Saint Eleutherius of Tournai
Also known as
- Eleuthere
- Eleuterio
- Lehire
Profile
Born to the Gallo-Roman nobility, the son of Blanda and Serenus, a family that converted to Christianity after hearing the preaching of Saint Plato; his father donated the land on which the cathedral of Notre-Dame of Tournai was built. Eletutherius was a friend of, and student with, Saint Medard of Noyon. Priest. Bishop of Tournai in modern Belgium in 486, consecrated by Saint Remigius of Rheims.
As bishop, he endlessly evangelized the Franks in the Tournai region, and fought the spread of Arianism and Pelagianism; he called a synod in 520 to oppose these heresies. He made three pilgrimages to Rome, Italy. During the trip in 501, Pope Symmachus presented him with relics from Saint Stephen the Martyr and Saint Mary of Egypt; back in the Tounai they became renowned for the healing miracles that happened around them. Martyred by a band of Arian heretics.
Born
- beaten in 532 while leaving his church in Tournai, western Belgium; he survived a couple of days, but died directly from these injuries
- funeral oration and Mass conducted by Saint Medard of Noyon
- relics re-discovered in 897 in Blandain, Belgium
- relics transferred to Tournai in the mid-11th century
- relics re-enshrined in a silver reliquary in the cathedral at Tournai in 1247
- relics transferred to Douai, France in the 16th century to prevent their destruction by Huguenots; they were returned to Tournai at the end of the religious wars
- relics hidden in a private residence in Tournai to prevent their destruction by anti–Christian persecutions of the French Revolution; they were returned to the cathedral in 1802
- hearing the Confession of King Clovis
- holding a church, referring to him as one of the great founders of the diocese of Tournai
- holding blunt instruments like rods, clubs or flails, referring to his martyrdom
MLA Citation
- “Saint Eleutherius of Tournai“. CatholicSaints.Info. 17 February 2023. Web. 19 April 2024. <>