The legend of Saint Landry is connected with the raids of the Saracens.

Around the year 1000 AD, after the expulsion of the Saracens, the diocese of Haute Maurienne was in a deplorable state: the priests were in small number and the bishops had to call the monks of the Novalaise for the care of the parishes of the Haute Maurienne. Among those monks, only LANDRY is known. He could have been a native of Bonneval or of Lanslevillard which at that time was in the diocese of Maurienne. The diocese no longer exists and the Bishoperic is now located at Chambery.

La Maurienne is a region of the Alpes in the department of SAVOIE. (see map below)

He was sent from the Monastery of SAINT BENOIT, to be pastor at Lanslevillard (see map below), but his task was severe, as this area was occupied by Muslims for a long time. With the help of a confrere, he was put in charge of the parishes of Bonneval, Bessans, Lanselbourg, and Lanslevillard. It is in this last parish that he established his residence. Despite the great distance, the hardship and the dangers of the climate, Landry fulfilled his mission with an evangelic ardor.

It is not known when and how long Landry carried his ministry. The fact remains that, one day, near the hamlet of the Ecot (parish of Bonneval), he lost his life in the Arc (see picture below). The precise spot where he was drowned is indicated by a rock drawing, which evokes a shoe heel studded with nails: this is the foot print left by the saint leaning on his foot to escape death!

Traditions vary on the way Landry met his death.  For some, it was only a simple accident, whereby Landry fell in the Arc on his way to Ecot to do his ministry. For others, it is believed that in the year 1050 AD, he was thrown into a river with an arrow through his body and drowned by malefactors whom he had reprimanded. It is believed that the crime was revenged the following year when a mounain slide buried the Hamlet of Fausan (down stream from Ecot) under its rubble. The village of Fausan was never rebuilt and still today one can only see a heap of stones there.

Oral tradition has kept the glorious story of the relic of Saint Landry. God himself informed the inhabitants of Lanslevillard of their well loved pastor's death. Gathered in the church, they saw the cross used for processions moving by itself towards the door. The parishoners followed it and arrived at the place where the saint's body was lying and they brought it back to the church.

The relics of the saint are kept in the sacristy of Lanslevillard church.The worship of Saint Landry was warranted in 1532 when Bishop Gorrevod put the last phalanx of the little finger of his left hand in the main altar of the church which he had come to consecrate.

In 1764, Saint Landry's remains (saved during the French Revolution) consisted of his whole body minus his right arm, his skull or head, and his upper jaw were re-assembled and put into a coffin, decorated in gold, and put in the chapel of St. Joseph in Lanslevillard.

In 1765, his body was laid down in a shrine and blessed by his Lordship de Martiniana, bishop of Maurienne.  On June 10th of the same year, the shrine was solemnly placed upon an alter.  Despite all precautions taken, soldiers of the Repulic in 1794 broke the shrine and scattered the bones.  But they were gathered together again and on October 13, 1808, his Lordship de Solle, bishop of Chambery appointed Mr. Molin the curate of Lanslebourg with instructions to ascertain the authenticity of the Saint's relics.

On June 12, 1809, the body of the saint dressed in church vestments was laid in a gilded wooden shrine which was placed upon an alter of the church where it can be still be seen (see picture below). His body is nearly complete, except for the phalanx of the little finger place into the main alter and his right arm and skull which enriched the Lanslebourg church. Further more, in the Lansvillard church, there is a reliquary in the shape of an arm in which was placed in 1809 some flesh of the saint's left arm.

Saint Landry is greatly worshipped in Haute Maurienne, where the cult has been kept through the centuries. He is especially invoked to obtain needed rain, probably due to the manner in which he met his death.

From an historical point of view, there are no documents giving any information on Saint Landry. The oldest part of the necrologe novacien of Saint Andre de Turin (Twelvth Century) however mentions for February "obbit Ildricus, Landricus, Ulpertus, Petrus monachi" Therefore, amongst the most acient monks of Novalaise, there was a Landry (Landricus).