Baring-Gould’s sources: Gallican Martyrologies. Veneration for this saint dates from the 10th cent Authority Gregory of Tours. ] S. Palladius, called S. Pallais in French, was of noble birth. When he was consecrated Bishop of Saintes is not known, but he was present in the synod of Paris held in 573, as his signature is found attached to its decrees. A synod was held in 579 at Saintes, at which he also probably assisted, but its canons have not been preserved. In 584 a youth named Gundobald, brought up with long flowing hair, after the manner of the Frank princes, was presented by his mother to Childebert I. as the natural son of his brother Clothair I. “ Behold,” said she, “ thy nephew. I present him to thee, because he is abhorred of his father, Clothair. He is thy flesh, therefore receive him.” Childebert, who was sonless, accepted the charge, and Gundobald remained with him. But when news of this reached Clothair, he sent messengers to his brother's court demanding the youth, and when Gundobald was brought to him he repudiated him as his son, and ordered his long locks to be shorn off. But after the death of Clothair, Gundobald was again received by Childebert. But he was captured by Sigebert of Austrasia, and his hair again cut short He was sent to Cologne, but having escaped, he made his way to Narses, who was then in Italy, and there he married and had a family. From Italy he went to Constantinople, and after some delay in the capital of the East, he returned to Gaul, and was well received by Theodore, Bishop of Marseilles, and accepted as king by Mummolus the patrician, and Desiderius, Duke of Provence. Thence he went to Limoges S. Palladius.
Land was proclaimed king at Brive-la-Gaillarde. He received the allegiance of the nobles and citizens at Angoul£me, Toulouse, and Bordeaux. The Bishop of Bordeaux was Bertram, related to Guntram, 1 King of Orleans, on his mother’s side.
Whilst Gundobald was at Bordeaux, the Bishop of Dax on the Adour died. Thereupon the pretender nominated Faustian, priest of Dax, to the vacant bishopric. Nizier, Count of Dax, complained to Chilperic, King of Soissons, as the bishopric had been promised to him. But Gundobald ordered the consecration of Faustian by the Bishop of Bordeaux, assisted by Palladius of Saintes, and Orestes of Bazas. Dax was under the metropolitan [the archbishop who heads a group of dioceses] throne of Eause and not of Bordeaux, so that the three bishops had transgressed canonical order by the consecration of Faustian. Saintes was in the metropolitan diocese of Bordeaux, and therefore S. Palladius may have thought himself bound to obey his archbishop. But the act involved him in trouble. In the same year, 585, Guntram of Orleans sent an arm> against Gundobald. A battle was fought at Cominges, which ended in the total rout and slaughter of the troops of the pretender, and the death of Gundobald himself. The bishops who had sided with him, and had consecrated Faustian, were brought to Orleans, where Guntram was, to answer for their conduct.
Palladius perhaps told the truth. “ Bertram, the metro politan, was afflicted with sore eyes and could not well read. 1 To facilitate understanding a perplexing period of history, the following table will prove of advantage: — Clovis Theodobert, Claribert, K. of Paris, Chlodomir, Childebert, Guntram, K. of Orleans, Clothair I. =S. Radegund Chilperic, K. of Soissons, Sigebert, K. of Austrasia, [Oct. y.
I had been brought, against my desire, to Dax, as a captive. I could not do otherwise than obey him whom apparently the majority of the Gallic nobles acknowledged as king.” Orestes shuffled and denied his participation in the ceremony. The king was highly incensed at the answer of Palladius, and could hardly be persuaded to allow Bertram and Palladius to sup with him. When the two bishops entered the banqueting hall, the king turned to Bertram and said with a sneer, “ We thank you for having kept faith with us. Beloved father, it befits you to know that you are our kinsman on our mother’s side, and therefore you were the last person who should have introduced that foreign pest Gundobald into our kingdom.” Then looking at Palladius he roared forth: “ And to you, Bishop Palladius, we owe great thanks. Shame on you ! This is the third time that you have forsworn yourself to me, and you a bishop ! And you excuse yourself and my kinsman by letters to me whilst inciting others against me. God judge between us ! I have ever sought to protect you bishops, and you have ever wrought subtly against me.” Then turning to Nicasius of Angouleme and Antidius of Agen, he said: “ Let me know what good you have done to your country, or to my crown, by your intrigues, most holy fathers.” Then he washed his hands and sat down to table, grace having been said, and the clouds passed from his brow.
During the supper, the king's son Childebert was intro duced, and Guntram besought the bishops to pray for his prosperity. Palladius seized the opportunity. He rose from his seat and poured forth an eloquent prayer over the child’s head, invoking for him a long life, the rout of his enemies, and extension of the boundaries of his kingdom. Guntram was delighted, and Palladius and his metropolitan were temporarily restored to his favour. The matter of Faustian could not, however, be disposed S. Palladius.
of without a council. There was another trouble exercising men’s minds at the time. A Gallican bishop had dared to assert that a woman had not a legitimate claim to be called homo. A council or synod assembled at Macon in 585, and Bertram, Palladius, and Orestes were condemned to pay annually a hundred pieces of gold for the maintenance of their bishop Faustian in episcopal splendour, but he was not suffered to fill the see, which was given, as had been promised, to Nizier, Count of Dax. The bishop who had disputed the humanity of woman was denounced. But though Palladius had for a time regained the king's favour, Guntram soon returned to his former mistrust of him and vexation at his conduct. One Sunday, not long after the feast at which the Bishop of Saintes had prayed for his son, the king entered the cathedral, when finding that Palladius was at the altar, he exclaimed, angrily, “ What ! this perfidious and unfaithful fellow trusted to utter holy words, and minister in holy things ? I will leave the church at once.” And he turned to depart. There was a commotion. Some of the clergy interfered: “ Sire ! you suffered him to give a blessing at the banquet, permit him now to continue the service, as he has already begun it; and should he hereafter offend, let him be dealt with according to the sacred canons.” Then Guntram consented to remain, but reluctantly, and with a sullen countenance. Palladius was again, however, invited along with the Bishop of Bordeaux, his metropolitan, to the king’s table, when a most unseemly quarrel broke out between the Bishop of Saintes and his metropolitan over their cups. Each accused the other of adultery, fornication, and perjury, amidst the laughter of many of those present, but the lamentations of a few. 1 It is almost to be hoped that the metropolitan and 1 “ Cum iterato ad convivium regis Palladius atque Bertchramnus adsciti fuissent commoti iuvicem multa sibi de adulteriis ac fornicatione exprobrarunt, nonnulla etiam [Oct r his suffragan [a bishop under the authority of an archbishop] were drunk at the time, for if they had been sober they would hardly have made such open charges without some grounds.
On the return of Palladius to his diocese after the synod of M&con, he fell upon some of his clergy who had found fault with his proceedings, had them beaten severely, and plundered their houses.
Not long after, Antesius, an officer of Guntram, extorted from him a farm he had coveted, under the threat of denouncing him to the king for having harboured messengers from Fredegund to Leovigild. The accusation was unfounded; Palladius proved his innocence before the king, and recovered his farm.
S. Palladius erected a church at Saintes dedicated to S. Martin [St. Martin of Tours (d. 397), soldier turned bishop], and enriched it with some relics [the bodily remains of a saint, or objects they used, kept with honor] of that saint. He also translated the body of S. Eutropius, and built a church to SS. Peter and Paul, with thirteen altars in it, also a church and monastery to S. Vasius.
When S. Augustine was being sent to Britain on his mission to convert the Saxons and Angles, the great S. Gregory wrote to Palladius of Saintes, Pelagius of Tours, and Serenius of Marseilles to commend to their hospitality the band of missionaries who were on their way through Gaul [roughly modern France and Belgium].
The date of the death of S. Palladius cannot be fixed. It is somewhat surprising that a man of whom no good is known, save that he built some churches, should have received veneration as a saint. It was not for three hundred years that the idea that he was one entered the heads of the people of Saintes, and Baronius [Cardinal Baronius (d. 1607), church historian who edited the Roman Martyrology] acted discreetly in not inserting his name in the Roman Martyrology. de petjuriis. Quibus de rebus multi ridebant, nonnulli vero, qui alacrioris erant saentix, lamentabantur, cur inter sacerdotes Domini tali ter zizania diaboli pullularent.” — Gregor. Turon. /fist, Frmnc. lib. viii. c. 20. Oct J.j S. Osyth.
