Paschasius Radbertus - Life

Life

St. Paschasius Radbertus was a French-born monk, and the Abbot of Corbie, a small town in present-day northern France. Nothing is known about his family, as he was orphaned very young and left on the steps of the St. Mary at Soissons convent. He was raised by the nuns there, and became very fond of them, especially of the abbess, Theodrara. Theodrara was sister of Adalard of Corbie and Wala of Corbie, two monks (and both Abbot of Corbie prior to Paschasius) whom he admired greatly. At a fairly young age, around 812, Paschasius left the convent to serve as a monk under Abbot Adalard, at Corbie. There he also met Wala, Adalard's brother and successor. Through the abbotship of both Adalard and Wala, Paschasius focused on the monastic life, spending his time studying and teaching. When Adalard died in 826, Paschasius helped ensure Wala would become Abbot in his place. Wala's death in 836 brought yet another abbot to Corbie, Ratramnus, who held opposing views to Paschasius on a number of ecclesiastical issues. Ratramnus wrote a refutation of Paschasius' treatise on the Eucharist, De Corpore et Sanguine Domini, using the same title. By 844, Paschasius himself became abbot. Within another ten years, he had resigned his title as abbot and returned to his studies. Immediately after his resignation, he left Corbie for the nearby monastery of St. Riquier, where he lived in voluntary exile for some years. The specific reasons for his resignation and exile are unknown, however it is likely that his actions were motivated by factional disputes within his monastic community; misunderstanding between himself and the younger monks was likely a factor in his decision. He did return to Corbie before his death, between the years 859 and 865.

Paschasius' body was first buried at the Church of St. John in Corbie. After numerous reported miracles, however, the Pope ordered his remains to be removed, and interred in the Church of St. Peter, Corbie.