Descent and Re-installation of the Shrine of Saint Waltrude in Mons, Belgium in extraordinary ceremony

The Descent of the Shrine of Saint Waltrude, Our Own Saint

Infrastructure and Material Elements

At the back of the collegiate church choir is the high altar. The choir is surrounded by the ambulatory, following the classic layout of Gothic churches. The shrine is placed on it year-round on a wooden stretcher suspended from pulleys in the central vault at the back of the choir.

The shrine is a copper-plated chest dating from 1887, made by the Liège goldsmith Wilmotte. In the neo-Gothic style, it represents a symmetrical religious building, without a choir, whose axis could be located in the middle of the transept. Around its entire circumference are depicted the apostles and Jesus, represented twice, as Salvator Mundi and in the arms of the Virgin, and the family composed of Waldru, Vincent, their two daughters, Madelberte and Aldetrude, and their sons, Landry and Dentelin. Waldru must remain facing the public.

The shrine has been opened several times, according to canon law, which requires the presence of a bishop. The last ceremony was presided over by Bishop Jean Huard, Bishop of the Diocese of Tournai, in 1997. Several shrouds, parchments, and the remains of several women have been discovered, dating back to the 7th century, including Waltrudes's.

Another reliquary exists, that of the Head of Saint Waldtrude , which shows her in bust form, wearing a crown adorned with red roses offered by the Mayor.

The Ceremony

At 8:00 p.m. on Trinity Saturday, after the evening mass and the choir concert, the choir bell rang. Immediately, the great organ, timpani, and trumpets struck up Purcell's Trumpet Voluntary, while the mayor and local elected officials entered the collegiate church through the large doors at the base of the nave. They were joined and followed by a procession coming from the sacristy via the south aisle, with, in order, the Swiss soldier wearing a bicorn hat, his halberd resting on his shoulder; then choirboys carrying the Cross of Burgundy, the pages of Roland de Lassus, the canonesses in 16th-century choir costumes, the canons of Saint-Germain, and the clergy of Mons and the surrounding area, presided over by its dean.

The latter then invites the dignitaries to accompany him into the ambulatory, to witness the slow lowering of the reliquary, suspended year-round above the high altar.

The choir sings the Fortem Virili Pectore, a Gregorian chant of praise to Saint Waltrude (Office hymn for the Common of Holy Women, written by Cardinal Silvio Antoniano), and litanies, while the reliquary is gently lowered to be secured on a stretcher.

1. Fortem virili pectore
Laudemus omnes feminam,
Quae sanctitatis gloria
Ubique fulget inclyta.

2. Haec sancto amore saucia,
Dum mundi amorem noxium
Horrescit, ad coelestia
Iter peregit arduum.

3. Carnem domans jejuniis,
Dulcique mentem pabulo
Orationis nutriens,
Coeli potitur gaudiis.

4. Rex Christe virtus fortium,
Qui magna solus efficis,
Hujus precatu, quaesumus,
Audi benignus supplices.

5. Deo Patri sit gloria,
Ejusque soli Filio,
Cum Spiritu Paraclito,
Nunc, et per omne saeculum.

1. High let us all our voices raise
In that heroic woman's praise
Whose name, with saintly glory bright,
Shines in the starry realms of light.

2. Filled with a pure celestial glow,
She spurned all love of things below;
And heedless here on earth to stay,
Climbed to the skies her toilsome way.

3. With fasts her body she subdued,
But filled her soul with prayer's sweet food:
In other worlds she tastes the bliss
For which she left the joys of this.

4. O Christ, the strength of all the strong;
To whom our holiest deeds belong!
Through her prevailing prayers on high,
In mercy hear Thy people's cry!

5. To God the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,

Be glory while the ages flow,

From all above, and all below.

tr. Edward Caswall

The Dean incenses the reliquary and, in a neighboring chapel, the reliquary of the saint's head. The procession reforms to accompany the two reliquaries, escorted by the halberdiers, through the aisle and then into the nave.

When Roland de Lassus's pages have taken their places in the choir, and the canonesses and canons of Saint-Germain have entered the stalls, the two reliquaries are placed on tables at the crossing of the transept.

The Dean then solemnly reads the eulogy of Saint Waltrude:

"To the Grand Bailiff of Mons, to the aldermen, magistrates, and provosts, to all the loyal men and women of Mons, to all the native inhabitants of Mons and their guests, greetings and welcome.

Listen, good people, to the admirable story of Madame Saint Waltrude and her glorious relics, which we have just exalted: around the year of grace 620, Waldetrude, daughter of Walbert and Bertille, was born in Cousolre, near Beaumont. Her father, a nobleman, administered the domains of the Frankish King Clotaire II.

Raised in the faith, her sister was Blessed Aldegonde, foundress of the Abbey of Maubeuge. Married to Madelgaire, later honored as Saint Vincent of Soignies, she gave birth, according to tradition, to four children: two daughters, Madelberte and Aldetrude, and two sons, Landry and Dentelin.

Saint Vincent above and his reliquary at Soignies below.  More about his veneration at Soignies in another post.

After assuming responsibility for the education of her children, Waldru, renouncing her comfortable existence, resolved to withdraw from the world to lead a contemplative life. Conceiving a similar plan, her husband entered the Abbey of Hautmont before settling in Soignies.

Around the year 655, Waltrude established an oratory dedicated to Saint Peter and a hermitage adapted to monastic life, right here in Castrilocus, halfway up the hill on which the city of Mons later stood. Joined by a few companions, she led an exemplary Christian life for many years, punctuated by prayer, blessed with mystical experiences, and marked by kindness toward the weakest, whether they were destitute, passing strangers, or prisoners. She gave up her beautiful soul to God around 688, on April 9, the day that became her feast day. Her relics were always preserved in Mons, first in the Church of Saint Peter, then in the neighboring Church of Our Lady, which henceforth took the name of Saint Waldru.

Over the centuries, the people of Hainaut came to honor her and seek her comfort, protection, healing, and guidance. In earlier buildings, as in the Gothic collegiate church rebuilt from 1450 onwards, here, her body was raised above the main altar of the choir, while the precious reliquary containing her head was often carried in procession through the city to invoke divine mercy through the intercession of Saint Waltrude.

Faithful to tradition, once again, we have brought down the holy body of Madame Saint Waltrude so that it may be honored, venerated, and accompanied on its annual tour of the City and Town of Mons by all the faithful and faithful of Mons.

May Waltrude, patron saint of our beloved city and region, grant to all, the bailiffs, aldermen, magistrates, provosts, and other inhabitants present here or united in thought, long life and health, peace and harmony, happiness, and prosperity.

Text updated in 2018 by Bollandist historian François De Vriendt to make it more consistent with historical knowledge.

It was then time to entrust the shrine to the care of the mayor. The dean spoke first: "Mr. Mayor, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Aldermen, here we have proceeded to the removal of the holy body of Madame Saint Waltrude and we intend to process it into the city. We beg and request you, here and now, to ensure its protection, so that no harm or inconvenience may befall it within the city. Please ensure that it is delivered and returned safe and sound to this place, where it is now entrusted and entrusted to your law and authority."

The mayor immediately replied: "Mr. Dean, Gentlemen, we have responded to your invitation and have heard and understood your request. We gladly accept custody of the holy body of Madame Saint Waltrude, and, from the time he leaves this church until he returns, we will do our utmost to assist and guard him, without cost or expense, so that he does not face any danger or peril in this city."

No sooner had the mayor finished his reply than the great organ, timpani, and trumpets struck up the music of the Doudou, while the choir and the crowd sang the words while clapping their hands in delirious enthusiasm.

The Exit of the Golden Carriage

This "historic and centuries-old Procession of the Golden Carriage" dates back to 1349. On Sunday morning, after mass, the shrine is placed on the Golden Carriage (a ceremonial chariot dating from 1780); Saint George and the figures of Lumeçon go from the town hall to the collegiate church, where they take out the Golden Coach and place it alongside the choir.

The Golden Coach is pulled by draft horses and carries the saint's relics during the procession, which has been enriched over the years by historical groups representing, among others, the city's various craft guilds. The Golden Coach also carries a few altar boys and a priest tasked with reading a miracle of Saint Waltrude at several strategic points along the procession.

Sixty groups precede it: brotherhoods, historical reminders of Mons, etc.

The procession ends with the climb up the Sainte-Waudru ramp, a narrow street of old, poorly adjusted cobblestones and very steep (approximately 20%). Since the Golden Coach is very heavy (estimated by the IRPA at around four tons), there is always a risk that it will not be able to ascend. Legend has it that if the Golden Coach does not reach the top of the Sainte-Waudru ramp in one go, a great misfortune will befall the city within the year. The Coach reportedly did not ascend in 1914[ref. needed] and in 1940 (in fact, the procession had been canceled)[ref. needed]. The public therefore helps. It also did not ascend in 2020 or 2021 (cancellation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic).

Saint George precedes the Golden Coach up the ramp. In reality, a single draft horse can pull all the weight, but several are used to compensate for the fatigue.

The Return of the Shrine

The following Sunday, the shrine is returned to its place above the high altar of the collegiate church. The ceremony is almost the same as the previous Saturday, but shorter and simplified.

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