Vedast

Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint Vaast (in

Vedast was probably born in the village of Villae in Périgord. As a young man, he moved to Toul, where the bishop, taking notice of his many virtues, ordained him to the priesthood.^[1]

Clovis, King of Franks, while returning from his victory over the Alemanni, was on his way to Rheims and contemplating baptism to the faith of his wife, Clotilde, and stopped at Toul to request some priest to instruct him on the way. Vedast agreed to accompany the king.^[2]

It is believed that in 499, Remigius named him the first

Within Christian sacred tradition extraordinary healings were attributed to his intercession. One account says that while on the road to Rheims, they encountered a blind beggar at the bridge over the river Aisne. The man besought Vedast's assistance. The priest prayed and blessed the beggar, at which point the man recovered his sight.^[2] This increased Vedast's esteem in the eyes of the king and he became one of the King's advisers.

Jonas of Bobbio wrote a Vita Vedastis to promote the cult of Vedast at the cathedral in Arras. He "presents Vedast as the model ascetic-bishop for the new Columbanian monk-bishops who occupied many of the sees of Neustria after the unification of the kingdom under Chlothar II in 613."^[5] The incident of expelling the bear from the city mirrors Columbanus expelling a bear from his hermitage at Annegray.^[5]

A Vita of Vedast by Alcuin recounts a story that on one occasion, having spent the day in instructing a nobleman, his host would see him on his way with a glass of wine to sustain him, but found the cask empty. Vedast bid the servant to bring whatever he should find in the vessel. The servant then found the barrel overflowing with excellent wine.^[6]

Death and veneration

He died about 540 at

Vedast was venerated in Belgium as well as England (from the 10th century) where he was known as Saint Foster. St. Vedast Church, Vlamertinge is named for him. The spread of his cult was aided by the presence of Augustinians from Arras in England in the 12th century. Three ancient churches in England – St Vedast Foster Lane in London, and in Norwich and Tathwell in Lincolnshire – were dedicated to him.^[9]

His feast is on 6 February.

Patronage

He is a patron saint invoked against eye trouble.

Notes

Bibliography

• Dales, Douglas (2013). Alcuin: Theology and Thought. Cambridge UK: James Clarke & Co. pp. 122–131, 189–190.
  ISBN 978-0-227-17394-7
  .
• The Historical Works of Venerable Bede: Biographical writings, letters, and chronology. Vol. 2. Translated by Giles, J.A. London: J. Bohn. 1845. pp. 115–134. [Alcuin's life]
• Jonas (Abbas Elnonensis) (1905). Krusch, Bruno (ed.). Ionae Vitae Sanctorum Columbani, Vedastis, Iohannis. Monumenta Germaniae Historica (in German and Latin). Hannover: Impensis Bibliopolii Hahniani.
• Kreiner, Jamie (2014). The Social Life of Hagiography in the Merovingian Kingdom. Cambridge University Press. pp. 101–103, 160, 237–263.
  ISBN 978-1-107-05065-5
  .
• Shanzer, Danuta (2002). Avitus of Vienne. Liverpool University Press. pp. 362–373.
  ISBN 978-0-85323-588-0
  . [letter of Avitus on Clovis' baptism]
• Simpson, William Sparrow; Simpson, Gertrude Sparrow (1896). Carmina Vedastina. London: Elliot Stock.
• van der Essen, Léon (1907). Étude critique et littéraire sur les vitae des saints mérovingiens de l'ancienne Belgique (in French). Louvain: Bureaux du recueil. pp. 211–216. [Jonas]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vedast.

• Saint Vaast of Arras at Saints.SQPN.com