Welcome to the Liber Miraculorum sancte Fidis, #medievaltwitter and friend, the Book of Miracles of Sainte Foy, written at the beginning of the eleventh century by Bernard of Angers, a priest from Chartres who went to Conques and became an advocate for the saint. 1/

Sainte Foy is almost assuredly not real in any meaningful sense--a later medieval fabrication, "taken" by monks from Agen to Conques as part of a series of conflicts between that monastery and Figeac in the high Middle Ages.

"Real" or not, she is AMAZING. 2/

A 12 year old ish girl who is martyred, she becomes the guardian of Conques, playing practical jokes, defending her monastery, and being embodied in a remarkably large majesty statue: 3/

So let's start with the first #miracle, from https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/1735.html and online https://muse.jhu.edu/book/3650 :

This one is called, "How Guibert's Eyes Were Restored by Sainte Foy After They Had Been Torn Out by the Roots", and yes, this book of miracles is... horrific. 4/

"Up to the present time in the district of Rouergue where the most blessed virgin Foy rests, in the neighborhood of the village of Conques, there dwells, still alive, a priest named Gerald. This priest had a blood relative who was
also, according to the sacrament of... 5/

confirmation administered by the bishop, his godson. His name was Guibert; he was Gerald's household servant and vigorously managed his business affairs. Once Guibert had made his way to Conques for the feast day, and after the nighttime activity of the vigil was completed... 6/

according to custom, on the next day, that is on the feast
day itself, he was returning by the same road on which he had gone. Then he
had the bad fortune to meet his master, who was aroused by a secret hatred
against him that was motivated by jealousy. When the priest saw... 7/

Guibert close at hand in a pilgrim's garb, his initial approach was peaceful "Look at you, Guibert, you've been made a romeus, I see," for that is what they call pilgrims of the saints in that country. And Guibert answered, 'That's right, master, I'm returning from... 8/

Sainte Foy's feast." Then Gerald, pretending to be friendly, inquired about some other matters and gave Guibert permission to depart. But although he went on
himself a little way, the priest-as treasonous as a Jew!-(if it is right that a man is called "priest" who corrupts... 9/

the priesthood with sacrilege), turned back and ordered Guibert to wait for him for a little while. Coming after
Guibert, Gerald ordered his men to hold him and they soon boxed him in on both sides. When Guibert saw what was happening he began to tremble with
great fear, ... 10/

and he asked of what crime he was being accused. The treacherous man gave this menacing answer: "You have done a wicked thing to me, and you are preparing to do
worse; that's why I'll be satisfied with nothing less than your very own eyes as punishment." But he did not... 11/

describe the kind of crime more clearly and pretended that this was out of a sense of decency. For surely it is disgraceful for priests to render judgment based on their own jealousy. In fact the cause of this trouble had arisen from the suspicion of debauchery with a... 12/

woman. Guibert was quite confident that he could offer an explanation for anything for which he was blamed, so he said, "Look, master, if you would accuse me openly of any crime of which you suspect me, I am prepared to defend myself according to law. I don't think... 13/

anything can be found for which I deserve to incur your anger and that of your followers." Gerald replied, "You might as well stop defending yourself with useless double-talk, for all is lost already. I have pronounced the sentence — you lose your eyes."... 14/

Guibert saw that Gerald was determined to be his executioner and that the inexorable hour of his destruction was at hand. He perceived that no room was left for any pleading but, even though he despaired of his safety at that moment, he cried out, "Master, I beg you, ... 15/

spare me, if not because of my innocence, at least for the love of God and Sainte Foy — it's for love of her that I'm wearing a pilgrim's sacred garment at this very moment."
But this fierce monster, who thought highly neither of God nor of His saint, gnashed his teeth, ... 16/

roared with savage fury, and spewed out the
blasphemous poison he had held in for a long time in the form of these sacrilegious words: "Neither God nor Sainte Foy will free you today, and you won't succeed in escaping from my hands unpunished by calling on
them. ... 17/

And don't think there's a chance that I'll view you as reputable and protected from attack out of respect for pilgrim's clothing, when you have been so wickedly unjust to me! Then he ordered that Guibert be thrown down headlong and that the eyes of this innocent man be... 18/

torn out violently. He couldn't persuade any of his men to commit such a crime (they were only three and I pass over their names because of my distaste for barbaric language), but he at least succeeded with his order that they hold Guibert down. Then Gerald suddenly slid... 19/

off his horse and, with the very ringers with which he usually touched the sacrosanct body of Christ, he violently tore out the eyes of his own godson and tossed them carelessly to the ground. But divine power was not
absent, for it does not leave unheard those who... 20/

importune heaven's care; it is always present near those invoking it in truth and renders a favorable judgment for those suffering injury. Those who were there were fortunate enough to see that a snow-white dove appeared instantly (or, as the perpetrator of the crime... 21/

tells it, it was a magpie). The magpie or dove at that
very hour took up from the ground the wretch's eyes, which were covered with fresh blood. The bird flew above the mountaintops and appeared to descend to Conques with its burden. Don't be amazed that God entrusted the... 22/

rescue of Guibert's eyes in the wilderness to a winged magpie, for in time past He used ravens to send food to Elijah in the desert. Or perhaps, in accordance with divine will, an ambiguously marked bird came, which could be clearly recognized neither as a magpie nor as a... 23/

dove. But the men who saw the bird didn't see any
ambiguity. The others in fact perceived a dove clothed in white, but Gerald asserted that he had seen none other than a magpie adorned with black and white. Just as God will seem terrifying to the wicked but gentle to the... 24/

just, it could also have happened that the form had seemed to be white to those innocent men who groaned inwardly at the sight of the crime, while to the criminal it had seemed to be of mixed colors. Nevertheless, when the sacrilegous Gerald saw the bird he was led to... 25/

repentance and began to weep profusely. One of his companions told him this weeping was in vain and too late. Then Gerald departed, and from that time forward the scoundrel didn't undertake the celebration of the holy
mass, either because of the crime he had perpetrated... 26/

or, as seems more likely, because he neglected it altogether in favor of secular business."

OK, after 27 tweets, that is what you get for today. We'll finish the first miracle tomorrow, and going on from there.

The anti-Semitic throwaway in the miracle is vile but important.

Anti-Semitism is not a modern construct, it is a horrible universality in western Christian ideology.

The visceral horror of the text--the plucking of eyes--and the worldly concerns of priests, though not of monks, is useful in thinking about the Auvergne and the turn of the

first millennium. The entire period is one of violence and conflict, as is all of history--but in the south, especially, there is indeed something akin to a "feudal revolution" post-Charlemagne, and the religious and cultural practice mirror the political differences found there.

Thanks #medievaltwitter, I'll just make sure to keep doing daily #miracle updates from the Book of Miracles of St. Foy, we'll finish the first miracle tomorrow!