Ostensions limousines

Ostensions are a tradition religious and popular, deeply anchored in the history of the the Limousin, they take place with Limoges and in twelve communes of High-Vienna and one in Charente limousine. This religious holiday goes back to year 994, whereas the Limousin, like most of Aquitaine, was with the catches with a terrible epidemic: the Badly of burning the.

The harvests have been just completed, when the population is suddenly decimated by a terrible disease, kind of interior flashover that nothing manages to alleviate. After a feeling of atrocious burn (from where name “burning”, of Latin ardere, to burn), the patients see their members becoming rigid, blackening, and finally putrefying. Deaths amount per hundreds. One will learn later that this evil, which will still prevail during several centuries, is not other than the Ergotisme, intoxication caused by the rye bread consumption contaminated by a parasitic mushroom; but in 994, it is perceived like the expression of a punishment of God. In Limoges, all is only desolation. The patients and the disabled person, come to beseech divine protection, pile up in the churches. Vis-a-vis extended from the drama, the Hilduin bishop and his Geoffroy brother, abbot of Saint-Martial, decide to organize a large gathering around the relics of several saints limousins.

Ambassadors are sent in all Aquitaine to invite the archbishops of Bordeaux and Bourges, the bishops of Clermont, Puy, Holy, of Périgueux, of Angouleme and Poitiers, to meet in council in Limoges. November 12th, 994, after three days of prayers and fast, the body of Holy Martial, first bishop of Limoges and guard of the city, is raised of its tomb, is placed in a gold mounting, and is carried in procession since the basilica of the Saver (place of the current Republic) until the Mont Jovis, outside the walls. An huge crowd presses itself throughout the course, joined little by little by groups of monks charged with relics come from Figeac, Chambon, Salagnac, and many other parishes. This mass demonstration will be the very first ostension (a name which find its origin in the Latin verb ostendere, which means to show, or to expose, and that employed for the first time Bernard Itier, monk librarian of the abbey of Saint-Martial, in 1211). December 4th, whereas the body of Martial saint is brought back to his tomb, the epidemic ceased prevailing. The chronicles of the time make state of more than seven thousand cures. The clergy, with the support of Guillaume, duke of Aquitaine, benefits from this exceptional fact and this unusual climate of enthusiasm to entreat an evil more pernicious than the evil of the burning ones: the war. They then launch an solemn appeal with the respect of the “peace of God”, and lead the lords limousins to lend oath, and to be committed making reign justice and peace.

At the beginning of the 11th century, the memory of the miracle of Burning, gives place to an account, elaborate within the Saint-Martial abbey, and reproduced then in a multitude of manuscripts. The practice of Ostensions is initially taken again punctually, without date fixes, at the time of the arrival in Limoges of an important character (Saint Louis and Blanche of Castille in 1244, the pope Clément V in 1307, Louis XI in 1462, Henri IV in 1605) or in the event of great catastrophes, wars, epidemic. As from 1519, it becomes regular, every seven years.

The ostensionnaires communes in 2002

Limoges: it opens the ceremonies ostentionnaires where meet common the neighborhoods but also the representations of the parishes ostentionnaires. One celebrates there holy Martial (1st bishop of Limoges), holy Aurélien (his successor), holy Loup (bishop of Limoges of VIIe century) and holy Valerie.

Nexon : one venerates there holy Ferréol, bishop of Limoges of the Life century

Saint-Victurnien: one celebrates the owner of the small town there, Victurnien whose legend tells that it would have from Scotland to live as a hermit in the Limousin.

Javerdat : the parishioners venerate holy Blaise.

Chaptelat : the village celebrates its more famous living, holy Eloi, adviser of king Dagobert, founder of Solignac into 632 and bishop of Boundary-line-Turned.

Saint-Yrieix-the-Pole: the city celebrates its founder, Aredius hermit of the Life century which founded a monastery with Attane, future Saint-Yrieix.

Rochechouart : the city of the Viscounts venerates holy Julien de Brioude, Roman soldier martyrized under Dioclétien, into 304.

Esse : this small village of Charente limousine venerates the protomartyr holy Etienne.

Aixe-on-Vienna: the city celebrates Our-Lady-of Arliquet and its patron saint Alpinien, companion of Martial saint.

Dorat: the capital of Low-Walk honors two canons with XIe century, holy Israel and holy Théobald.

Saint-Léonard-with-Noblat: Miaulétous celebrate their saint founder, Léonard, frank hermit of Ve century.

Saint-Junien: the city of the glove factory honors holy Junien and its Amand Master which had withdrawn themselves in the antique forest of Comodoliac to Ve century.

Aureil : this village, located a few kilometres from Limoges, celebrates its holy founder Gaucher and his holy disciple Faucher who lived in XIIe century.

Saint-Just-the-Martel: this borough of the suburbs limousine venerates a small shepherd who lived near the great Hilaire saint of Poitiers to Ve century, holy Just.

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