Saint Yves Hélory de Kermartin , Yves de Tréguier or simply holy Yves in the catholic tradition, was born towards 1250 and died in 1303. Into Breton, it is called sant Erwan in the Trégor, Iwan , Youenn or Eozen in other areas. Priest and official of the Diocese of Tréguier, it devoted its life to justice and the poor. The Catholic church recognized it holy and the May 19th celebrates it.

We do not have any Vie of Yves saint written by his contemporaries, but only the procedure made in 1330 to arrive to its Canonization. After its canonization, several accounts of its life were written in French, Latin, Breton, Italian.

Biography

Yves Hélory (or Héloury) was born in the middle of the 13th century in a noble family with the manor from Kermartin on the parish from Minihy-Tréguier. At the age of approximately 14 years, it leaves to study in Paris, accompanied by its tutor Jean de Kergoz (Kerc' hoz). It made its humanities there, following courses of theology probably to the Sorbonne. These first completed studies he studies the right to the Université of Orleans whose faculty is famous through all Europe at that time. As of this time, it is pointed out by its life of deprivation in favor of the poor. Its completed studies, it returns to work in Brittany with Rennes initially, where he becomes legal adviser of the diocese. The bishop of Tréguier notices his talents and presses it to return in Tréguier. In 1284, the bishop of Tréguier names it official, orders it priest and entrusts successively the parishes to him of Trédrez and Louannec, close to the grounds of its childhood.

It astonishes its parishioners while preaching in Breton, whereas its predecessors made it in Latin, making thus accessible to the people comprehension from the Gospel and its message. It moves much with feet in the area of Tréguier, is seen several times in the same day with different places and of good distance. People appreciate it for his way of returning justice, it is famous for its direction of the equity which prohibits to him to privilege the rich person on the poor one. The investigation of Canonization provides us a certain number of testimony on what was its life and the way in which people perceived it holy Yves, those who knew it testify, those that he cured tell. A certain number of facts are thus reported on the way in which Yves Héloury returned justice. Thus in Rennes, must it treat a business opposing a landlord to a beggar. This last is shown by the first to be taken to grind around the kitchens, as the landlord cannot show it to have flown of food, it shows it to nourish odors of his kitchen… The judgment had to astonish by them more one! Yves Héloury takes some parts in his purse and throws them on the table in front of him; the landlord tightens the hand to take them but holy Yves retains his hand. The landlord exclaims: “it is with me” Yves answers him not “ah! its pay odor, with this man odor of your kitchen, with you the sound of these parts! ”. In innermost depth of this small episode rather amusing, holy Yves will be recognized by stripped like the lawyer who makes justice with the poor and account of the social condition does not take. Thus formerly in an old popular canticle, one celebrated it by singing “Sanctus Yvo erat brito; advocatus sed not latro, LMBO admirabilis rabble” , “Holy Yves was Breton, lawyer but not robber, thing admirable thing for the people! ”.

Its attachment with the poor and the relief of their misery is of public notoriety. It had well to scandalize at the time these two women who chattered close to the Hotel God to Tréguier. They will bring back the fact to the lawsuit of canonization. There returning to visit some patients, approximately an hour afterwards, it leaves to half naked and passes from there in front of them running from there towards Minihy where its Manor is. The women wonder what could well occur, they enter the Hotel God and notice that a patient with such part of his clothing, such another, etc

One also lends miracles to him like to have saved people of the drowning. After a life of asceticism, of prayer and division, eating very little and living very poorly by distributing what it has (it ate only two eggs the day of Easter and held open table for the poor in his manor), Yves Hélory dies out on May 19th, 1303. Its funerals with the Cathédrale of Tréguier are the object of an ostentation and an extraordinary popular enthusiasm; for all, it becomes the “mirouër ecclesiastics, lawyer and father of the poor, widows and orphans”.

Veneration and iconography

Less than 50 years after its death, in 1347, the pope Clément VI grants holiness to him. Its worship, remained very long-lived in Brittany, was spread in all Europe, to Rome where two churches are dedicated to him. Indeed, as of first half of the 15th century, monseigneur Alain of COETIVY obtained from the pope Nicolas V the concession of a church probably built at the 12th century and placed then under the patronage of André saint. By bubble of September 16th, 1455, Callixte III, successor of Nicolas V, ratified this decision. This old church (probably in the style of Santa Maria in Cosmedine in Rome) was destroyed in 1875 due to outdatedness and was rebuilt in same time smaller in a style néo-rebirth florentine. A glazed terra cotta tympanum surmounts the principal main door and represents in the center a Virgin with the Child, his right-hand side Yves saint and its left Saint Bernard. The old church preserved many tomb stones the Breton deceased ones at Rome and buried in the church. They decorate today the Saint-Louis-of-French cloister in Rome. The frontage was restored for the year 2003, year of the seventh centenary of died of the saint. This small church known as “Saint-Yves-of-Breton” ( Sant Ivo dei Bretoni ), located at the n°8 Vicolo della Campana is visited on request near the Saint-Louis-of-French vice-chancellor. May 19th, each year, a French mass is celebrated there in the honor of Yves saint. The second church dedicated to the saint is called Sant Ivo della Sapienza . Original church in particular by the tower which surmounts it representing the tower of Babel. It was built between 1642 and 1660 by Borromini in the enclosure of Pallazzo della Sapienza then sheltering the Romano Studio which became then the university of Rome (until 1935). Inside the church, a retable representing is Saint Yves started with Pierre de Cortone (1596-1669) and completed by one or more of its pupils. Other churches were devoted to Saint Yves through Europe: in Spain, in Germany, and in the Netherlands.

He is the Saint owner of all the professions of justice and by right, in particular that of the lawyer S. Each May 19th, with Tréguier (Coasts of Armor), a delegation of these professions accompanies the forgiveness with Yves saint who is one of great Breton religious holidays, as well as forgiveness by Holy-Anne-in Auray.

One generally represents it with a purse in a hand, to mean all the money which it gave to the poor in his life, and a parchment in the other, which points out its load of ecclesiastical judge. He is also often illustrated between a rich man and a poor man.

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