EBBO OF SENS, ST.

Archbishop of Sens; b. Tonnerre; d. Aug. 27 c. 740–50. Having been educated at the monastery of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif (Sens), Ebbo succeeded his father as count of Tonnerre, returning to the monastery later as a monk. In 704 he was elected abbot and subsequently succeeded his uncle Goéric as archbishop of Sens (probably in 709). During an Arab raid (725 or 731) Ebbo directed a fiery counterattack. He became interested in a life of solitude, prayer, and penance, and consequently arranged a retreat for himself in the forest of Othe near Arces, about 17 miles from Sens. On Sundays he returned to Sens to celebrate Mass and to instruct the people. He was buried at Saint-Pierre-le-Vif near his sisters, who were former recluses. His relics, exhumed by Archbishop Seguin in 980, were transferred to the cathedral of Sens during the Revolution and are preserved there still. His cult remains active at Arces, site of his grotto and a spring that reputedly cures those ill with fever. Until 1850 there was a solemn procession in his honor each August 27, his feast day.

Bibliography: Sources. Acta Sanctorum Aug. 6:94–100. j. mabillon, Acta sanctorum ordinis S. Benedicti (Venice 1733–1740), 3:601–605. Gallia Christiana (Paris 1856–1865), 12:12–13. Literature. abbÉ de mangin, Histoire ecclésiastique et civile du diocèse et Langres, 3 v. (Paris 1765) v. 1. l. brullÉe, "Notice sur Saint Ebbon, archevêque de Sens, mort en 750," Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Sens 8 (1863) 16–25.

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