PHILIBERT OF REBAIS, ST.

Abbot; b. Eauze, Gascony, France, c. 616–620; d. Abbey of Noirmoutier, France, Aug. 20, 685. He was the son of a noble family. His father, Philibald, became bishop of Aire. Philibert entered the household of King Dagobert I (d. 630), where he met ouen of rouen, and c. 636 he joined Ouen's benedictine foundation at Rebais. He succeeded agil as abbot, but left to study other monastic observances, visiting especially luxeuil and bobbio. In 654 he founded the monastery of jumiÈges and a convent for women at Pavilly. His criticism of Ebroin (d. 681), the mayor of the palace of Neustria, led to his imprisonment in Rouen. After his release he founded Noirmoutier, perhaps refounded Quinçay near Poitiers, and supervised Luçon. His kindness to neighboring families is particularly remembered. He died at Noirmoutier, but because of the unsettled times, the travels imposed on the monks with the relics of their saint spread his cult widely. In 875 his body was buried in the abbey church of St. Valerian at tournus, where it remains.

Feast: Aug. 20.

Bibliography: Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum (Berlin 1826–) 5:568–606. r. poupardin, Monuments de l'histoire des abbayes de Saint-Philibert (Paris 1905). j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, 12v. (Paris 1935–56) 8:372–377, full bibliog. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige, 4 v. (Metten 1933–38) 2:597, 600–601. Bibliotheca hagiographica latina antiquae et mediae aetatis, 2 v. (Brussels 1898–1901; suppl. 1911) 2:6805–10. l. jaud, Saint Filibert … (Paris 1910). h. curÉ, St. Philibert le Thaumaturge (Marseille 1936).

[v. i. j. flint]