Baring-Gould’s sources: Usuardus, Ado, Greven, and Canisius, in their German Martyrologies; Saussaye, in his Gallican Martyrology, &c. Venerated chiefly in the diocese of Troyes. Authority a fabulous life by an unknown writer, late, and full of anachronisms.] Serenus, says the legend which passes as his biography, was the son of Adrian and Serena, nobles of Metz. War 1 The story is told also by Thomas Cantipratensis, De Apibus, lib. ii. c. 30. Oct &].S. Serenus.

…broke out between the Austrasians and Dagobert (a.d. 622 or 623), and Serenus was taken captive and sold to Count Boso for five sous. This Boso was, perhaps, the son of Audolen, executed by Clothair in a.d. 626, on the charge of having dishonoured Queen Sighild. 1 Serena, the mother of the boy, learned where he was, and went with money in her hand to redeem him, but Serenus refused the proffered freedom, and sent his mother weeping home to Metz. Boso constituted Serenus his cow-herd, and the boy taught the cattle to disperse about the woods, but to assemble at the blast of his horn and follow him home. As Boso’s son went every day to school at Nesle, Serenus accompanied him for three years and six months, leaving the cattle to take care of themselves, and every evening on his return from school he blew his cow-horn, and the cattle came forth from the green wood, and followed him to their byres.

But some one told Count Boso that Serenus neglected his herds; he was very angry, and threatened the boy with a whipping if he did not produce all the cattle. Serenus blew his horn, and when the herds came forth from under the trees in answer to the call none were wanting. The Count being thirsty, he dug the end of his cow-horn into the ground, and a fountain sprang up at the spot, since esteemed miraculous.

Then Count Boso allowed the cowherd to leave his service and build himself a cell in solitude. To decide where he should settle he flung his goad, and it stuck in a great oak, and where it stuck there he fixed his abode. After some years he went to Rome and spent there seven years. Then an angel appeared to Pope John IV. in a dream, and bade him ordain Serenus priest, and give him the relics [the bodily remains of a saint, or objects they used, kept with honor] of SS. Fabian and Sebastian. The Pope obeyed, and 1 Frcdegar, Chron. c. 54.

VOL. XI. 2 [Oct. a. Serenus departed from Rome a priest, carrying back with him into Gaul [roughly modern France and Belgium] the precious bones of SS. Fabian and Sebastian. This must have occurred between the years 640 and 642, when John IV. was Pope. Now as Serenus came to the river Po, there met him S. Eligius, on his way to Rome. The holy man, when he ascertained what a treasure Serenus bore, could not keep his fingers off the little casket 1 in which Serenus carried the bones, but stole it and made off by boat down the Po.

Serenus, when he found that he had been robbed of his box of bones, fell on his knees and prayed. Then a storm fell on the ship, and Eligius would have been wrecked, had he not vowed to restore the relics to the rightful owner. They parted with friendship, and S. Eligius promised on his return to Noyon to call on Serenus on his way. But after a year had passed he was on his road back, and though he was not far from Celle, he neglected to visit Serenus, perhaps because he feared for himself the temptation of being so near the holy relics of Fabian and Sebastian. S. Eligius pushed on, but was punished for his neglect by losing his sight, and he was obliged to turn back to Celle, and apologize to the man of God, who very graciously forgave the disrespect and restored sight to his blinded eyes.

Serenus built a chapel at Celle, near Chantemerle, in which he placed the relics, and there he spent the rest of his days, and died, and was buried.

Now, apparently, only the head of S. Sebastian had been given to S. Serenus, for in a.d. 826, the body of this saint was brought from Rome to Soissons. But when it got within the territory of Celle, there it stuck and obstinately refused to move. Crowds assembled, and pulled at the traces, but not an inch would the car advance. Then it flashed on some intelligent mind, as an inspiration, that very likely the 1 CapsuU.

oc t body of S. Sebastian did not like to go on without its head, which was at Celle, and when the conveyance was turned in that direction it flew along as though the bones and shrine weighed no heavier than a feather.

So the head and the body were re-joined and left there. Now the merits of S. Serenus spread far and wide, and Queen Bertha, with her two sons, Charlemagne [king of the Franks, crowned emperor in 800] and Pepin, visited the church, and prayed there for the peace of the Frank nation. Unfortunately for the story, Bertha died in a.d. 783, and Pepin died at the age of three in 759. The biographer implies that their visit took place after the translation [the solemn moving of a saint’s relics to a new shrine] of the body of S. Stephen, in a.d. 826. He goes on to relate that shortly after, Charles the Great and Pepin gained a great victory at S. Medard, having invoked the assistance of Serenus. It is impossible to reconcile this statement with history.