Saint Israël du Limousin

Saint Israel of Le Dorat was born around 950 into a noble family in Le Dorat, at the gate of Dinsac, between Limoges and Poitiers. A stone cross marks the site of his house. His feast day is December 12 in the Roman Martyrology and September 13 locally. His parents consecrated him to divine service. A master in the regular chapter of Le Dorat, where he was received as a canon after his formation, he was ordained a priest and became vicar general to Aldouin, Bishop of Limoges. He taught theology at the episcopal school and wrote a versified life of Christ in the Limousin language, a century before the lyric poetry of the troubadours. In 994, during a plague epidemic, he cared for the sick and buried the dead himself. He accompanied Aldouin on his journey to visit Robert II the Pious, King of France. After monks from the Abbey of Saint-Junien were massacred in the parish of Étagnac while collecting tithes, and the prior, Itier, died as a result, Pope Sylvester II charged Israel with the restoration of that chapter with the title of provost. He had the church rebuilt. In 1006, he returned to Le Dorat, where he served as grand cantor and trained many disciples, including Saint Theobald. He died there on December 22, 1014. A year earlier, Israel had seen the foundations of the current Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre in Le Dorat laid to replace the old church destroyed by fire. Subsequently, he continued to heal and comfort the many pilgrims who flocked to his tomb. Because of the numerous miracles attributed to him, he became the object of a significant cult throughout the region. On January 27, 1130, his relics were transferred to the crypt of the collegiate church of Le Dorat along with those of Saint Theobald (feast day: December 20).