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Baring-Gould’s sources: Gallican Martyrologies. By some martyrologists on Sept. 30. At Ch&lons on Oct 2. On that day Saussaye. Authority: — his Life, supposed to have been written by Stephen, abbot of S. Urban, ft A.D. 925; full of fable.] S. Leudomer, brother of S. Elaphius, bishop of Chilonssur-Mame, succeeded him in that see. They were both bom at Limoges, sons of a certain noble named Leo. Elaphius was summoned by KingSigebert of Austrasia, from Limoges to occupy the see of Chilons. He is mentioned by Gregory of Tours. Leudomer accompanied his brother, whom he dearly loved, and the brothers gave over their paternal inheritance at Limoges to the church at Chilons. Ruinart says that he had read the deed whereby “ the blessed Elasius (Elaphius) the bishop, and his brother the deacon Leudomir, had made over estates to the church of S. Stephen, at Chalons.” 1 This donation was made in a.d. 565. On the death of Elaphius, in a.d. 580, Leudomer was raised to occupy the episcopal throne in his room. Queen Brunehild is said by the Chilons Breviary to have sent for him one day to her palace, and finding him a tall, good-looking fellow, eyed him with kindling glances, and made an observation to him full of warmth. Leudomer drew back and stared at her with icy eyes. So frozen was the glance that when Roger II., Bishop of Chilons, dug up his predecessor, after the lapse of four hundred and fifty years, though all the rest of the body of Leudomer was turned to dust, the glassy eye stared out of the dust heap, with all the cold indignation wherewith it had repulsed Queen Brunehild. The freezing glance seems to have been reserved to 1 Ruinart, in his notes to S. Gregory of Tours, lib. v. c. 41; it was unquestionably a mediaeval forgery of a not uncommon kind. [Oct. a.
None eye. 1 This wonderful story is not told by Stephen, the Abbot, who, however, narrates another sufficiently marvellous anecdote, which the Bollandists [Jesuit scholars who since the 1600s have critically studied the lives of the saints] ticket as “ fabulosa narratio.” The bishop had a field which was cleared oi the fresh-sown corn by birds. He was very indignant, and going to the field, he * rdered *all the birds to follow him. The guilty sparrows and blackbirds slunk after him to a bam. He held the door open and ordered them all to enter, and they sneaked dejectedly in. Then he shut the door on them, and left them in the bam to their meditations. Now, during the night, a labourer got in, and killed and ate one of the sparrows. Next morning Leudomer came to the granary and ordered the birds out, and to be off and not molest his fields any more. They shook their heads, and looked sadly at some feathers and a pair of clawed feet on the floor. Leudomer saw what was the matter in a moment. He collected the feathers, bones, and claws into a little heap, prayed, and the heap got up and shook itself into shape, and flew off pertly twittering with the rest of the birds.
In French, S. Leudomer is called S. Leumer or Lomer. His symbol in art is an eye.