The face of Saint Helier is sculpted on the 1978 monument La Croix de la Reine in St. Helier, Jersey

Saint Helier, a 6th century ascetic hermit, is patron saint of Jersey in the Channel Islands, and in particular of the town and parish of Saint Helier, the island’s capital. He is also invoked as a healing saint for diseases of the skin and eyes. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (856x837, 646 KB) Sculpture of face of Helier, patron saint of Jersey, on La Croix de la Reine monument in Saint Helier, Jersey Photo taken by Man vyi with Canon PowerShot A40 on 4/6/2005 File links The following pages... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (856x837, 646 KB) Sculpture of face of Helier, patron saint of Jersey, on La Croix de la Reine monument in Saint Helier, Jersey Photo taken by Man vyi with Canon PowerShot A40 on 4/6/2005 File links The following pages... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century A hermit (from the Greek erÄ“mos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion and/or isolation from society. ... In several forms of the church of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... Saint Helier (Jèrriais: St Hélyi) is one of the twelve parishes and the largest town on Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has a second meaning based on an alternative sense of capital) is the principal city or town associated with a countrys government. ...

Life

According to hagiography, Hellerius or Helier was born to pagan parents in Tongeren (now in Belgium) after they had had difficulties conceiving a child. In desperation they had turned to Saint Cunibert who had advised them to pray to God and to promise to bring up an eventual child in the Christian faith. Their prayers having been answered, Helier was born, but Helier’s father eventually grew angry at the influence Cunibert exerted over his precocious son, who was already causing consternation with his youthful miracles. Helier’s father had Cunibert killed, whereupon Helier fled. Hagiography is the study of saints. ... Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning a country dweller or civilian) is a blanket term which has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions, as opposed to the Abrahamic monotheistic religions. ... Tongeren is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as Christ. ...

Helier’s wanderings led him through what is now the village of St. Hellier in the département of Seine-Maritime in Normandy and eventually to the Cotentin where he sought retreat from the distractions of the world in the monastic community of Saint Marculf at Nantus (Nanteuil, now St.-Marcouf-de-l’Isle in Manche). The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Seine-Maritime is a French département in Normandy. ... Mont Saint-Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... The Cotentin Peninsula juts out into the English Channel from Normandy towards England, forming part of the north-west coast of France. ... Monastery of St. ... Saint Marcouf (also called Marculf, Marcoul or Marcou) is a saint born in Bayeux in Normandy who is best known for the healing of scrofula. ... Manche is a French département in Normandy named after La Manche (the sleeve), which is the French name of the English Channel. ...

Helier, however, found the monastic community did not provide the quiet he required to devote himself fully to a life of contemplation. Marculf had received pleas from the few inhabitants of the island called Gersut, or Agna, now called Jersey, which was all but depopulated due to repeated attacks by Vikings, or Saxons, or Vandals, depending on source. The inhabitants requested someone to help them, and bring the gospel to them as they had no shepherd to guide them. Monasticism (from Greek: monachos — a solitary person) is the religious practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote ones life to spiritual work. ... The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors of the Norsemen who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of the British Isles, France and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century and created a state in North Africa, centered on the city of Carthage. ... For other articles with similar names, see Gospel (disambiguation). ...

A medieval chapel was constructed over "St. Helier's Bed", the hollow in the rock where Helier sheltered. The Hermitage rock is the focus of the annual pilgrimage

Marculf sent Helier, and a companion Saint Romard, to Jersey where he found a small community of fishermen on the sand dunes where the modern town of St. Helier was to develop. Helier settled on a tidal islet, nowadays known as the Hermitage Rock, next to L’Islet, the tidal island now occupied by the 16th century Elizabeth Castle. Romard would travel back and forth between the hermit on his rock and the fishing village. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1041x1290, 981 KB)Hermitage of Saint Helier in Saint Helier, Jersey Image created by User:Man vyi on 1st May 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1041x1290, 981 KB)Hermitage of Saint Helier in Saint Helier, Jersey Image created by User:Man vyi on 1st May 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... St. ... Elizabeth Castle at high tide Elizabeth Castle is a castle in Saint Helier, Jersey. ...

From his vantage point on his rock, Helier could see the sails of approaching attackers and would signal to the shore, whereupon the inhabitants would scatter into the surrounding marshes, thereby frustrating the attackers’ bloodlust. Small dark clouds on the horizon are still known in Jèrriais as les vailes dé St. Hélyi (the sails of St. Helier). Jèrriais is a form of Norman language spoken in Jersey in the Channel Islands. ...

Helier is recorded as performing one healing miracle in Jersey, curing a lame man named Anquetil. His prayers and the sign of the cross raised a storm that drove off a raiding party. Though Helier starved himself to ascetic weakness for 13 years, legend holds that he had the strength, when he was beheaded by attackers, to pick up his head and walk to shore. Ascetic redirects here. ...

According to the hagiography, Romard discovered Helier’s body on the beach still clutching his head in his hands, placed it in a boat and set off for the mainland. The boat, guided by the hand of God, arrived at Bréville-sur-mer (Manche) where a reputedly miraculous healing spring arose on the spot where Helier’s body rested overnight. A church was founded next to the spring, which is now topped by a statue and still attracts those seeking a cure. Manche is a French département in Normandy named after La Manche (the sleeve), which is the French name of the English Channel. ... A natural spring on Mackinac Island in Michigan. ...

Helier’s relics were sent to the abbey of Beaubec (situated in Beaubec-la-Rosière (Seine-Maritime)) where they remained until the destruction of the abbey during the French Revolution. An abbey (from the Latin abbatia, which is derived from the Syriac abba, father), is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serve as the spiritual father or mother of the community. ... An abbey (from the Latin abbatia, which is derived from the Syriac abba, father), is a Christian monastery or convent, under the government of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serve as the spiritual father or mother of the community. ... The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ...

Modern Presence

Churches dedicated to Helier can be found in Rennes, St. Hellier, Beuzeville (Eure), Amécourt (Eure), Barentin (Seine-Maritime), Monhoudou (Sarthe). Evidence of veneration of the saint can be found in La Hague in the Cotentin at Querqueville and also at Omonville-la-Rogue where a 13th century mural in the church of St. John the Baptist links Helier with Thomas Becket. Some medieval houses, such as these at Champ-Jacquet, can still be found in the center of Rennes. ... Beuzeville is a commune and a canton in the northwestern part of the département of Eure, in the Haute-Normandie région, in France. ... Eure is a département in the north of France named after the Eure River. ... Sarthe is a French département, named after the Sarthe River. ... La Hague is a region on the tip of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, France. ... Querqueville is a commune in the French département of Manche. ... Salle des illustres, ceiling painting, by Jean André Rixens. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The annual pilgrimage crosses to the Hermitage at low tide. In 2005, the times of the tides necessitated an early morning start across the causeway towards Elizabeth Castle

Helier is revered in Jersey for having brought Christianity to the island, but is better known in Normandy and Brittany as a healing saint. Besides the healing springs at St. Hellier and Bréville, there is also a healing spring at Saint-Jouan des Guérets (Ille-et-Vilaine), where Helier’s name has been deformed by folk etymology to St. Délier (délier meaning to untie in French, referring to the power to loosen the bonds of illness). There is also a chapel of St. Helier in the cathedral of Trenton, New Jersey. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1573x962, 1018 KB) Pilgrimage to Hermitage of Saint Helier, St. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1573x962, 1018 KB) Pilgrimage to Hermitage of Saint Helier, St. ... Pilgrim at Mecca In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... Mont Saint-Michel, one of the famous symbols of Normandy. ... Traditional coat of arms Modern flag (Gwenn-ha-du) Historical province of Brittany région of Bretagne, see Bretagne. ... Ille-et-Vilaine is a département of France, located in Brittany (Bretagne in French) in the northwest corner of France. ... Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... A chapel is a private church, usually small and often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... Nickname: Trent Location of Trenton inside of Mercer County Coordinates: Country United States State New Jersey County Mercer County Founded circa 1719 Mayor Douglas H. Palmer Area    - City 21. ...

The traditional year of his martyrdom is AD 555 . His feast day, marked in Jersey by an annual municipal and ecumenical pilgrimage to the Hermitage, is on July 16. For other uses, see number 555. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... Pilgrim at Mecca In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ...

External link

• Helier (Helerius), the 6th century saint