Marcoul (Marculf) (d. c.558), abbot. Born at Bayeux of a wealthy family, Marcoul became a priest at Coutances and preached the gospel in its neighbourhood. But he longed for a more solitary life, became a hermit on an unidentified island, and later founded a monastery at Nanteuil. From this came several famous disciples, including Helier, who also lived as an island hermit.
Marcoul was invoked against skin diseases; the kings of France used to venerate his relics at Corbeny immediately after their coronation at Reims. It was popularly believed that through him came the royal power to ‘touch for the king's evil’. His shrine survived until the French Revolution. Feast: 1 May (2 May at Malmesbury).
Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.
- AA.SS. Maii I (1680), 70–82
- B.L.S., v. 4
