medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Boniface was one of a series of Carthusian saints whose cults were
recognized in the 19thc on the basis of long-existing cultus. The
Carthusian order never pursued the canonization of any of its members
(St. Bruno is a special case: the site of his tomb in Calabria had been
a Cistercian monastery for centuries and was being returned to the
Carthusians in the early 16thc as part of the order's growing sense of
its own history; they petitioned for permission to honor their founder
within their own houses).
The cause for Boniface of Savoy's beatification was advocated by the
House of Savoy. The case is exactly the opposite of the speculations
given below. Those who see Roman centralization as the bete noir ought
to consider that the majority of beatifications in the 19thc were on the
basis of recognition of existing cultus, which means they were
recognitions of local, indigenous expressions of devotion. See the
article on saintete in the Dictionnaire de spiritualte for the
characteristics of the 18th, 19th and 20thc patterns in beatifications
and canonizations.
In the case of most of the 19thc Carthusians (and I presume in some of
the other similar cases), these beatifications on the basis of existing
cultus did not proceed to canonizations. In the case of the
Carthusians, I have argued, in a paper coming out in the proceedings of
a conference held at the Institute Catholique last October, that this is
probably because the order did not establish a central clearing house
advocating prayers to the newly beatified, collecting reports of
miracles etc. In other words, the organized structure involved in most
canonizations was lacking in this case because ?Cartusia sanctos facit
sed non patefacit." The Carthusians did, however actively promote
canonization causes of non-Carthusians and provided one of the
significant pre-Bollandist hagiographers in the person of Laurentius
Surius as well as a long tradition of hagiographical poetry and
devotional vitae.
Some of these local cults recognized in the 19thc may well have been
instances of well-meaning local patriotism that could not see the forest
for the trees. But those who so readily advocate decentralization and
inculturation ought to recognize that the Church readily granted
recognition of cultus in these cases at a time when the extremely
rigorous process established by Benedict XIV and Urban VIII was making
it very hard for universal cultus to be granted to anyone. If the
persons venerated in these local cults truly were saints, the reasoning
seems to have been, beatification could do little harm; it would be up
to God to indicate that canonization should follow--by granting the
additional two miracles needed for canonization.
Dennis Martin
>>> [log in to unmask] 07/13/02 19:08 PM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
So far I
> haven't seen any
> evidence of holiness. Anybody have any notion why
> this guy [Boniface] should be
> regarded as a saint?
When was he canonized? The facts that he insisted upon
obedience and was hated by folks whose country
eventually turned against Rome may offer a clue. But
it all turns on that date.
MG
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