Editing Hubert of Liège

{{Short description|Christian saint, first bishop of Liège (c.656-727)}}
{{hatnote|See also [[Saint-Hubert (disambiguation)]] and [[Hubertus (disambiguation)]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix = Saint 
|name = Hubert of Liège
|birth_date = {{circa|lk=no}} 656–658
|death_date = {{death date|df=yes|727|5|30}}
|feast_day = 3 November
|venerated_in = [[Roman Catholic Church]]<br>[[Anglican Church]]<br>[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
|image = St.Hubert Ottawa St.Patrick RC Basilica.jpg
|imagesize = 230px
|caption = Saint Hubert ([[Franz Mayer & Co.]], St. Patrick's Basilica, Ottawa, Canada)
|birth_place = [[Toulouse]], [[Kingdom of the Franks]]
|death_place = [[Voeren]]/Fourons near [[Liège]], Kingdom of the Franks
|titles = "Apostle of the [[Ardennes]]"
|beatified_date =
|beatified_place =
|attributes = gear nearby; knight with a banner showing the stag's head and crucifix; stag; stag with a crucifix over its head; young courtier with two hounds
|patronage = [[patron saint]] of hunters, archers, dogs, forest workers, trappers, [[mathematicians]], opticians and metalworkers
|major_shrin Austin Duchschere =
|suppressed_date =
|issues =
|prayer =
|prayer_attrib =
}}

'''Hubert of Liège''' ([[Latinisation of names|Latinized]]: ''Hubertus'') ({{circa}} 656 – 30 May 727 <small>A.D.</small>) was a Christian [[saint]] who became the first bishop of [[Liège]] in 708 <small>A.D.</small><ref>{{cite book |title=The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia |last=Crystal |first=David |authorlink= David Crystal |year=1994 |publisher= [[Cambridge University Press]] |location= [[Cambridge]] |isbn=0521434211 |page=[https://archive.org/details/cambridgebiograp00crys/page/471 471] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgebiograp00crys/page/471 }} Encyclopedia entry labeled "Hubert, St".</ref> He is a [[patron saint]] of hunters, mathematicians, opticians and metalworkers. Known as the "Apostle of the [[Ardennes]]", he was called upon, until the early 20th century, to cure [[rabies]] through the use of the traditional [[Saint Hubert's Key]].<ref>{{cite web |title= St Hubert's Key, Belgium, 1880-1920 |access-date= February 21, 2011 |website= [[Science Museum, London]] |url= https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/objects/display.aspx?id=4596|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110221171328/https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/objects/display.aspx?id=4596 |archive-date= 21 February 2011 }}</ref>

Hubert was widely venerated during the [[Middle Ages]].The iconography of his legend is entangled with the legend of the martyr [[Saint Eustace]]. The [[Bollandists]] published seven early lives of Hubert (''[[Acta Sanctorum]]'', November 3, 759 – 930 <small>A.D.</small>); the first of these was the work of a contemporary, although it offers few details.

Hubert died 30 May 727 <small>A.D.</small> in or near a place called (in Latin) ''Fura''. In the later Middle Ages, this location was claimed to have been identified as [[Tervuren]] near [[Brussels]]; recent scholarship, however, considers [[Voeren]] (Fourons), a location much closer to Liège than Brussels, to be the saint's likelier resting place.<ref>R. de la Haye, "Lambertus, laatste bisschop van Maastricht; Hubertus, eerste bisschop van Luik: Hun eigentijdse levensbeschrijvingen", ''Publications de la Société Historique et Archéologique dans le Limbourg'' (PSHAL) 143 (2007), 9–66.</ref> His [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] is 3 November.

==Etymology of "Hubert"==
{{wiktionary|Hubert}}
Hubert of Liège was a [[Franks|Frank]]; the Franks were originally a [[Germanic peoples|Germanic people]].
'''Hubert''' is a [[Germanic name|Germanic]] masculine given name, from ''[[Hugh|hug]]'' "mind" and ''[[Bert (name)|beraht]]'' "bright".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbgfamilienamen.nl/nfb/detail_naam.php?gba_naam=Hubert&nfd_naam=Hubert&info=analyse+en+verklaring&operator=eq&taal= |title=Hubert |language= Dutch |work= [[Meertens Institute]] database of surnames in the [[Netherlands]] |access-date= 18 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Prénom Hubert |language= French |website= Prenoms.Famili.fr |access-date= 12 September 2020 |url= http://prenoms.famili.fr/,hubert,2277,13156.asp}}</ref>

"Hubertus" is a [[Latinisation of names|Latinized]] form of "Hubert". Other forms of the name include Hugubert, Hughbert, [[Hugo (name)|Hugo]], Hubrecht, Hugubrecht, Hudson, and [[Hugh]].

==Early life==
Hubert was born about the year 656, the eldest son of a Frankish duke.<ref name=Brown/> At the age of 10 he nearly died from a fever. As a youth, Hubert was sent to the [[Neustria]]n court of [[Theuderic III]] ({{reign | 673 | 691}}) at Paris, where his charm and agreeable address led to his investment with the dignity of [[Count palatine| "count of the palace"]]. Like many nobles of the time, Hubert was a hunting enthusiast.

About this time (682), Hubert married Floribanne, daughter of Dagobert, [[Counts of Louvain | Count of Leuven]].<ref name=Brown/> (Their son [[Floribert of Liège]] later would succeed his father as Bishop of [[Liège]] - in office: 727 to {{circa | 737}}; bishoprics were all but accounted as fiefs heritable in the great families of the [[Merovingian dynasty | Merovingian kingdoms]].) Hubert moved to the [[Austrasian]] court where he was warmly welcomed by [[Pepin of Herstal]], Mayor of the palace, who entitled him almost immediately Grand Master of the household.

==Spiritual conversion==
[[File:Wilhelm Räuber Hubertus.jpg|thumb|300px|"The Conversion of Holy Hubertus", Wilhelm Räuber (1849–1926)]]
Hubert's wife died giving birth to their son Floribert, and his grief prompted him to retreat from the court. He withdrew into the forests of the Ardennes and gave himself up entirely to hunting.<ref name=cds>[https://www.countydeerstalking.co.uk/blog/how-did-saint-hubertus-become-the-patron-saint-of-hunters "How did Saint Hubertus Become the Patron Saint of Hunters?", County Deer Stalking, January 15, 2019]</ref>

Legend holds that on a Good Friday morning, while the faithful were in church, Hubert was hunting in the forest. As he pursued a magnificent stag or [[hart (deer)|hart]], the animal turned and Hubert was astounded to see a crucifix floating between its antlers. He heard a voice saying: "Hubert unless thou turnest to the Lord and leadest a holy life, thou shalt quickly go down into Hell." Hubert dismounted and prostrated himself, and after asking "Lord, what wouldst Thou have me do?" is told, "Go and seek [[Lambert of Maastricht|Lambert]], and he will instruct you."<ref name=cds/>

The story of the stag first appears in one of the later legendary [[hagiography|hagiographies]] (''Bibliotheca hagiographic Latina'', nos. 3994–4002) and has been appropriated from the legend of [[Saint Eustace]] a.k.a. Placidus (Placidus was Eustace's name before he was baptized).<ref>{{cite web |title= Saint Eustace |website= Treasures of Heaven |publisher= [[Columbia University]] |access-date= September 25, 2024 |url= https://projects.mcah.columbia.edu/treasuresofheaven/saints/Eustace.php |quote= According to legend, the Roman general Placidus was out hunting a stag when an image of Jesus on the cross appeared between the animal's antlers, inspiring him to convert to Christianity and adopt the name Eustace.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Hubert, St |volume= 13 |last= Delehaye |first= Hippolyte |author-link= Hippolyte Delehaye | page = 846 |short= 1 }}</ref> The stag story was only attributed to Saint Hubert in the 15th century.

==Religious career==
[[File:St Hubert of Liège is consecrated bishop by Pope Sergius.jpg|thumb|left|Hubert being consecrated Bishop by [[Pope Sergius&nbsp;I]].]]

Hubert set out immediately for [[Maastricht]], to meet Lambert, a bishop who received him kindly and became his spiritual director. Hubert renounced all his very considerable honors and gave up his birthright to the [[Aquitaine]] to his younger brother, [[Odo of Aquitaine|Odo]], whom he made guardian of his infant son, Floribert. Having distributed all his personal wealth among the poor, Lambert sent him to the Ardennes to live amongst the people and the forest creatures. Hubert studied for the priesthood, was ordained, and soon afterward became one of Lambert's chief associates in the administration of his diocese. At the request of Lambert, Hubert made a [[pilgrimage]] to Rome in 708 in Lambert's name, but during his absence, Lambert was assassinated in Liège by the followers of Pepin. According to the hagiographies of Hubert, this act was simultaneously revealed to the pope in a vision, together with an injunction to appoint Hubert [[bishop of Maastricht]].<ref>Guérin, Paul. ''Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints'',  Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882, Vol. 13</ref>

Hubert distributed his episcopal revenues among the poor, was diligent in fasting and prayer, and became well known for his eloquence in the pulpit. In 720, in obedience to a vision, Hubert [[translation (relics)|translated]] St. Lambert's remains from Maastricht to Liège with great pomp and ceremony, with several neighboring bishops assisting. A basilica for the relics was built upon the site of Lambert's [[martyr|martyrdom]], and was consecrated as a [[Saint Lambert's Cathedral, Liège|cathedral]] the following year, the [[episcopal see|see]] being removed from Maastricht to Liège, then only a small village. This laid the foundation of the future greatness of Liège, of which Lambert is honored as patron, and Hubert as founder and first bishop.

Hubert actively evangelized among pagans in the extensive [[Ardennes]] forests<ref>{{cite book |chapter= Hubert of Liege (St) |editor-last= Watkins |editor-first= Basil |title= The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary |edition= 8th |year= 2016 |orig-date= 1921 |publisher= [[Bloomsbury Publishing]] |page= 318 |isbn= 978-0-56766-414-3 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=OjuOCgAAQBAJ&q=editions:ZYq9Eh9oXoUC |quote= the Ardennes ... was a remaining stronghold of paganism.}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=OjuOCgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:ZYq9Eh9oXoUC&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiW0LGDityIAxVKGTQIHRfDCZ8QuwV6BAgMEAc#v=onepage&q&f=false Preview]</ref> and in [[Toxandria]], a district stretching from near [[Tongeren]] to the confluence of the rivers [[Waal (river)|Waal]] and the [[Rhine]]. He gained the trust (and the faith) of its people through the outdoorsman skills he acquired in his hunting life. He became a sought authority whenever matters of the forest came up.<ref>[https://www.iosh-usa.com/about-us/history-of-st-hubertus "History of St Hubertus", international order of Saint Hubertus]</ref>
[[File:Rogier van der Weyden and workshop - Exhumation of St Hubert NG 783.jpg|thumb|''The exhumation of Saint Hubert in the church of Saint Peter at [[Liège]]'', by [[Rogier van der Weyden]], c. 1437.]]

== Death ==
Hubert died peacefully in a place called ''Fura'', located 30 miles from Liège, 30 May 727 or 728. Initially he was buried in the collegiate [[St Peter's Church, Liège]], but his bones were transported to the Benedictine [[Abbey of Saint-Hubert|Abbey of Amdain]] in the Ardennes in 825. The abbey became a locus for pilgrimages, until Hubert's coffin disappeared during the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]]. His feast day is 3 November, probably the date of the translation of his relics to Amdain.

==Veneration==
Hubert was widely venerated in the [[Middle Ages]] and partly because of his noble birth, several military orders were named after him: the [[Bavaria]]n,<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07508b.htm Rudge, F.M. "Military Orders of St. Hubert." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 13 Aug. 2014]</ref> the [[Bohemia]]n [[International Order of St. Hubertus]] and that of the [[Archbishop of Cologne|Archbishop-Elector of Cologne]].

Hubert, along with [[Quirinus of Neuss]], [[Cornelius the Centurion|Cornelius]] and [[Anthony the Great|Anthony]], was venerated as one of the [[Four Holy Marshals]] (''Vier Marschälle Gottes'') in the [[Rhineland]].<ref>[http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienQ/Quirinus_von_Rom_von_Neuss.htm Quirinus von Rom (von Neuss) – Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon] (in German)</ref><ref>[http://www.soetele.de/links/quellen/kalvarien/muhresoat/marschaelle/marschaelle.html Der Raub der vier heiligen Marschälle] (in German)</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ahrdorf.de/html/body_die_kapelle.html |title= Die Kapelle von Ahrdorf - eine Geschichte von mehr als tausend Jahren |access-date=28 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211092415/http://www.ahrdorf.de/html/body_die_kapelle.html |archive-date=11 February 2012 |url-status=dead }} (in German)</ref> The ''St. Hubertus Orden'' ([[Order of Saint Hubert]]), a [[chivalric order]], was founded in 1444 by Gerhard V of [[Duchy of Jülich|Jülich and Berg]].<ref>[http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/ordhist.htm History of Orders of Chivalry<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In the [[Anglican Communion]], at least two [[church (building)|churches]] have been dedicated to Saint Hubert within the [[Church of England]].<ref name="Farmer2004">{{cite book|last=Farmer|first=David Hugh|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Saints|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cRjn9aC8zhIC&pg=PT414|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780198609490|page=414|quote=Two churches were dedicated to him in England and the Sarum calendar eventually included his feast.}}</ref>

===Patronage===
St. Hubert of Liège is a patron saint of archers; dogs; forest workers; trappers; hunting and huntsmen;<ref name=Brown>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07507a.htm Brown, C.F. Wemyss. "St. Hubert." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 12 Aug. 2014]</ref> opticians; mathematicians;<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://catholicsaints.info/saint-hubert-of-liege/|title=Saint Hubert of Liege|date=2009-01-03|work=CatholicSaints.Info|access-date=2018-01-18|language=en-US}}</ref> metal workers; smelters and the city of Liège.

St. Hubert has been described as the patron saint of hunters and is honored by sportsmen as the originator of ethical hunting behavior. However, he [[renunciation|renounced]] hunting after having his vision of encountering the stag, as it was believed that God had seen his hunting life as an [[profane (religion)|unholy]], [[sacrilege|sacrilegious]] one which would lead him to [[Hell in Christianity|Hell]]. When Hubert became a priest, clergy were subsequently forbidden to hunt and if they did, would be required to do [[penance]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Jones |first= Deborah M. |title= The School of Compassion |year= 2009 |publisher= Gracewing |location= [[Leominster]], [[Herefordshire]], [[England]] |isbn= 9780852447314 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VszMPwAACAAJ}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Hubert is honored among sport hunters as the originator of ethical hunting behavior. In some versions of the story, the stag is said to have lectured Hubert to hold animals in higher regard and have compassion for them as God's creatures with value in their own right. For example, the hunter ought to only shoot when a clean, quick, and therefore humane kill is assured. He ought to shoot only old stags which are past their prime breeding years and forego a much-anticipated shot on a trophy to instead euthanize a sick or injured animal that might appear on the scene. Further, one ought never to shoot a female with young in tow, to assure the young deer have a mother to guide them to food during the winter.<ref name=cds/> Such is the legacy of Hubert, which is still taught today and who is held in high regard in the extensive, rigorous German and Austrian hunter education courses.

His legacy is also followed by the French ''[[hunting with hounds|chasse à courre]]'' (hunting with hounds) masters, huntsmen, and followers who hunt deer, boar, and roe on horseback and are the last direct heirs of Hubert in Europe. ''Chasse à courre'' is currently enjoying a revival in France.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} These hunters apply a specific set of ethics, rituals, rules, and tactics that date from the early Middle Ages. Hubert is venerated every year by the hunts in formal ceremonies.

In Belgium, the feast day of St Hubert ([[:fr:F%C3%AAte de la Saint-Hubert|Fête de la Saint-Hubert]], in French) is marked by blessings of horses, dogs, and other animals,<ref>{{cite news |agency= [[Belga (news agency)]] |title= Hundreds of animals blessed for Saint-Hubert at Saint-Aubain cathedral in Namur |language= English |date= 25 October 2015 |access-date= 30 September 2024 |newspaper= [[The Brussels Times]] |url= https://www.brusselstimes.com/35250/hundreds-of-animals-blessed-for-saint-hubert-at-saint-aubain-cathedral-in-namur |quote= God created the Earth, the animals, the sky, the sea. He saved the animals from the flood at the same time as Noah and his family.}} Blessing performed at [[St Aubin's Cathedral]], [[Namur]], [[Belgium]].</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Saint Hubert festivities |access-date= 30 September 2024 |website= Visit Wallonia |url= https://visitwallonia.com/en-gb/content/saint-hubert-festivities}} Saint Hubert blessing of the animals takes place every year on November 3rd.</ref> not necessarily those involved with hunts.

The St. Hubert Club of Great Britain is dedicated to responsible deer management.<ref>[https://www.sainthubertclub.org.uk/ The St. Hubert Club of Great Britain]</ref>

The St. Hubertus Club Chicago is a German cultural organization that promotes German heritage and hunting in the German tradition.<ref>[https://www.sthubertuschicago.org/ St. Hubertus Club Chicago]</ref>

The [[Svätý Anton manor house]], which houses a Forestry, Wood and Hunting Museum, hosts a festival, St. Hubertus Days each September in [[Svätý Anton]], [[Slovakia]].<ref>[https://slovakia.travel/en/saint-hubertus-days "St. Hubertus Days", Ministry of Transport of the Slovak Republic]</ref>

Other institutions named after St. Hubert include [https://school.sthubert.org St. Hubert Catholic School] ([[Chanhassen, Minnesota]]), [https://sthubertschool.org St. Hubert Catholic School] ([[Hoffman Estates, Illinois]]), [https://www.huberts.org St Hubert Catholic High School For Girls] ([[Philadelphia]]), [https://sthubert.cssd.ab.ca St. Hubert School], ([[Calgary, Alberta, Canada]]), [https://sainthubertflyingcollege.com Saint-Hubert Flying College] ([[Saint-Hubert, Quebec]]), [https://www.yelp.com/biz/auderghem-collège-st-hubert-auderghem-2 Collège St-Hubert] ([[Auderghem]], [[Belgium]]), [https://www.st-huberts.sandwell.sch.uk Our Lady & St. Hubert's Catholic Primary School] ([[Dudley]], [[England]]).

Catholic Concern for Animals confers awards annually to honor exceptional individuals who have made outstanding contributions towards advancing animal welfare and status in human society. In particular, their "St Hubert Award" recognizes persons who have given up activities that exploit animals to become examples of compassionate living.<ref>{{cite web |title= St Francis and St Hubert Awards |year= 2021 |access-date= September 12, 2024 |website= Catholic Concern for Animals |url= https://catholic-animals.com/st-francis-and-st-hubert-awards/ |quote= The St Hubert Award recognises those who, like St Hubert, transform their lives to help animals.}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Hollola.vaakuna.svg|Saint Hubertus Deer, the coat of arms of the municipality of [[Hollola]], [[Finland]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Coat of Arms - Hollola, Finland |access-date= September 11, 2024 |website= Waymarking.com |url= https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMFDXZ_Coat_of_Arms_Hollola_Finland |quote= Hollola coat of arms on a red background is a golden moose. Below the moose head is a rye stook. Above moose head is one of the silver cross nails and both sides of the rye stook is a two silver cross nail.}} (Thus, the animal depicted is a moose, not a deer. Compare with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mäntsälä.vaakuna.svg)</ref>
File:La Visión de San Huberto por Jan Brueghel el Viejo con Rubens.jpg|''The Vision of Saint Hubert'' (c. 1617) by [[Jan Brueghel the Elder|J. Brueghel]] and [[Peter Paul Rubens|P. P. Rubens]], [[Museo del Prado|Prado museum, Madrid]].
File:Hubertus-liege.jpg|A print in the style of an [[illuminated manuscript]] showing Hubert of Liège with the stag.
File:Belgique - Basilique de Saint-Hubert - 02.jpg|Cenotaph of Hubertus in the basilica of [[Saint-Hubert, Belgium|Saint-Hubert]] (1847)
File:St.Hubert, NL, kerk in het russisch orthodox klooster St.Elias.JPG|[[Russian Orthodox]] church and monastery, interior in [[Sint Hubert]], Netherlands
File:St Hubert window.JPG|Stained glass window in St. Ethelbert's Church, [[Herringswell]], [[Suffolk]], [[England]]. Depicts St Hubert and the deer.
File:Grad Bistra statue.jpg|A [[zinc]] statue of Saint Hubert and a deer outside [[Bistra Castle]] in [[Slovenia]]
File:Linteau_de_la_chapelle_St_Hubert.JPG|Depiction of the miracle of the stag in the Chapel of Saint Hubert at [[Château d'Amboise]], France.
File:Rellstal-Kapelle-Interior-Glasscheibe-H03a.jpg|Glass window with St. Hubert from [[Vorarlberg]], Austria.
File:3 × Jägermeister (ubt).JPG|St. Hubert's stag is the logo of [[Jägermeister]] ("Master Hunter") liqueur.
File:Coat_of_arms_of_Hrodna.svg|Saint Hubert's Deer, the coat of arms of the city of [[Grodno]], [[Belarus]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Saints}}
* [[Chronological list of saints in the 8th century]]
* [[Jägermeister]]
* [[Saint Eustace]]
* [[Bloodhound|St. Hubert's hound]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Saint Hubertus}}
* [https://orthodoxwiki.org/Hubert_of_Liège Hubert of Liège] article in OrthodoxWiki
* [[:fr:Hubert de Liège|Hubert de Liège]] (French Wikipedia)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070108182146/http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/CollectionPublisher.woa/wa/work?workNumber=NG252 Painting from the National Gallery, London] The Conversion of Saint Hubert

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubertus, Saint}}
[[Category:650s births]]
[[Category:727 deaths]]
[[Category:8th-century Frankish bishops]]
[[Category:8th-century Frankish saints]]
[[Category:Bishops of Liège]]
[[Category:Saint-Hubert, Belgium]]
[[Category:Medieval Belgian saints]]
[[Category:Animals in Christianity]]
[[Category:Belgian Roman Catholic saints]]