St. Leonard of Noblac
Feast 11-06
Patron of
About
Leonard of Noblac was a Frankish nobleman who lived in the sixth century. According to tradition, he was a courtier of King Clovis I and was converted to Christianity by St. Remigius, the bishop who baptized the king.
Refusing the bishopric offered to him, Leonard withdrew to a forest near Limoges, where he lived as a hermit. The king granted him the right to free prisoners he encountered, and Leonard became known for obtaining the release of captives, many of whom settled around his hermitage.
He founded a monastery at Noblac, which became a major pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages. He is venerated as the patron saint of prisoners, captives, and women in labor, and his intercession was widely sought by those unjustly imprisoned.
Prayer
St. Leonard of Noblac, who won freedom for captives and broke their chains, pray for prisoners and for all unjustly held, that they may be released and restored to their families. Amen.