LEUTFRED (LEUFROY), ST.

Founder of the abbey of La Croix–Saint–Ouen (later, La Croix–Saint–Leufroy) of Évreux; d. 738. Born of good parentage near Évreux, he studied at Chartres at the suggestion of St. ouen. After a short teaching career, he suddenly left his family and went to live at the monastery of Cailly under the direction of a hermit. Finally, having gone to Rouen, he put himself under the direction of the Irish monk Sidonius, from whom he received the monastic habit. He became the friend of St. Ansbert. After returning to his own country, he ruled the house he had founded until his death. In 851 his relics were translated for the first time; later during the 9th century, when the monks had to flee the Normans, they carried the relics to the church of saint–germain–des–prÉs (paris). In 1222 they were again brought to the La Croix–Saint–Ouen.

Feast: June 21.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum June 5:91–100. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 7.1:1–18. m. coens, Analecta Bollandiana 41 (1923) 442–446. j. b. mesnel, Saint Leufray, abbé de la Croix, fasc. 6 of Les Saints du diocèse d'Évreux (Évreux 1912–81). a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige 2:343. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes 6:339–341. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints 2:610.

[É. brouette]