Saint Florentius of Anjou

Florentius of Anjou (French - Florent d'Anjou) was a 4th century Christian hermit, priest, abbot and saint. According to legend he evangelised the region around Saumur and was brother to Florain of Lorch. The Angevin monasteries of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil (formerly Mont-Glonne and now in Saint-Florent-le-Vieil) and Saint Florent-le-Jeune (now in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent) and the collegiate church in Roye, Somme are all named after him. The abbey of Saint-Florent in Saumur commissioned a tapestry around 1524 showing scenes from the saint's life, still held in Saumur. It is difficult to find historically trustworthy sources on him. It seems he was initially a hermit living on the île d'Yeu in the 4th century. So many disciples gathered around him there that he established a monastery. His feast day is 22 September, recorded as the day of his burial on Mont Glonne, now in the town of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil. Over time a pilgrimage to his tomb developed and the monks rewrote his biography around the end of the 900s to make his sanctity and influence more popular. Several versions of his legend survive since it was rewritten several times. It states that Saint Florian was Saint Florentius' brother and that they grew up together on the banks of the Danube before becoming Roman soldiers. The prefect Aquilianus tortured them and then condemned them to death by drowing in the Enns with stones hung round their necks, both for refusing to sacrifice to idols. However, en route to the execution site, an angel appeared to Florentius and asked him to go to join Saint Martin in Tours, which he did, leaving his brother to his martyrdom. Forewarned by an angel, Martin ordained Florentius a priest on arrival. Mont Glonne was then infested with serpents and so Florentius went there to expel them and evangelise that place.  · The dragons are here to be interpreted as a symbol of pagan customs. He then travelled widely and carried out many miracles.