During the Middle Ages, at ecclesiastical institutions throughout western Christendom, the choice of a patron saint was a fundamental expression of the identity of the community. Clerics often created their own, local rites that incorporated the hagiography of their patron saints to obtain the protection of these holy men and women. Moreover, they frequently modified and adapted the sacred biography of their patron to better reflect the needs of their community. On one hand, the choice of St.
Stephen as titular saint—a saint celebrated throughout western Christendom—gave the cathedral clerics a prestigious patron who would be immediately recognized by those within Toulouse and from outside the city.
In addition, they composed new plainchant that told the familiar story in different ways. Stephen was noteworthy not only because he was the first martyr after Christ but also because he was one of the few saints to appear in the bible. According to the biblical narrative, the Christians in Jerusalem chose Stephen as one of seven deacons to assist the apostles in administering the Christian community.
The text reports that he so enraged the council of Jewish high priests that they threw him out of Jerusalem, and the crowd stoned him to death. The perception of Stephen as a vigorous defender of the Christian faith as well as a martyr made him an especially attractive model for the cathedral clergy. The mass commemorating St. This feast was celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas. Indeed, some of the chants were sung throughout western Christendom. Others were distinctive to Aquitaine.
Thus, they used both familiar and new elements to express their devotion to Stephen, creating a liturgy that reminded the assembled faithful of the broad appeal of their patron saint while placing their devotion into the context of their own community. The importance of St. The Alleluia is an elaborate chant sung before the reading of a passage from one of the gospels during the mass; most Sundays and feast days include just one Alleluia.
