Marculf was born in the
Saxon colony of
Bayeux around AD 500. The accounts of his life are merged with that of Saint
Helier, whom he sent to convert the inhabitants of
Jersey to Christianity. Marcouf also visited Jersey himself, where
miracles are ascribed to him. He died on May 1, 558, in the
Îles Saint-Marcouf off the east coast of the
Cotentin Peninsula. His
relics were transferred to the abbey of Corbény in
Champagne, where they played a part in the coronation ceremonies of
kings of France, crowned at
Reims, and in the tradition of the
royal touch. The traditional power ascribed to French and English kings to cure scrofula (
the king's Evil) by the laying on of hands derives from the
efficacy of the relics of Marcouf, according to the chronicle of Joan of Arc,
Chronique de la Pucelle. The north ambulatory of the
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Coutances contains the Chapel of Saint Marcouf, with a stained glass window showing scenes from the saint's life. ==See also==