been sheltered from rain by an eagle which hovered over him. This is how he was most commonly depicted, and is why he is associated with weather, good or bad, and why he is held to protect those who work in the open air. The weather legend concerning St Medardus is similar to Saint Swithun in England. The French rhyme is: Quand il pleut à la Saint-Médard, il pleut quarante jours plus tard (If it rains on St Medardus' Day, it rains for forty days more). Every year at Salency (Medardus' birthplace) near Noyon, France (and certain other villages) "the most virtuous young girl of the year" of the commune is elected the Rosière. The custom is said to have been started by St Médard himself, and the first Rosière is said to have been his sister, Sainte Médrine. Clothed in a long white dress, the Rosière is escorted to Mass by 12 young girls dressed in white and 12 young boys. After vespers, accompanied by two godmothers, she is crowned with a crown of 12 roses, decorated with a blue ribbon and a silver ring, at the chapel of St Médard. Then she goes to receive a bouquet of roses from the mayor, who also presents her with two arrows, two tennis balls and a whistle. She blows the whistle three times and throws nuts to the assembled crowd. The procession is followed by a fair with rides, stalls and fireworks. See also Saint-Médard (disambiguation), a list of places named after him Convulsionnaires of Saint-Médard Catholic Church in France Saint Medardus, patron saint archive References Sources Early Life, ed. B. Krusch, Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, iv (part 2), 67–73 Butler's Lives of the Saints, vi 66–67 William Walsh, 1897. Curiosities of Popular Customs ... 450s births 545 deaths 6th-century Frankish bishops Bishops of Noyon Weather lore Burials at the Abbey of Saint-Médard de Soissons 6th-century Frankish saints