On October 9th, Opening Day, Big Sky Hounds held a wonderful Blessing of the Hounds. Overlooking a classic fall tableau of golden leaves beneath a crystal-blue morning sky, the ceremony was led by David Richards and accompanied by Mark McLoed, playing the bagpipes. Around fifty hunters and followers, in formal attire, had a stirrup cup, heard a traditional prayer, and were presented with St Hubert medals. Following the service, all rode off for the first formal meet, marking the opening of the fox hunting season.
St. Hubert's Day (The Blessing of the Hounds) by Eugène Isabey (1803 – 1886), Paris, France. {{PD-US}} This painting was sold from the artist’s studio in 1887, following his death. It was then resold at several auctions in the US until it was acquired by the St Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in 1976. In 2021, the Center sold the painting through Sotheby’s to support medical care costs.
Almost every hunt across Europe and North America conducts a similar ceremony, usually held in the fall during Opening Meet, Thanksgiving, or St Hubert’s Feast Day (November 3). Similar rituals have been conducted since the Middle Ages. They are often so elaborate that they include Mass, feasts, parades, and fox hunts and are attended by hundreds, if not thousands, of people, horses, hunting hounds, and dogs.
Receiving a St Hubert’s medal is one of the most memorable parts of the Blessing. Hanging from a ribbon, often of the same color as the hunt’s, they are usually blessed with holy water and then presented by a priest or an officiant. Hunters consider them keepsakes and wear or carry them year-round while hunting, a talisman to ward off bad luck and keep them safe.
St Hubert medals, with Big Sky blue ribbon. Photo by JR Tonjum
Though a brief account of St Hubert is often recited at a Blessing, most fox hunters know little about the patron saint of hunting and the tradition of the Blessing of the Hounds.
Hubertus, or Hubert, was born in 656 in the Kingdom of the Franks (now France). He was the eldest son of the Duke of Aquitaine and grandson of King Cheribert. According to the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, As a youth, Hubert went to the court of Neustria, where his charming manners and agreeable address won universal esteem, gave him a prominent position among the gay courtiers, and led to his investment with the dignity of "count of the palace.” He was a worldling and a lover of pleasure, his chief passion being for the chase, to which pursuit he devoted nearly all his time. (Brown, C.F.W. (1910). St. Hubert. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07507a.htm)
Hubert led a decadent life. But, when his wife died during childbirth, he retreated from the court and went to the country, seeking solace in the forest, his hounds, and hunting. Legend holds that he again chose to hunt on a Good Friday instead of attending church. While pursuing a magnificent stag, the creature suddenly stopped and turned, and the vision of a crucifix appeared between its antlers. Hubert then heard a voice that told him he must turn to the Lord and lead a holy life, or he would go to hell. Later accounts say the stag also spoke to him, instructing him to hunt ethically and explaining that animals are God’s creatures and should be regarded with higher esteem.
The Vision of Saint Hubert (c. 1617) by J. Brueghel and P. P. Rubens, Prado, Madrid. {{PD-US}}
That Good Friday was the last day Hubert would hunt. The experience so moved him that he immediately gave custody of his infant son to his brother and sought spiritual guidance from Bishop Lambert in present-day Belgium. He denounced his titles, gave his wealth to the poor, and was ultimately ordained as a priest. Later, while Hubert was away on a pilgrimage to Rome, Lambert was assassinated. The pope is said to have seen the murder in a vision that also told him to appoint Hubert as bishop.
Hubertus continued to lead a pious life as Bishop of Liege, converting many pagans, honoring the memory of Lambert, whom he considered a martyr, building a large cathedral and place of worship, becoming a spokesman for all outdoor and outdoor-sporting activities, and conducting Blessings of the Hounds. He died in 727. On November 3, 825, his remains were transferred to present-day St. Hubert, Belgium. That day is recognized as his day of feast.
Throughout the Middle Ages, Hubertus, the Bishop of Liege, was highly venerated. In 1744 he was named the patron saint of hunters, huntsmen, and hunting hounds. He is also the patron saint of dogs, forest workers, mathematicians, opticians, butchers, machinists, and metal workers. There is some discussion about whether a similar story of St Eustace (AD 118) was attributed to St Hubert or whether the legends are entirely fictional. Regardless, St Hubert’s name is most associated with the revelatory vision of the stag and the subsequent honor of hunting with hounds.
Most interestingly, he was also considered a healer of rabies (hydrophobia) and was called upon to protect and treat humans and dogs from the viral disease and to ward off madness and lousy behavior in hounds by using “St Hubert’s Key.” The key is a sacramental, a metal nail, cone, or key blessed by a priest, used to eradicate rabies or associated maladies. The metal object is heated and then applied to the site of a dog bite, possibly cauterizing the wound and presumably killing the rabies virus if caught early enough. The key was also used like a branding iron on dogs to ward off rabies and humans and protect them against a rabid animal's bite. The barbaric method was so respected that the Catholic Church endorsed it until the early part of the 20th century.
Key-reliquary of Saint-Hubert, made in cast bronze dating from the 8th century for the handle and from the 12th century for the knot and the bit. It contains a fragment of the chain of Saint-Pierre. Classified as Treasure of the French Community on June 16, 2012. Comes from the Sainte-Croix Collegiate Church in Liège and is currently on deposit at the Treasury of the Cathedral of Liège while the collegiate church is being restored. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Iron nail called "St. Hubert's Key", used for cauterising dogs bitten by rabid beasts, De Mortillet Collecion from St. Hubert, Belgium, 1880-1920 Science Museum Group Collection © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum This image is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence
The Blessing of the Hounds is a twelve-hundred-year-old ceremony that is little changed. Hunting hounds, hunters, dogs, and their owners have been blessed in this manner for over a millennium. In America, the tradition has been adapted to center around fox hunting and often involves the communities where the hunts occur. The oldest hunts in the country have been conducting Blessings for over a century. They are often the most significant outreach events of the year. Church ceremonies are usually held on Thanksgiving and closely resemble the ancient Masses. Hounds are still paraded in front of holy places. St Hubert’s Feasts still feature wild game, celebrate the hunt, honor the quarry, and promote principled hunting practices.
Though Hubertus hasn’t presided over these sacred observances for a long time, his name is still invoked with reverence, his image adorns the cherished medals, his beloved age-old sport is still honored, and his spirit fills the adventurous hearts of fox hunters worldwide. And they are blessed.