, opened with the great emotions and able to give birth to noble but realistic passion.

Rolende liked the Ideal and when, threatened in its virtue, she addresses herself to Oger, he believes himself liked, he hopes… And then, they from go away by wood and, from this perilous and difficult running away, they draw one and the other the life in the love even. Thus fortunes of the destiny join together, in a disconcerting intimacy, without them being however included/understood, two beings also enthusiast of the same passion.

When Rolende died, Oger had a presentiment of that there was no more, for him, of possible happiness. And this young man, who could run to other loves and heal a hardly open wound, was locked up in despair. He withdrew himself far, in the peace of lonelinesses, drank the water of the rocks, nourishes roots and plants; he foresaw Rolende surrounded by celestial splendors,

He died in charge of years and O marvellous power of the love, when the mounting containing its relics, joint, with Hanzinne, the procession of Holy Rolende to continue one moment with her the road which they have traversed both at the time of their youth and their passion, one still hears the bones sanctified of the servant to jump of joy.

This legend is not nowhere reported if it is not by the tradition.

Text coming from the book Gerpinnes Vade mecum.

Caption Guard of honor

One day, some shepherd, of the farm of Villers-Pottery, surprised by a downpour, took refuge with its watchdogs, in a vault set up in the honor of Holy Rolende. Inspired by the malignant spirit, it placed one of its dogs on the furnace bridge. Suddenly, from the weapons of gaules emerged from the wall, the profaner was attacked by a flight of blows which made him deep wounds. He beseeched the forgiveness of his fault and, for expier his fault, him and all his descent - which was innumerable will owe, until complete extinction, to accompany everywhere the remainders by the happy one. Therefore two officers with horse, holding each one a flag with streamers, escort the mounting lasting all the course of the pilgrimage.

Text coming from the book Gerpinnes Vade mecum.

The Mounting

In the year 1097, Otbert made remove ground the body of Holy Rolende and put it in a mounting after having carried out the rise in the relics. This mounting was out of copper and money. It was restored in 1399. It is in 1599, on May 13rd, that it had its current form. It left the workshops of Henri Libert, goldsmith with Namur. It is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of the goldsmithery of XVe and XVIe centuries. The mounting is of style Renaissance but the majority of the ornaments belong to the Roman.

Text coming from the book Gerpinnes Vade mecum.

The Worship of Holy Rolende

At the 8th century, Gerpinnes was marked by a famous event that the faith of the ages took care to perpetuate. Its name is illustrated in the history and the tradition by the pure one and touching legend of holy Rolende. The past gerpinnois is deeply marked by the popular worship of holy Rolende, girl of Didier, king of the Lombards. Eager to flee one been engaged that the court of his/her father imposed to him (the precise tradition local that it acts of Oger Saint, honoured with Hanzinne), Rolende flees of the paternal palate and moved towards Cologne to enter to the convent and to devote themselves to God. It is on the way of the exile that she died of exhaustion and deprivations with Villers-Pottery into 774. Its body, from where ran an oil embaumée and miraculous was carried to the church of Gerpinnes, and its relics is always preserved in a venerated mounting.

Each year, proceeds, Monday of Pentecost, whatever the time, the procession or " Holy Tower Rolende " , which always attracts an huge crowd as well the curious one as pilgrims. The origin of this turn is ancestral, and in 1413, he is already regarded as an antique habit. After a mass celebrated at 3 o'clock in the morning, the procession shakes and will return in Gerpinnes only at 7 p.m., after a course of 35 kilometers. All the villages which belonged to the old parish will receive it in turn and the honors in a very spectacular way will return to him. That procession, procession semi-layman, semi-monk, known in the country under the name of " Holy Walk Rolende " , hardly resemblance to the others " has; Steps " surroundings and even less with the processions and pilgrimages of other provinces. But this, it is folklore. This folk demonstration begins with Easter by traditional and curious the " ceremony " named " the breaking of glass " the purpose of who is the management training of the officers called to order the various groups of the military Company for the Walk of the Whit Monday. As from Sunday of the Pentecost, about the evening, one attends a true mobilization of the men of all ages and even of the children. Gerpinnes is under the weapons: as from 10 p.m., one sounds the curfew; at 2 o'clock in the morning, the alarm clock. Drums and fifres traverses the village in all directions and the martial rate/rhythm their bearings creates a particular environment which nobody resists. Troop movements will follow one another according to an order which the habit imposes. The departure of the procession is made church of Gerpinnes-Center at 3 a.m. 45, and it is with the delegation of the Company of Villers-Pottery that returns the honor to leave the mounting which will be carried, throughout its tour, on the shoulders of faithful or of the pilgrims. After the relay of the Company of the Center, it is the rise towards Hymiée, the reception by the procession Saint-Oger with Hanzinne and the short halt with Bertransart. After having crossed the Depressions and Joncret and after a stop with the castle of Acoz, one sets out again towards Villers-Pottery where the majority of the Companies are found for a particular homage where the holy one died. The procession continues then its route and, after being last by Gougnies and Fromiée, arrives at Sartia, the entry Is of Gerpinnes, where the large parade of the 12 Companies is spread. And it is in the middle of a considerable crowd, that the relics, framed by the clergy, preceded by more than 3000 walkers, make their solemn return in the church of Gerpinnes, after having crossed the streets of the locality