zeal and eloquence in its defence, he was
ordained Prince and Bishop of Geneva by
Pope Clement the Eighth; for the popes
assumed the right to confer these titles,
long after the reformed religion had been
established at Geneva*; Annecy being made
the bishop’s seat when the Genevese expelled
the chapter from their city. St. Francis
de Sales died at Lyons in 1622, and was
buried at Annecy. His canonization took
place in 1665; but before that event, his
remains were so highly valued by the inhabitants,
that when this city was taken by
the French in 1630, one of the six articles
of capitulation stipulated, “ that the body of
the venerable Francis de Sales should never
be removed from the city.” In the year
1806, his bones were translated with great
solemnity from the church where they were
first deposited, to a chapel in the cathedral,
and are much resorted to by devotees.
Never having seen the genuine relics of a
* At present the archbishop of Chambery stiles himself
also bishop of Geneva in his proclamations. The
bishops of Geneva, before the reformation, had sovereign
power, and were princes of the empire ; their temporal
power was, however, shared with the counts of Geneva,
which was the source of constant disputes that finally
terminated in the independence of the citizens.
saint, we made application at the cathedral
to be admitted to the beatific vision. The
service was just over, and we were ushered
into an apartment where the holy things
belonging to the priesthood are deposited.
Here one of the priests was upon his knees
performing his secret devotions. When he
rose and was informed what we were come
for, he immediately put on a peculiar dress,
and taking a lighted taper walked before us
to the shrine. On entering the chapel, he
crossed himself, and made two profound reverences
; he then advanced, and lighting
two tapers, undrew a curtain which screened
the body from vulgar gaze; he again
repeated his genuflections and crossings,
and withdrew, leaving us to gratify our
curiosity undisturbed. While this ceremony
was going on, we endeavoured to
preserve a becoming gravity, for it would
have been both ungenerous and ciTiel
to have wounded the feelings of our
reverend conductor, particularly as he
seemed somewhat ashamed of having to
perform such a ceremony before English
heretics. The glass case that held the
relics was the full length of the saint, but
all that we could see, on a close inspection.