St. Mello, or Melanius, Bishop of Rouen, Confessor

HE is said to have been a native of Great Britain; his zeal for the faith engaged him in the sacred ministry, and God having blessed his labours with wonderful success, he was consecrated first bishop of Rouen, in Normandy, 1 which see he is said to have held forty years. In the primitive ages, the surprising light of the gospel breaking in at once upon minds before clouded with darkness, men were startled at such great and infinitely important truths, and at the wondrous works and dispensations of the divine mercy, and the incomprehensible mysteries of love: their hearts were filled with a contempt and loathing of earthly things, totally disentangled from the world, and perfectly replenished with the spirit of their holy faith, of which, in our dregs of time, so little marks appear in the lives of Christians. Hence those primitive ages produced so many saints. St. Mello died in peace about the beginning of the fourth age; for Avitian, his immediate successor, assisted at the council of Arles in 314. The relics of St. Mello were removed to Pontoise, for fear of the Normans, in 880; and remain there in a collegiate church, of which he is titular saint or patron. See F. Pommeraye, Hist. des Archev. de Rouen, p. 44; Usher, Antiqu. Britan. Gallia Christ. Nov. Trigan, &c.

Note 1. St. Nicasius, or Nicaise, or Nigaise, M. has been thought by some to have preceded St. Mello in the see of Rouen, but he seems not to have penetrated beyond the river Epte in the province called French Vexin, where he suffered martyrdom with St. Quirinus, (or Cerin,) St. Scubiculus, and a woman called St. Pientia. He was a holy priest who preached the faith in Gaul about the time of the martyrdom of St. Dionysius of Paris. See P. Pommeraye, a Benedictin monk, Histoire des Archev. de Rouen. This saint’s name is usually written Nigaise that he may not be confounded with Nicaise of Rheims. [back]

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