Yvo in Amorica (Ivo Hélory/Yves Hélory de Kermartin/Yves Le Maître, d. 1303)

Yvo in Amorica (Ivo Hélory/Yves Hélory de Kermartin/Yves Le Maître, d. 1303) OFS? French religious from the noble Kermartin family known for his asceticism and solidarity with the poor. Born sometime around 1250. He spent his youth in the Trégor region and in the 1260s he departed for Paris for study. Following a magisterium in the artes faculty at the age of 20, he went onward with studies in canon law in Paris and Orléans. Between 1274 and 1277, he was back in Paris for studies in theology. In 1280, he returned to Brittany, to Rennes, where he worked for the Archdeacon, and where he participated in Sentences Lectures in the local Franciscan friary. The experiences there would have been instrumental in his choice for a more ascetical and modest lifestyle, and according to some traditions, he would have become a Franciscan lay penitent. In later years, he worked for the Bishop of Tréguier, Alain de Bruc, and once he inherited his familial estate, he began to invite poor people to his table at home, and also took in two orphans (Derrien Guiomar, who later became a dominicain, and Olivier Floc'h). In 1284, Yves was ordained priest by Bishop Alain de Bruc, and parish priest of the Trédrez parish. Later, in 1292, the new Bishop sent him to the parisj of Louannec. A year later, Yves effectuated the construction of a hospice for indigent poor (Crech-Martin). In this period, Yves also became known as a preacher, traveling by foot through the dioceses of Tréguir and Saint-Brieux. He also wore a penitential-style habit and allegedly (according to later canonization investigations), he wore under his clothing a hair cloth. He lived a more and more ascetical lifestyle, fasting three days a week, sleeping on the floor. At the same time, he kept inviting every day poor people to eat with him. He also would donate clothing to poor people he encountered along the way. In 1298, Yves abandoned his parochial duties to devote himself fully to contemplation, and he died on 19 May 1303 in the family manor of Kermartin. Following his death and the translation of his body to Saint-Tugdual's Cathedral in Tréguier, canonization efforts were initiated by Duke Jean III of Brittany. The enquiry was started officially with a papal bull, issued by John XXII on 26 February 1330. This inquest was concluded by the act of canonization issued by Pope Clement VI on 19 May 1347, with as feast day May 19. Yves status as a lay Franciscan tertiary is contested.

Works

• Summa decretalium : MS olim Bibl. Abbaye cistercienne de Cambron ?

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Literature