⛪ Saint Leobinus of Chartres

Saint Leobinus of Chartres,
Pray for us !

⛪ Saint of the Day : March 14

⛪ Other Names :
• Lubinus • Lubin • Lubinius • Lumine • Leubinus • Loubin

⛪ Memorial : 9 September (translation of relics)

⛪ Born : Poitiers, France

⛪ Died : 14 March 558 following a lengthy illness

⛪ Patronage :

• Against dropsy • Against edema • Against Rheumatism • Innkeepers • Wine merchants

⛪ Symbols :

• With Saint Caletric • In bed, receiving Communion from Saint Caletric • Studying in a field, often while watching sheep

“ St. Leobinus was born into a peasant family near Poitiers, France, and worked in the fields as a boy. He wanted an education, so he applied for a job at the monastery at Noailles, where he worked all day and studied by candlelight at night, much to the distress of the monks who said the light kept them from sleeping. So he put a screen around his candle and continued his studies.

St. Carilef eventually met Leobinus and introduced him to St. Avitus ((c. 470 –523), who was so impressed with Leobinus that he invited him to join his hermitage near Le Perche, France.

Later, Leobinus joined an abbey at Lyons. He was a member of that abbey during a war between the Franks and Burgundians when raiders attacked it forcing the monks to flee, except for Leobinus and an old man. The raiders seized Leobinus at the suggestion of the old man, and tortured him to force him to tell them where the abbey’s treasures were hidden.

The raiders learned nothing from Leobinus and left , believing they had drowned him. But he managed to recover and decided that being a hermit was a better idea. So he returned to Le Perche and rejoined Avitus.

After Avitus died, Leobinus continued living as a hermit until he was ordained by Bp. Aetherius of Chartres, who appointed him abbot of Brou. He served until apparently deciding he did not like administrative duties. So he left to become a monk at Lérins.

He remained there until St. Caesarius, the bishop of Arles, and a former monk at Lérins convinced him to return to Brou, rather than to leave his people “like sheep without a shepherd.”

Shortly after, Leobinus was appointed bishop of Chartres, succeeding Aetherius. As bishop, he ordered many reforms and took part in the Fifth Council of Orléans and the Second Council of Paris.

After a long illness, Leobinus died in about 558 on March 14, the day we observe his feast.

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