Holy Ulphe

Holy Ulphe - (711 - 789) - Holy of Picardy, known by its legend - Founder of monastery.

Hagiography

Single, pretty and pleasing child, it did not miss the applicants, but she preferred to spend her days in prayer. " Decorated and equipped with all the virtues, and mêmement with beautiful capacity, its speech was gracious… it aymait God supremely " of it a chronicler of the time said.

One day, during its sleep, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, carrying the Jesus child with the resplendent face. This one says to him: " Ulphe, since you chose my son like husband, your weddings will last with him for eternity ".

The following day, Holy Domice, a hermit who lived with Fouencamps, advances towards it. She beseeches it to direct it in her holy vocation, while speaking to him about her vision. But it waited. Each night, it passed close to her, at the edge of the fountain close which she slept, until the day when it had in its turn a vision which opened the eyes to him, and it decided at the same moment to guide it.

Domice then presented it to Chrétien (Christianus), the bishop of Amiens, and at the same time the bells are reflected to sound all alone. The bishop devoted and blesses Ulphe and made him build a hut for hermitage, it was in 730, it was 28 years old.

Each night, the two hermits went together to Matines, in the church of the abbey of Saint-Acheul. But, Domice dies in 775 and Ulphe is inconsolable. However, it does not cease requesting. The demons tempters attack it, it requests more still.

One day, it crosses Aurée, a young virgin who wishes to share her retirement; then other virgins join them. Sainte Ulphe founds a monastery then. However, preferring to find its retirement, it is withdrawn again in its hermitage, letting Aurée direct the monastery.

In 789, after being itself returned last once at the church to confess itself and communier, she dies. She was 78 years old. Its relics, with those of Saint Domice will be transferred in the cathedral from Amiens in 1279.

The miracle of frogs

Each night thus, the two hermits Holy Domice and Sainte Ulphe went together for the prayer of Matines. However one night, the frogs which lived in the pond near the fountain of the hermitage of Ulphe, prevented by their croaking, the holy one to sleep, and it was not awaked when Domice sought it.

This one anxious not to see it, reconsidered its steps and sees then it, extending the hand on frogs while requesting, imposing silence to them. Since this day, the frogs did not coassèrent any more in this pond.

Celebrates

January 31st - Its worship is limited to the diocese of Amiens

Places of veneration of Holy Ulphe

In the church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin with Notre-Dame of Boves
With the vault Domice Saint with Fouencamps
In the Holy vault Ulphe, place of foundation of the Abbey of Paraclet, disappeared today.

Iconography

In the cathedral of Amiens:

Statue of Holy Ulphe to the Western gate.
Low relief representing Holy Ulphe in extase in a side chapel.
Table representing it in company of Domice Saint.

See too

Juanjo Guarnido, graphic designer of cartoons, used the character of Holy Ulphe for an Exposure to Amiens in 2007.

Sources

Exposure on the Cathedral and Holy Ulphe (square) to Amiens
the Bible of Amiens - Mercure de France - 1904

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