ON S. TROJECIA VIRGIN, OF RODEZ AND POITIERS IN GAUL.
CENT. IV.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY.
On her cult in each place, & the days of her cult, age and name.
Trojecia Virgin, of Rodez & Poitiers in Gaul (S.)
BY THE AUTHOR D. P.
The Proper of the Church of Rodez of Saints, by the zeal of Ludovicus Abelly the Bishop put together, & of his successor Gabriel de Voyer, In the Proper of Rodez related today, with the name noted on the day IX June of S. Trojecia Virgin, adds these things: Semidouble. All from the Common of the IX Lessons, & the Commemoration of Saints Primus & Felicianus. That name commonly S. Triëze, or Triaise is pronounced and written, which both in pronunciation comes to the same; but the first writing seems more native to Claude Castellanus Canon of Paris, who first suggested it to us for this day. Perhaps the name originally Greek (as many of this kind among the Gallo-Romans were, after the Catholic Religion received) first was Trisagia, that is Ter-Sancta; or Trisæsia, that is Ter-Veneranda, whence those vulgar names remained: for which, from a more cultivated later Gallicism, customary to change the second vowel, namely e, concurring with one of the liquids, into the diphthong oi, & to pronounce Tres, Trois; Lex, name perhaps from Trisagia or Trisæsia distorted: Loix; Me, Moy; some have preferred to substitute Trojeciam; perhaps also wishing it to seem the name repeated from ancient Troy, as was done in Trecis, more anciently Tricassibus, commonly Troyes. However it is: the name now it pleases to use, in the way in which in the order of divine Offices, & even in the Collect under the Sacred it is read.
[2] less correctly by others is set on day 8, Philip Ferrarius, in the General Catalogue of Saints who are not in the Roman Martyrology, on the preceding day related her, I know not for what cause, & wrote: At Rodez. Of Trojeria the Virgin, but in the Notes he subjoins, that he so has it from the Tables & Monuments of the church of Rodez. By which however I am little moved; for it was as easy for him in the numerical letter to err, with an elogium from Ferrarius, as manifestly he erred in the alphabetical; & to read 8 for 9, just as he had read r for c; & errors of this kind in that Author are not rare. Thanks meanwhile we owe him for somewhat fuller notice; while from the same monuments he teaches, that she was buried in the building of S. Stephen. For so now the Cathedral there is named, formerly (as they say) having received the name of S. Mary. It is more, what the same Ferrarius about her Acts, which hitherto we have not been able to see, has in these words: She from Poitiers originating, when she had undertaken a pilgrimage of the churches, finally to the city of Rodez coming (it is commonly called Rodes) there a life plainly Angelic she led; & famous for miracles in much old age rested, as the aforesaid Mss. monuments have. These when Saussay had read, of the day nothing hesitating but he should follow Ferrarius, the literary error however he corrected in the Supplement of his Martyrology, & Trojœcia he wrote: & had a follower, in the name & in the day, Arturus from the monastery, in the sacred Gynaeceum.
[3] The same Saussay, the brief, but full of substance little Annotation of Ferrarius, with a long flexure of words in this manner extended. by Saussay extended into more words: At Rodez in Aquitaine of S. Trojœcia the Virgin, who born of poor parents at Poitiers, the world, with mind toward heavenly things raised, from childhood despised, & herself in flesh and spirit to Christ the Lord in perpetuity dedicated; whom that everywhere, with every other bond than His love set free, more sincerely and securely she might worship; with the pilgrimage of celebrated churches of Aquitaine undertaken, in all those sacred places which she visited, the pious ardors of her devotion to Him she gave forth. But when, with the same fervor kindled, to the church of Rodez of S. Stephen she had come, with longest penitence completed, the life emulator of Angelic purity with happy consummation she completed; nay rather divested of the burden of flesh, which with difficulty she had always carried about, her soul desirous of the sight of the Lord, nay rather of her most beloved Spouse, to the blessed fruition of the same she sent forth, & to the most happy society of supernal minds. She shone, both before & after death, with innumerable signs of divine virtue; on account of which signs of glory, her most sacred pledges, in the basilica of S. Stephen buried, by the inhabitants, who her patronages not in vain seek, with great honor are preserved.
[4] These things he, in many words indeed, as I have said, using, but to the history, adding nothing, except that she was born of poor parents; which Arturus did not omit; & that she was born in a humble place he said, with only the phrase changed. Perhaps adds this Saussay intending to this, that he might distinguish her from Triasia, who from himself adds, the humility of birth, to whom on XVI August this elogium he had woven. At Poitiers the Natal of S. Triasia, Virgin recluse, who taught by S. Hilary, with the pomps and delicacies of the world cast off, her virginity to the King eternal consecrated; & in a little cell throughout her life's course she contained herself. But after with distinguished ornaments of all virtues endowed she grew old, in her religious station rendered her pure spirit to God, & with great glorifications of her merits after her heavenly departure she was distinguished. Not therefore however will it be that I believe her diverse. For it appears that Saussay, had nothing else before his eyes, than a certain Gallic instruction, sent to him at Poitiers, where Sainte Triaise was written. And she indeed in her first years by S. Hilary (who in the year CCCLXVII departed from the living) to the vow of virginity received, perhaps for some time as a recluse she lived; or rather, deputed to the ministry of the church of Poitiers, & distinguished her from her, who on 16 August is venerated at Poitiers; dwelt near it with others; but she died abroad; which however had slipped from the memory of the people of Poitiers, & therefore she was believed to have lived perpetually in her country as a recluse. But there Troëcia in sacred matters was called, not Triasia, as is plain from the Litanies of Poitou, by Henry Louis Castaneus de Rochepozay published for the fourth time; & from the index of churches of the diocese of Poitiers, after the Bishops of the same city by John Beslius learnedly illustrated, subjoined.
[5] to us however she seems to be the same: I would say therefore, that those are not two, but one, the disciple of S. Hilary; which both the antiquity of the name, & the tradition of the Pictones makes probable (wherefore I have ascribed her to the IV century) but having died at Rodez on this IX June; then truly when she shone with miracles, the Pictones were moved, that of their once fellow-citizen some Relics from Aquitaine they might seek and obtain; whose translation was celebrated XVI August, in what century is uncertain; & gave cause to a church being named after the same Saint, into which they were brought: although neither place now has anything remaining, that I at least know of, with heretics raging at all sacred things in both in the previous century. About the church which I said, is plain from the Notes on the Pictonic Litanies, of the year MDCXLII, [which also in her country has obtained a church, with some Relic translated thither.] of the edition, the fourth; where, with words taken from Saussay it is said, that taught by S. Hilary, with the pomps of the world cast off, throughout her life's course, in the little cell, assigned to her by the aforesaid Prelate, religiously she contained herself; & is added, Where now a Parish church within the city of Poitiers is seen, by the name of holy Troëcia conspicuous.