Victor III (Desiderius II, abbot of Monte Cassino 1157-85) whose papacy was
brief, was probably the most powerful and celebrated of all abbots of MC
after Benedict himself. He rebuilt the basilica there and several other
buildings, made strategic alliances with the Norman rulers of Sicily and
somehow managed to be a moderate in the increasingly polarized papacy of
Gregory VII, a friend. Desiderius also decorated the church with important
bronze doors. His workshop produced MSS that are among the finest products
of the Byzantine-Italian school, most notably a lectionary containing
illustrated lives of Benedict and Maurus. This has been sumptuously
reproduced by Belser Verlag as the Codex Benedictus, and is available in
several university libraries in the US and Europe. His fine historian
claimed that "only under Desiderius did the splendor of Monte Cassino that
had been promised by God to Blessed Benedict, come to pass.".
jw
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of CA Muessig
Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2000 3:14 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FEAST 16 September
Today, 16 September, is the feast of:
* Cornelius, pope and martyr (253)
- combatted and excommunicated the first formal antipope, Novatian
* Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, martyr (258)
- most prominent supporter of pope Cornelius (see above), but
opposed succeeding pope, Stephen; completely renounced pagan literaure
* Euphemia, virgin and martyr (303?)
- overcame tortures of 'imprisonments, stripes, the wheel, fire,
heavy stones, beasts, scourging, sharp nails and burning pans' before
being killed by a bear; her tomb in Chalcedon was site of interesting
miracle at council of 451, seen as settling the Monophysist heresy
* Abundius, Abudantius and companions, martyrs (304?)
- while taken to be martyred, Abundius raised pagan John from
the dead (in time for him to be martyred as well)
* Ninian, bishop (432?)
- mentioned by Bede, and subject of an interesting vita by Aelred
of Rievaulx
* Ludmila, martyr (921)
- mother of 'good king' Wenceslaus
* Edith of Wilton, virgin (984)
- daughter of King Edgar and Wulfrida; her death was foreseen by
Dunstan, archbishop of Canterbury; commemorated in the diocese of
Clifton (= Bristol)
* Victor III, pope (1087)
- after living as monk and hermit in central Italy (with name of
Desiderius), became abbot of Montecassino in 1057; succeeded Gregory VII
as pope in 1086
* Vitalis of Savigny, abbot (1122)
- founder of abbey of Savigny, part of the 12th-century monastic
reform
* Louis Allemand, archbishop of Arles and cardinal (1450)
- despite excommunication by pope Eugenius IV, he was restored to
cardinalatial dignity by pope Nicholas V
******************
Dr Carolyn Muessig
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Bristol
Bristol BS8 1TB
UK
phone: +44(0)117-928-8168
fax: +44(0)117-929-7850
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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