Opportuna of Montreuil
Encyclopedia
Saint Opportuna of Montreuil (died 770) was a French
Benedictine nun
and abbess
. A Vita et miracula Sanctae Opportunae was written within a century of her death (ca 885-88) by St. Adalhelm (later rendered Adelin), bishop of Séez, who believed he owed his life and his see to Opportuna.
, where her cousin Saint Lantildis was abbess. Opportuna took the veil from her brother, Saint Chrodegang (later rendered Godegrand), the bishop of Séez
. Although Montreuil was only three miles away from Séez, Chrodegang was murdered on the way to visit his sister at the abbey. Later Opportuna succeeded her cousin as abbess. In this position, she was conventionally described as "a true mother to all her nuns", correcting their faults, significantly enough to record, with words, not blows.
Like all Carolingian saints, Opportuna's sanctity was not expressed in charismatic actions during her lifetime: she effected no miracles during her lifetime. Though the cult of the saintly dead and hagiography
flourished, "the Carolingian era forms an interlude in the history of sainthood, for no charismatic ascetics, healers, prophets or visionaries made their mark on a church whose bishops were implacably hostile to any such forms of expression," Julia Smith has observed, in analysing Carolingian attitudes towards appropriate representations of female sainthood through the lens of the Vita et miracula Sanctae Opportunae.
The account of miracles worked at the site of Opportuna's tomb reminded readers and hearers that the abbess remained present in her former precincts, extending her protection to her flock forward in time. Julia Smith has detected that the comparatively small corpus of hagiographies of female saints are restricted in the area in which they were produced, north of the Loire
and east of the Rhine for the greatest part.
Opportuna's vita
records that once a peasant
stole a donkey
from the convent and refused to acknowledge his crime. Opportuna turned the matter over to God, and the next day the farmer's field was sown with salt
. The repentant peasant both returned the donkey and gave the nuns the field.
Some sources say that Opportuna died from a brief illness which was compounded by grief
from the death of her brother, as Chrodegang had died on 3 September 769. His murder had been planned by Chrodobert
, a powerful relation to whom he had entrusted the administration of his diocese
during his seven years' absence at Rome. Though she foresaw her brother's death in a prophetic vision, Opportuna was powerless to intervene; afterwards she buried Chrodegang in her own convent. Whatever the cause, Opportuna died on 22 April 770.
, the cultus of Saint Opportuna has always flourished locally, as a patroness of Almanèches and among the patrons of Paris; she was praised in the acta
of her kinsman, Chrodegang/Godegrand. During the reign of Charles the Bald
, according to the sources, Vikings invaded; both the convent at Montreuil and the abbey at Almenèches were destroyed, and her relic
s were translated to the priory
of Moussy
. Later they were moved to Senlis
. In 1374, her right arm and a rib were enshrined in a small church dedicated to her in Paris, near a hermitage
called Notre Dame des Bois Paris. As the city grew, so did the church. Most of Opportuna's head still rests at Moussy, while her left arm and part of her skull are still at Almenèches; additionally, a jaw bone can be found in the priory of Saint Chrodegang at Île-Adam. Her shrine in Paris is carried in processions along with the relics of Saints Honoré
and Geneviève
.
. She may also be shown with the Virgin appearing at her deathbed or as a princess
with a basket of cherries
and a fleur-de-lys.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
Benedictine nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
and abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
. A Vita et miracula Sanctae Opportunae was written within a century of her death (ca 885-88) by St. Adalhelm (later rendered Adelin), bishop of Séez, who believed he owed his life and his see to Opportuna.
Life
When she was still young, Opportuna became a Benedictine nun at the convent called the Monasteriolum near AlmenèchesAlmenêches
-Demographics:The population has varied over the past 200 years:-References:*...
, where her cousin Saint Lantildis was abbess. Opportuna took the veil from her brother, Saint Chrodegang (later rendered Godegrand), the bishop of Séez
Séez
Séez is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is located at the top of a valley at the edge of the Vanoise National Park....
. Although Montreuil was only three miles away from Séez, Chrodegang was murdered on the way to visit his sister at the abbey. Later Opportuna succeeded her cousin as abbess. In this position, she was conventionally described as "a true mother to all her nuns", correcting their faults, significantly enough to record, with words, not blows.
Like all Carolingian saints, Opportuna's sanctity was not expressed in charismatic actions during her lifetime: she effected no miracles during her lifetime. Though the cult of the saintly dead and hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
flourished, "the Carolingian era forms an interlude in the history of sainthood, for no charismatic ascetics, healers, prophets or visionaries made their mark on a church whose bishops were implacably hostile to any such forms of expression," Julia Smith has observed, in analysing Carolingian attitudes towards appropriate representations of female sainthood through the lens of the Vita et miracula Sanctae Opportunae.
The account of miracles worked at the site of Opportuna's tomb reminded readers and hearers that the abbess remained present in her former precincts, extending her protection to her flock forward in time. Julia Smith has detected that the comparatively small corpus of hagiographies of female saints are restricted in the area in which they were produced, north of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
and east of the Rhine for the greatest part.
Opportuna's vita
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
records that once a peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
stole a donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
from the convent and refused to acknowledge his crime. Opportuna turned the matter over to God, and the next day the farmer's field was sown with salt
Salting the earth
Salting the earth, or sowing with salt, is the ritual of spreading salt on conquered cities to symbolize a curse on its re-inhabitation. It originated as a practice in the ancient Near East and became a well-established folkloric motif in the Middle Ages.-Destroying cities:The custom of purifying...
. The repentant peasant both returned the donkey and gave the nuns the field.
Some sources say that Opportuna died from a brief illness which was compounded by grief
Grief
Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions...
from the death of her brother, as Chrodegang had died on 3 September 769. His murder had been planned by Chrodobert
Chrodobert
Chrodobert, Crodobert, or Crodebert was an Aleman dux of the early seventh century . He probably ruled in the south of the region later known as Swabia....
, a powerful relation to whom he had entrusted the administration of his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
during his seven years' absence at Rome. Though she foresaw her brother's death in a prophetic vision, Opportuna was powerless to intervene; afterwards she buried Chrodegang in her own convent. Whatever the cause, Opportuna died on 22 April 770.
Veneration
Though she was not recorded in the martyrologiesMartyrology
A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs , arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by names borrowed from neighbouring churches...
, the cultus of Saint Opportuna has always flourished locally, as a patroness of Almanèches and among the patrons of Paris; she was praised in the acta
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of her kinsman, Chrodegang/Godegrand. During the reign of Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
, according to the sources, Vikings invaded; both the convent at Montreuil and the abbey at Almenèches were destroyed, and her relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s were translated to the priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
of Moussy
Moussy, Val-d'Oise
Moussy is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-References:** -External links:* *...
. Later they were moved to Senlis
Senlis, Oise
Senlis is a French commune located in the Oise department near Paris. It has a long and rich heritage, having traversed centuries of history. This medieval town has welcomed some of the most renowned figures in French history, including Hugh Capet, Louis IX, the Marshall of France, Anne of Kiev and...
. In 1374, her right arm and a rib were enshrined in a small church dedicated to her in Paris, near a hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
called Notre Dame des Bois Paris. As the city grew, so did the church. Most of Opportuna's head still rests at Moussy, while her left arm and part of her skull are still at Almenèches; additionally, a jaw bone can be found in the priory of Saint Chrodegang at Île-Adam. Her shrine in Paris is carried in processions along with the relics of Saints Honoré
Honoratus
Saint Honoratus was Archbishop of Arles.There is some disagreement concerning his place of birth, and the date of his death is still disputed, being according to certain authors, January 14 or January 15. It is believed that he was born in the north of Gaul and that he belonged to an illustrious...
and Geneviève
Genevieve
St Genevieve , in Latin Sancta Genovefa, from Germanic keno and wefa , is the patron saint of Paris in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition...
.
Iconography
In art, Saint Opportuna is often depicted carrying an abbess's crozier and a casket of relicsReliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
. She may also be shown with the Virgin appearing at her deathbed or as a princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
with a basket of cherries
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
and a fleur-de-lys.