Most of us probably think of St. Cloud as a city in Minnesota (there is also a St. Cloud, FL). But did you ever wonder where the city got its name? Many cities around the world are named for Saints of the Catholic Church and St. Cloud is no different.
Clodoald (better known in English under the French form Cloud) was the grandson of Clovis, King of the Franks. When Clovis died in 511, his kingdom was divided between his four sons, Clodomir being the second. Thirteen years later, Clodomir was killed fighting his cousin - leaving three sons, Cloud being the youngest. When Cloud was eight, his uncles plotted to get rid of the boys and divide their kingdom. Cloud's oldest brother was killed, the second fled in terror but was caught and also killed. Cloud escaped and was taken into safety in Povence or elsewhere. The two uncles shared the fruits of their crime.
It would have been natural and expected for Cloud to try to recover his inheritance when he came of age, but he did not. He put himself under the discipline of a saintly recluse who lived near Paris. Later, he removed to his own hermitage and spent time instructing the people of the neighboring country. The place where his hermitage was located is now the town of Saint-Cloud near Versailles, France. He died there about the year 560 when he was 36 years old. His feast day is September 7.
No comments:
Post a Comment