Born in Leinster, Ireland, c. 530; died in Lure, France, c. 625.
Deicolus, the elder brother of
Saint Gall (f.d. October 16),
was one of
the 12 disciples of
Saint Columbanus (f.d. November 23)
who accompanied
him to France in 576 and helped to found the great abbey of Luxeuil.
Deicolus worked with Columbanus in Austrasia and Burgundy. Though life
was not easy, Deicolus was known for the peace and joy that radiated
from his soul and could be seen on his face. Columbanus once asked him,
"Why are you always smiling?" He simply answered, "Because no one can
take God from me."
When Columbanus was expelled by Thierry in 610, Deicolus succumbed to
fatigue just a few miles from Luxeuil. Columbanus blessed the monk who
was unable to accompany him into exile because of his age. Deicolus
wandered a bit in the forest region. When he became thirsty with no
water in sight, he knelt down in prayer. Miraculously, a spring gushed
forth under his walking stick. He settled where the water arose at Lure
(Lutra) in the Vosges.
But the spring is not the only miracle attributed to Deicolus. The
pastor of the nearby chapel of Saint Martin objected to the saint coming
there each night to pray. He was troubled by the stranger for whom
"doors opened without keys." Soon, however, a community gathered around
the ancient monk. King Clothaire provided funds for the monastery he
founded on the site. There Deicolus retired to live as a hermit until
his death.
His lonely mountain cell was the beginning of the city of Lure in
northeastern France. The abbots of Lure were made princes of the Holy
Roman Empire more than 1,000 years later. Deicolus's cultus is still
strong around Lure, where even at the end of the 19th century children's
clothes were washed in the spring because it cured childhood illnesses.
Deicolus teaches us that joyful souls delight the Lord and others
(
Attwater2,
Benedictines,
Coulson,
D'Arcy,
Daniel-Rops,
Delaney,
Dubois,
Encyclopaedia,
Gougaud,
McCarthy,
Montague,
Tommasini,
Walsh).
Saint Deicolus is pictured as a hermit. A wild boar hunted by King
Clothair takes refuge at his feet. Sometimes there is a ray of light on
him
(
Roeder).
