LEONARDO, saint. — Abbot of Noblac. He probably lived in the 6th century; but nothing precise can be established about his life, since the earliest information dates only from the first half of the 11th century and is interwoven with fanciful legends.
According to the account of his first biographer (BHL, 4862-62a), he was born into a most noble Frankish family in the time of Clodoveo I and had s. Remigio (437-553), bishop of Reims, as his godfather at baptism and educator. After obtaining from the king the release of many condemned persons and refusing the episcopate offered him by the same sovereign, he withdrew to the monastery of Micy, near Orléans, under Abbot Massimino. Soon afterwards, however, he made his way toward Aquitaine, preaching the Gospel and working miracles. When, through his intercession, the queen was delivered from the pains and danger of a difficult childbirth, L. obtained from the king an estate at Noblac, near Limoges, where he founded a monastery that subsequently became the destination of extraordinary pilgrimages.
The date of his death is unknown. From the 11th century onward, the fame of this saint and of his remarkable prodigies spread ever more widely, so that churches dedicated to his name arose everywhere, not only in France but also in Belgium, England, Italy, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Spain. His feast falls on 6 November.