Born in Auvergne, France; died in Leucone, Picardy, France, on December
12, c. 622; feast of his translation is December 12.
Valery discovered Benedictine life at Issoire, developed it at Auxerre,
fructified it at Luxeuil under
Saint Columbanus (f.d. November 21)
and multiplied it with missionary work at Leuconnais
(Leuconay), in the Somme region of northern France.
Born into a peasant family in the Auvergne, Valery tended his father's
sheep in his childhood, which gave him plenty of time to
develop his prayer life. Out of an ardent desire to grow in spiritual
knowledge, he learned to read at an early age and
memorised the Psalter. Dissatisfied with his life as a shepherd, he
took the monastic habit in the neighbouring monastery of St. Antony's at
Autumo.
His fervour from the first day of monastic life led him to live the rule
perfectly. Sincere humility permitted him to meekly and
cheerfully subjected himself to everyone. Seeking a stricter rule, he
migrated to the more austere monastery of St. Germanus, where he was
received by Bishop Saint Anacharius of Auxerre (f.d. September 25). He
was drawn to Luxeuil by the reputation of the penitential lives of its
monks and the spiritual wisdom of Saint Columbanus. There he spent many
years, always esteeming himself an unprofitable servant and a slothful
monk, who stood in need of the severest and harshest rules and
superiors. Next to sin, he dreaded nothing so much as the applause of
men or a reputation of sanctity. At Luxeuil he also distinguished
himself as a horticulturalist--the preservation of his fruit and
vegetables against the ravages of insects that destroyed most other
crops was considered miraculous.
When Saint Columbanus was banished from Luxeuil by King Theodoric, the
monastery was placed in Valery's hands until he was sent by Saint
Eustasius (f.d. March 29) with his fellow-monk Waldolanus to preach the
Gospel in Neustria. There King Clotaire II gave them the territory of
Leucone in Picardy, near the mouth of the river Somme. In 611, with the
permission of Bishop Bertard of Amiens, they built a chapel and two
cells. Saint Valery by his preaching and the example of his virtue,
converted many and attracted fervent disciples with whom he laid the
foundation of a monastery.
His fasts he sometimes prolonged for six days, eating only on the
Sunday; and he used no other bed than twigs laid on the floor. His time
was entirely occupied with preaching, prayer, reading, and manual
labour. By this he earned something for the relief of the poor, and he
often repeated to others,
The more cheerfully we give to those who are
in distress, the more readily will God give us what we ask of him.
When Valery died, cures took place at his tomb and his veneration grew,
which eventually spread to England during the Norman Conquest. William
the Conqueror exposed Valery's relics for public veneration. He was
invoked for a favourable wind for the expedition in 1066, which sailed
from Saint-Valery.
Valery is honoured at Chester Abbey in England and in France, where a
famous monastery arose from his cells. His "vita" was carefully written
in 660, by Raimbert, second abbot of Leucone after him. King Richard
the Lion Hearted had his relics restored to Saint-Valery-en-Caux;
however, his original abbey later recovered them. Two towns in the
Somme district are called Saint-Valery after him, and there are several
dedications to him in England as well
(
Attwater2,
Benedictines,
Encyclopaedia,
Farmer,
Husenbeth).