Chrodegang
Saint Chrodegang | |
---|---|
Kingdom of the Franks | |
Died | Metz, Kingdom of the Franks | March 6, 766
Venerated in | Catholic Church |
Major shrine | Gorze Abbey |
Feast | March 6 |
Chrodegang (
Biography
He was born in the early eighth century at
He was educated first at the monastery of Saint-Trond,[3] one of the oldest and most powerful abbeys in the Low Countries, and then at the cathedral school of Metz. At the court of Charles Martel, became his referendary, then chancellor, and in 737 prime minister. Sometime after 742, he was appointed to succeed Sigibald as Bishop of Metz, while still retaining his civil office.[2]
In 753 he met and escorted Pope Stephen II when the pontiff visited France to seek help against Lombard incursions.[4] As apostolic delegate to the Frankish kingdom, he was directly involved in the coronation of Pepin in 754 and the subsequent defeat of the Longbard king Aistulf. He accompanied the pope to Ponthieu.[2]
After the death of Saint Boniface, Pope Stephen conferred the pallium on Saint Chrodegang (754–755), thus making him an archbishop, but not elevating the See of Metz. In 762, during a dangerous illness, he introduced among his priests a confraternity of prayer known as the League of Attigny. Chrodegang was well versed in Latin and the native early Old High German. He died at Metz on 6 March 766 and was buried in Gorze Abbey, the site of his principal shrine.
Reform
According to M.A. Claussen, "Chrodegang's work lay at the foundation of the Carolingian spiritual revival of later eighth and ninth centuries."[5] In 748 he founded
Rule of Chrodegang
Around 755, he wrote a special rule for them, the Regula Canonicorum, later known as 'Rule of Chrodegang'.
The rule was widely circulated and gave an important impulse to the spread of community life among the secular clergy. In 816, it was incorporated in part into the Institutio canonicorum Aquisgranensis established by the Council of Aachen.[10] By the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the Rule of Chrodegang was gradually supplanted by more popular rules based on Augustine.[11]
It seems probable that the Rule of Chrodegang was brought by Irish monks to their native land from the monasteries of north-eastern
In the course of the 9th century mention is made of nine places in Ireland (including Armagh, Clonmacnoise, Clones, Devenish and Sligo) where communities of Culdees were established as a kind of annex to the regular monastic institutions. They seem especially to have had the care of the poor and the sick, and were interested in the musical part of worship.
See also
- Benedict of Aniane
- Máel Ruain -his rules for the Culdees
- Wulfred -on reforming the canons at Canterbury Cathedral
Notes
- Latin) primary sources are extremely varied: Chrodegangus, Grodegandus, Grodegangus, Grodogangus, Chrodogandus, Krodegandus, Chrodegrangus, Chrotgangus, Ruotgangus, Droctegangus, Chrodegand, and Sirigangus. In English it is also found as Godegrand, Gundigran, Ratgang, Rodigang, and Sirigang.
References
- ^ Arduino, Fabio. "San Crodegando di Metz", Santi e Beati, March 8, 2007
- ^ a b c Mershman, Francis. "St. Chrodegang." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 27 October 2017
- ^ Butler, Alban. The Lives of the Saints. vol. III, 1866
- ^ Monks of Ramsgate. “Chrodegang”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 6 October 2012
- ISBN 9780521839310, p. 4
- ^ “Saint Chrodegang”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 15 September 2012
- ^ Drout, Michael D. C. “Re-Dating the Old English Translation of the Enlarged Rule of Chrodegang: The Evidence of the Prose Style.” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol. 103, no. 3, 2004, pp. 341–368. JSTOR
- ISBN 0-7546-5251-3in The Medieval Review, June 8, 2016
- ISBN 9781351666374
- ISBN 9780521571470
- ISBN 0-521-83931-9
- ^ Byrnes, "Máel-Ruain." In Medieval Ireland. Encyclopedia (2005). pp. 308-9.
- ^ Gammack, James. "Maelruain", A Dictionary of Christian Biography, (William Smith and Henry Wace, eds.), London, John Murray, 1882
Sources
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Chrodegang". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- D'Achéry, Spicilegium, I, 656