Clair du Dauphiné

St. Clair was born around 590 in the village of Beauchamp He was raised first by his widowed mother and then by the monks of Saint-Ferréol when his mother decided to retire to the cloistered convent of Sainte-Blandine. St. Clair decided to enter the monastery of Saint-Ferréol-Trente-Pas, one of the most important monasteries of the time (it had four hundred monks at that time), to dedicate himself to God. He was considered outstanding, so much so that Bishop Caldéolde decided to appoint him abbot of the Saint-Marcel monastery (which had thirty monks at the time) and chaplain of the Saint-Blandine monastery (where his mother had retired). According to Christian tradition, he was noted for his prophetic gifts and miraculous healing abilities. He died around 660 and was buried in the church of Sainte-Blandine, next to the martyrs of Lyon. Most of his relics were destroyed during the French Wars of Religion (1562–1598). == Devotion and patronage ==

Saint Clair is the patron saint of woodworkers, glassmakers, and spectacle makers. He is invoked as a healing saint for the eyes, His relics were kept and venerated mainly in Lyon, but also in the Savoyard parishes of Dingy-Saint-Clair, Cons-Sainte-Colombe, Aix-les-Bains, Saint-Simon, until their destruction during the French Wars of Religion. where a relic of Saint Clair was kept, a pilgrimage for eye diseases was held until the destruction of the priory (partly during the French Revolution when the buildings were confiscated and sold as national property and burned). The Catholic Church celebrates Saint Clair on 1 January. Locally, he is celebrated in Geneva and Savoy celebrates him on 3 January. == References ==