In the Steps of Augustine of Canterbury A Pilgrim’s Guide in France In the Steps of Augustine of Canterbury A Pilgrim’s Guide in France For historical background on the sixth century and the implications of Augustine’s journey through France – ancient Francia – references for each section of the journey are from: Robin Mackintosh, Augustine of Canterbury: Leadership, Mission and Legacy, Canterbury Press, 2013 Rob Mackintosh & Peter Ingrams 1 Contents Chapter 3 Raging Waters Copyright - Arles to Lyon Dedication Chapter 4 Crucial Encounter - Lyon to Nevers Preface Chapter 5 Ready at Last Acknowledgements - Nevers to Paris Chapter 1 The Great Beginning Chapter 6 Taking Risks, Meeting Ancestors - Villefranche-sur-Mer to Aix-en-Provence - Paris to Laon Chapter 2 A Fresh Start Chapter 7 Imperium or Emporium? - Aix-en-Provence to Arles - Laon to Quentovic 2 b Copyright Dedication © Rob Mackintosh & Peter Ingrams 2016 This Pilgrim Guide is dedicated to the Companions of Augustine of Canterbury, and to everyone on a pilgrim First published in 2016 way in the hope that their lives will be enriched in many and unexpected ways. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, In the end, as in the beginning, pilgrimage is a response to in any from or by any means, electronic, mechanical, an impulse of Love. photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. “The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to The Authors have asserted their rights under the exist” Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified – Pope St. Gregory the Great as the Authors of this work. 3 Preface may be helpful for our own journey today. Our main aim of this particular quest was to follow St. Augustine s as he journeyed THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY PEOPLE UNDERTAKE through ancient Francia (now present-day France) on his way to PILGRIMAGES. A quest of some kind often underlies most our England, and to learn what we can about the journey first motivations. These could be religious or secular, and our undertaken in AD 596-7. destinations as diverse as the tomb of the Prophet or Elvis Presley's Graceland. The earliest Christian pilgrimages were undertaken to It seemed to us that this would not only bring to life our own the places, or last resting place, of extraordinary individuals, understanding of events that took place over 1,400 years ago, but merely to be in the presence of their bones and relics. A piece of a also that this exploration might be helpful to others who follow garment, a cross, a bone somehow brought the seeker into contact some or all of Augustine’s journey through sixth-century France. with the holy, the numinous. Or a pilgrimage may be in memory of We divided the journey into a number of smaller, more manageable someone, or to sort out one's life, or simply for the pleasure of the stages to describe what Augustine and his companions from Rome journey itself. might have seen as he and they journeyed from the south to the north of ancient Francia. On the way, historical details of the period There are no relics in France associated with Augustine the first helped to enrich our understanding of events. Archbishop of Canterbury, but there are many places - stretching from Rome to Canterbury - that have associations with his Another aim was to assess the possibiity of mapping a new missionary journey to the Anglo-Saxon peoples of England. pilgrimage route through France, based on Augustine’s journey, and also assess the potential for a group of pilgrims following this That is the main purpose for this pilgrimage guide - to help us route, perhaps starting from Rome. Lastly, we aimed to explore follow in his footsteps, to stand where he stood, perhaps to see more about pilgrimage by following this route and reflecting on it what he saw, to think his thoughts after him, and discover what as the journey unfolded. This is what we discovered. 4 Acknowledgments SEVERAL YEARS IN THE MAKING, THIS GUIDE DEVELOPED DURING holidays in France, a day spent with a marine archaeologist in Etaples, a week by car t mapping-out Augustine’s route, and several years of reading the key texts and letters that unfold Augustine’s journey I thank my wife Gill for her support, patience and endurance during many trips to France, particularly Tours, Lyon, Paris and Provence. Not least, my sincere thanks to friend and colleague Peter Ingrams, for his invaluable support, encouragement and involvment in mapping out the journey, driving the length of France in less than seven days, and making crucial discoveries at key places on the way. Lastly, my grateful thanks to marine arhaeologist Dr. Michel Philippe for an unforgettable day spent with him exploring Etaples and the River Canche and the fortress town of Montreuil, in search of the location of the ancient Roman emporium port of Quentovicus. Icon of Pope Gregory the Great, who sent a monk from his monastery in Rome to the Kingdome of Kent. 5 6 Chapter 1 Lerins 7 Chapter 1 The Great Beginning Villefranche-sur-Mer to Aix-en-Provence OUR PILGRIMAGE JOURNEY FOLLOWS AUGUSTINE’S FOOTSTEPS from the Côte d’Azur to the English Channel. These were difficult and desperate times for Rome where the journey began for Augustine and his party of twenty monks and lay brothers. The city found itself isolated by hostile Lombard dukes and their warriors who continually threatened Rome’s food supply, farming communities and neighbouring towns. Pope Gregory the Great launched a mission to Kent partly through a request from the Kingdom of Kent, and partly in response to a Gospel imperative to preach Good News before the End of the world could come. Anglo-Saxon England was regarded as the last pagan society still untouched by the teachings of Christianity. With little confidence in the ability of his own bishops to lead such a mission, and with no Lerins: Saracen fort well response from the bishops of the Franks across the English Channel, the pope sent his own monks to undertake this mission. 8 Chapter 1 Villefranche-sur-Mer to Aix- 1. Villefranche-sur-Mer en-Provence OUR PILGRIMAGE JOURNEY BEGINS ON THE D2564, OR GRANDE CORNICHE, following the route of the Roman Via Aurelia that passes by on a hillside overlooking Villefranche-sur-Mer. The road down to Villefranche’s wide sweeping anchorage is lined THE ROUTE with attractive period cafés and houses, ending under shady trees just yards from the waterfront. The walls of an old fort, the 1. Villefranche-sur-Mer Citadelle, looming nearby, were built in the C16th to protect the 2. Iles de Lerins port. The view is impressive. It is also a good place to stop for morning coffee. 3. The Coastal Route and Via Aurelia 4. Fréjus (Foroiuliensis – Forum of Julius) On this morning, the large bay can seem strangely empty, with one sailboat anchored a short distance from the quay, and in the 5. Vieux Cannet distance near the mouth of the anchorage, a single large cruise liner 6. St-Maximin-la-Ste-Baume lay at anchor. Significance 9 (See also, Augustine of Canterbury, p. 12) Villeranche-sur-Mer is one of only two landing places where Augustine, departing from Ostia the Port of Rome, might have landed. The bay at Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbours of any port in the Mediterranean, and can provide safe anchorage for large ships with its depths down to 95 m (320 ft). The Greeks - and later the Romans - used this natural harbour as a stop-over en route to Greek settlements around the Western Mediterranean. Did Augustine make landfall here? That depends in part on the tonnage of ship they were able to secure from Ostia. Grain ships Villefranche-sur-Mer: were generally large vessels requiring a deep harbour. harbour; marina Alternatively they mav have secured a merchant ship small enough to anchor at one of the Lerins islands, which is the next destination on our own pilgrimage journey. 10 2. Iles de Lerins ISLES DE LERINS REFERS TO TWO ISLANDS - ILE STE MARGUERITE (possibly named after St. Honorius’ sister) and once a prison island that has a fortress (now a museum). It is closer to Cannes; Ile-St-Honorat, lies a mile or so further south. A journey to the monastery on Ile-St-Honorat is essential to the itinerary, and for pilgrims today, the coastal city of Cannes is its gateway. Contact online: Cannestouristinformation.co.uk Abbayedelerins.com In Cannes, a castle stands on top of Le Suquet Hill overlooking the sea. This ancient town may have taken its name from an early coastal settlement, or perhaps from an ancient Ligurian word for Ferry to Lerins at Cannes; fortified ‘high ground’. looking back at Cannes; Map of Ile St-Honorat on the island. Getting to St-Honorat A regular ferry service departs from Quai Laubeuf on the western edge of the old Cannes marina-harbour, except in bad weather, which may prevent visitors reaching the island, or alternatively, delaying their departure. 11 Background: Ile-St-Honorat In succeeding generations, particularly after the unification of the Frankish Kingdom under Clovis I (AD 465-511), monastery St. Honorius, founder of the abbey on the island and a Gaul by churches such as Lerins and St Martin’s Abbey in Autun became birth, was born into a pagan family. He became a convert to recognised as spiritual power-houses of the Merovingian Church.