St. Leonard of Noblac
November 6
St. Leonard of Noblac (d. 559 A.D.) also known as St. Leonard of Limoges, was a French nobleman in the court of Clovis I, King of France. He was converted to the Christian faith, along with the King, by St. Remigius, Bishop of Rheims. After his conversion he abandoned his worldly pursuits, left the royal court, and followed St. Remigius as a disciple. He obtained special permission from the king to release any prisoners whom he deemed worthy of pardon. He declined an offer of a bishopric and entered the monastery at Orleans to live a life of prayer and penance. Desiring greater solitude and penance than what the monastery allowed, he withdrew into a forest to live as a hermit. He built a small cell and lived on herbs and fruits. He soon attracted followers who joined him in his ascetic life. In thanksgiving for his prayers that the Queen of France would safely deliver her child, St. Leonard was given a large tract of royal land in Noblac. There the saint built an abbey where he served as abbot until his death. A village grew around the abbey that still exists today, named Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat. Numerous shrines are dedicated to St. Leonard across Europe, and thousands of miracles are credited to his intercession. He is the patron saint of prisoners and women in labor. His feast day is November 6th.
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