The Story of St Fris

A episode that followed the Battle of Tours is about Fris, son of Radbod I, Duke of Frisians. St Fris, amidst his father's wrath, had converted to Christianity. He was Charles Martel's nephew and had taken refuge near him. After the defeat of Poitiers, the Saracens returned to Spain. Far South, in the current French department of Gers, on the way to the Spanish pass of Rioumajou, their rearguard encountered a detachment of Franks commanded by Fris. Charles Martel was meanwhile commanding another detachment to take the enemy in a grip. As they were first surpassed in Lupiac -- which would be later the birthplace of d'Artagnan -- the Saracens received the help of reinforcements who forced the Franks to retreat. Arriving near the small town of Bassoues, Fris planted his banner at the place that has since became the 'plateau de l'Etendard' (the 'Standard Plateau'). The Franks were victorious there, but Fris was fatally wounded with a arrow in his thigh. Fris' horse brought him to the edge of the Guiroue, a small river in a place called since the 'Christian Bridge' and Fris died there. His soldiers buried him in that place

It was not until 200 years after that, that Fris' sarcophagus was discovered thanks to a cow which fed itself by licking the stone only. Once opened, the sarcophagus revealed the untouched body of Fris as a spring sprang up at the moment. A chapel was first built nearby and the heavy sarcophagus could be only pulled by the cow that had made its discovery possible. Since the exact name of the warrior was not known by the peasants, he was given the name 'Frix' or 'Fris,' which recalled the Frisian people. Then a basilica was built for Fris in Bassoues self. The statue-reliquaire of St Fris is still seen there. Miracles and healings continued to occur at the place and the worship of St Fris is still widespread in France's Southwest. St Fris is celebrated each January 16, the anniversary of the miraculous discovery of his sarcophagus. The factual history of Fris generally, recalls that of Duke Eudes of Aquitaine who was wounded -but not killed - against the Saracens at the Battle of Toulouse in June 721 at the 'Plateau des Martyrs'; it could be thus that the battle waged by St Fris was indeed against the Saracens' vanguard, as they were heading to Bordeaux once defeated in Toulouse by the Duke of Aquitaine. St Fris, nowadays, serves the policy of the French far-rightist National Front party