The most illustrious houses of the dukes and counts of Luxemburg and
St. Pol, not only have held for several centuries the first rank
among the nobility of the Low Countries, but vie with most royal
families in Europe; the former having given five emperors to the
Germans, several kings to Hungary and Bohemia, a queen to France,
and innumerable renowned heroes, whose great actions are famous in
the histories of Europe and the East. But none of their exploits
have reflected so great a lustre on these families as the humility
of our Saint Peter. He was son to Guy of Luxemburg, count of Ligny,
and to Maud, countess of St. Pol; and was born at Ligny, a small town
in Lorrain, in the diocess of Toul, in 1369. He was nearly related
to the emperor Wenceslas, Sigismund, king of Hungary, and Charles
VI., king of France. He lost his pious father at three years of age,
and his most virtuous mother a year after; but his devout aunt, the
countess of Orgieres and countess dowager of St. Pol,[48] took care
of his education, and made a prudent choice of most virtuous persons
whom she placed about him. By the excellent example and precepts of
his masters, and the strong impressions of an early grace, he seemed
formed by nature to perfect virtue. In his tender age the least
sallies of the passions seemed rather prevented than subdued; and his
ardor in the pursuit of virtue so far surpassed the ordinary capacity
of children of his tender age, that it was a matter of astonishment
to all that knew him. His assiduity and fervor in prayer, his secret
self-denials, great abstemiousness, and, above all, his love of
humility in an age when others are usually governed only by the
senses, seemed a miracle of divine grace. He made a private vow of
perpetual chastity before he was seven years of age, and he contrived
by a hundred little artifices that no poor person should ever be
dismissed wherever he was without an alms. At ten years of age he
was sent to Paris, where he studied Latin, philosophy, and the canon
law. In the meantime his eldest brother Valeran, count of St. Pol,
was taken prisoner by the English in a battle in which they defeated
the French and Flemings in Flanders. Upon the news that his brother
was made prisoner and sent to Calais, Peter, in 1381, interrupted
his studies, went over to London, and delivered himself up a hostage
for his brother till his ransom should be paid. The English were
charmed with his extraordinary virtue, and after he had stayed a
year in London, generously gave him his liberty, saying his word was
a sufficient pledge and security for the ransom stipulated. King
Richard II. invited him to his court; but Peter excused himself, and
hastened back to Paris to his studies. His watchings and fasts were
very austere, and he made no visits but such as were indispensable,
or to persons of extraordinary virtue, from whose conversation and
example he might draw great spiritual advantage for the benefit of
his own soul. With this view he often resorted to Philip of Maisiers,
a person eminently endowed with the double spirit of penance and
prayer, who, having been formerly chancellor of the kingdoms of
Jerusalem and Cyprus, led for twenty-five years a retired life in
the convent of the Celestines in Paris, without taking any vows, or
professing that Order. From this devout servant of God our saint
received important instructions and advice, which gave him great
light in the exercises of prayer, and in the paths of interior
spiritual perfection.
In 1383 his brother, the count of St. Pol, obtained for him a canonry
in our Lady’s at Paris; which ecclesiastical preferment was to him a
new motive to increase his fervor in the divine service. His devotion
and assiduity in choir, his charity towards all, his innocence,
his perfect spirit of mortification, and his meekness, edified
exceedingly the whole city; and the modesty with which he endeavored
to conceal his virtues was like a fine transparent veil through which
they shone with redoubled lustre. His humility was most conspicuous,
of which the following instance, among others, is recorded: When a
young clerk refused to carry the cross at a solemn procession, the
new canon took it up, and carried it with so much devotion, that the
whole city was struck with admiration to see him. Peter strove only
to advance in humility and Christian perfection: this was the sole
point which he had in view in all his actions and undertakings; and
he was very far from aspiring to the least ecclesiastical dignity.
But the reputation of his extraordinary sanctity reaching Avignon,
Clement VII., who, in the great schism, was acknowledged by France
for true pope, nominated him archdeacon of Dreux, in the diocess of
Chartres, and soon after, in 1384, bishop of Metz, his great sanctity
and prudence seeming to many a sufficient reason for dispensing with
his want of age. But Peter’s reluctance and remonstrances could only
be overcome by a scruple which was much exaggerated to him, that
by too obstinate a disobedience he would offend God. He made his
public entry at Metz barefoot, and riding on an ass, to imitate the
humility of our Redeemer. He would suffer no other magnificence on
that occasion than the distribution of great arms and largesses among
the poor; nor would he admit any attendants but what might inspire
modesty and piety.
He had no sooner taken possession of his church than with the
suffragan, Bertrand, a Dominican, who was given him for his
assistant, and consecrated bishop of Thessaly, he performed the
visitation of his diocess, in which he everywhere corrected abuses,
and gave astonishing proofs of his zeal, activity, and prudence.
He divided his revenues into three parts, allotting one to his
church, a second to the poor, and reserving a third for himself and
family, though the greatest share of this he added to the portion
of the poor. On fast-days commanded by the Church he took no other
sustenance than bread and water; and he fasted in the same austere
manner all Advent, and all Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays throughout
the year. When several towns had revolted from him and created for
themselves new magistrates, his brother, the count of St. Pol,
reduced them to their duty by force of arms. The holy bishop was
exceedingly mortified at this accident, and out of his own patrimony
made amends to every one even among the rebels for all losses they
had sustained, which unparalleled charity gained him all their
hearts. Though he was judged, by those who were best acquainted
with his interior, during his whole life never to have stained his
baptismal innocence by any mortal sin, he had so high an idea of
the purity in which a soul ought always to appear in the divine
presence, especially when she approaches the holy mysteries, that
he went every day to confession with extraordinary compunction, and
bewailed the least imperfections with many tears. The very shadow of
the least sloth or failing in any action affrighted him. In the year
1384, Clement VII., soon after he had nominated him bishop, created
him cardinal, under the title of St. George, and in 1386 called him
to Avignon, and obliged him to reside there near his person. Peter
continued all his former austerities in the midst of a court, till
Clement commanded him to mitigate them for the sake of his health,
which seemed to be in a declining condition. His answer was: “Holy
Father, I shall always be an unprofitable servant, but I can at least
obey.” He desired to compensate for what he lost in the practices
of penance by redoubling his alms-deeds. By his excessive charities
his purse was always empty; his table was most frugal, his family
very small, his furniture mean, and his clothes poor, and these he
never changed till they were worn out. It seemed that he could not
increase his alms, yet he found means to do it by distributing his
little furniture and his equipage among the indigent, and selling
for them the episcopal ring which he wore on his finger. Everything
about him breathed an extraordinary spirit of poverty, and published
his affection for the poor. At his death his whole treasure amounted
only to twenty-pence. In all his actions he seemed attentive only to
God; and he fell into raptures sometimes in the street, or whilst he
waited on the pope at court. An ancient picture of the saint is kept
in the collegiate church of our Lady at Autun, in which he is painted
in an ecstasy, and in which are written these words which he was
accustomed frequently to repeat: “Contempt of the world, contempt of
thyself: rejoice in thy own contempt, but despise no other person.”
Ten months after his promotion to the dignity of cardinal, the
saint was seized with a sharp fever, which so much undermined his
constitution that his imperfect recovery was succeeded by a dangerous
slow fever. For his health he was advised to retire to Villeneuve, an
agreeable town situate opposite to Avignon, on the other side of the
Rhone. He was glad by this opportunity to see himself removed from
the noise and hurry of the court. During his last illness he went
to confession twice every day; never passed a day without receiving
the holy communion; and the constant union of his soul with God,
and the tenderness of his devotion, seemed continually to increase
as he drew near his end. His brother Andrew coming to see him, the
saint spoke to him with such energy on the vanity of the world, and
on the advantages of piety, that his words left a deep impression on
his heart during his whole life. This brother afterward taking holy
orders was made bishop of Cambray, and became one of the most holy
prelates of that age. Our saint recommended to him in particular
his sister Jane of Luxemburg, whom he had induced to make a vow of
perpetual chastity, and whose whole life was a perfect pattern of
Christian perfection. Saint Peter sent her by this brother a small
treatise containing certain rules of perfection, which he had drawn
up for her. Finding his strength quite exhausted, he desired and
received the last sacraments; after which he called all his servants,
and as they stood weeping round his bed, he begged their pardon for
not having edified them by his example as he ought to have done.
He then conjured them all to promise to do for his sake one thing
which he was going to ask of them. To this they most readily engaged
themselves. But they were much surprised when he ordered them to
take a discipline which lay under his pillow, and every one to give
him many stripes on his back, in punishment for the faults he had
committed in regard to them, who were, as he said, his brethren in
Christ and his masters. Notwithstanding their extreme unwillingness
they were obliged to comply with his request in order to satisfy
him. After this act of penance and humiliation, he conversed with
God in silent prayer till he gave up his innocent soul into his
hands, on the 2d of July, 1387, being eighteen years old, wanting
eighteen days. Though he had the administration of a diocess, he had
not received priestly orders, but seems to have been deacon, and his
dalmatic is shown at Avignon. He was buried without pomp, according
to his orders, in the church-yard of St. Michael.
On account of many miracles that were wrought both before and after
his interment, the citizens of Avignon built a rich chapel over his
grave. The convent and church of the Celestines have been since
built over that very spot, and in this church is the saint’s body
at present enshrined under a stately mausoleum. The history of the
miracles which have been wrought at his tomb fills whole volumes. A
famous one in 1432, moved the city of Avignon to choose him for its
patron. It is related as follows: A child about twelve years old
fell from a high tower in the palace of Avignon upon a sharp rock,
by which fall his skull was split, his brains dashed out, and his
body terribly bruised. The father of the child, almost distracted at
this accident, ran to the place, and falling on his knees with many
tears, implored the intercession of St. Peter. Then gathering up the
scattered bloody pieces of the child’s skull, he carried them with
the body in a sack, and laid them on the saint’s tomb. The people
and the Celestine monks joined their earnest prayers; and after
some time the child returned to life, and was placed upon the altar
that all might see him thus wonderfully raised from the dead. This
miracle happened on the 5th of July, on which day the festival of
the saint has ever since been celebrated at Avignon. After juridical
informations on his life and miracles, the bull of his beatification
was published by the true pope Clement VII. of the family of Medicis,
in 1527.
St. Peter was a saint from the cradle, because he always strove to
live only for God, and his divine honor. If one spark of that ardent
love of God which inflamed the saints in their actions animated our
breasts, it would give wings to our souls in all we do. We should
devote ourselves every moment to God with our whole strength; and
by our fidelity, and by the purity and fervor of our intention, we
should with the saints make all our actions perfect sacrifices of
our hearts to him. “God considers not how much, but with how ardent
an affection the thing is given,” says St. Cyprian.[49] And, as St.
Ambrose writes,[50] “Thy affection stamps the name and value on thy
action. It is just rated at so much as is the ardor from which it
proceeds. See how just is this judge--He asks thy own soul what value
he is to set on thy work.”