E02269: Gregory of Tours, in his Histories (8.10), records the burial in 585 of the Frankish princes Merovech and Clovis in the church of *Vincent (deacon and martyr of Saragossa and Valencia, S00290) in Paris. Written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 585/594.

Gregory of Tours, Histories (Historiae) 8.10

Denique cum interitum Merovechi adque Chlodovechi saepius lamentaret nesciretque, ubi eos postquam interficerant proiecissent, venit ad regem homo, qui diceret: Si mihi contrarium in posterum non habetur, indicabo, in quo loco Chlodovechi cadaver sit positum'. Iuravit rex, nihil ei molestum fieri, sed potius muneribus ampliari. Tunc ille: 'Veritatem', inquid, 'me loqui, o rex, ipsa ratio quae acta est conprobabit. Nam quando Chlodovechus interfectus est ac sub stillicidio oraturii cuiusdam sepultus, metuens regina, ne aliquando inventus cum honore sepeliretur, iussit eum in alveum Matronae fluminis proici. Tunc intra lapsum, quod opere meo ad capiendorum piscium necessitatem praeparaveram, repperi. Sed cum ignorarem, quisnam esset, a caesariae prolixa cognovi Chlodovechum esse, adpraehensumque in humeris ad litus detuli ibique eum cespite superposito tumulavi. Ecce, salvatis artubus, quod volueris effice!' Quod cum rex conperisset, confingens se ad venationem procedere, detectoque tumulo, repperit corpusculum integrum et inlaesum. Una tantum pars capillorum, quae subter fuerat, iam defluxerat, alia vero cum ipsis crinium flagellis intacta durabat. Cognitumque est, hunc esse, quem rex intento animo requirebat. Convocato igitur episcopo civitatis, cum clero et populo ac cereorum innumerabilium ornato ad basilicam sancti Vincenti detulit tumulandum, non minus plangens nepotes mortuos, quam cum vidit filios proprios iam sepultus. Post haec misit Pappolum Carnotenae urbis episcopum, qui Merovechi cadaver requirens, iuxta Chlodovechi tumulum sepelivit.

'The King still grieved for the death of Merovech and Clovis, bewailing the fact that he did not know where their
bodies had been thrown after they were slain. One day a man came to him and said: ‘If I can be sure that it will not be held against me in the future, I will show you where the body of Clovis lies.’ The King swore that no harm should come to the man, but that on the contrary he should be richly rewarded. 'My lord King, the events as they occurred will vouch for the truth of what I say,’ he answered. ‘When Clovis was killed, he was buried beneath the eaves of a certain oratory. The Queen was afraid that the body might one day be discovered and receive honourable burial. She therefore ordered it to be thrown into the bed of the River Marne. I had constructed a trap there for catching fish, and in it I found the corpse. At first I was not sure who it was, but when I saw the long hair I knew that it was Clovis. I put the body on my shoulders and carried it to the bank, and there I buried it under a heap of turves. The limbs had not been harmed. It is now for you to do with the corpse what you will.' As soon as the King heard all this, he set out as if on a hunting expedition. He located the grave and uncovered the body, which was intact and unharmed. Part of the hair, which was underneath the head, had disintegrated, but the rest of the corpse, with its long flowing locks, remained untouched. It was obvious enough that this was the man whom King Guntram had sought so intently. He summoned the bishop of the city and had the body carried to Saint Vincent's church and buried there, with a cortege of clergy and people, and with so many candies that it was not possible to count them. He wept for his dead nephews as bitterly as when he had seen his own sons buried. Later on he sent Pappolus, Bishop of Chartres, to ask for Merovech’s body, and this he had buried next to the grave of Clovis.'

Text: Krusch and Levison 1951, 376-377. Translation: Thorpe 1974, 440-441.