In 1351, a year after the Black Death finally let go of the village of Nérac and its surrounding estates in southwest France, a gentle young monk named Colinus went through the ravaged region and collected every orphan he could find, bringing them back to live by his brothers in Orphan Hall. In a short time, his care for the children became so extensive that he left the regality and refuge of his monastery and, despite years of enduring sicknesses, scarcity and sorrow, committed himself to raise the area’s orphans as best as he could, with the help of assigned obedientaries and two dedicated sisters from the Agen convent.

Colinus also delighted in collecting and nursing unique and wounded birds when time allowed, and Orphan Hall was for many years aflutter with children’s voices and the chattering of birds.

When Colinus died suddenly in late midlife of illness, his funeral was well attended at the sanctuary of the cathedral in Agen, and among the observants were bishops, priors, abbots, nobles, and a large swath of commoners. Most significantly though, twenty-two of the lost children he found, saved and raised, many now fathers and mothers, clergy, craftsmen and tradesmen, were in attendance. At the end of the funeral service, the attendees were led outside of the grand structure to where a flock of various colorful birds awaited release from five large cages, a gesture to celebrate Colinus’ life.

It is said that when the five priests opened the five cages to free the birds, instead of flying up and out into the nearby countryside, the many birds instead flew directly through the open cathedral doors into the grand sanctuary, where they roosted about the altar and alcoves, surrounding the resting cleric’s body with color and song overnight.