1909 Catholic Dictionary
Confessor, apostle of Flanders, born Nantes, France, 594; died monastery of Elnon (now Saint Amand), 684. Clotaire II sent him to Flanders; his monasteries at Ghent and Mount Blandin were the first in Belgium. For a while bishop of Maastricht, he later labored in the Basque country (Navarre), returned to Belgium, and founded several other monasteries. Patron of inn-keepers, wine-merchants, brewers, and Boy Scouts. Emblems: church, chair, flag. Relics at Saint Amand. Feast, 6 February.