Boniface of Valperga
Encyclopedia
Boniface of Valperga (died 25 April 1243), venerated as a blessed
in the Catholic Church, was a thirteenth-century Bishop of Aosta.
Boniface was born in the second half of the twelfth century into a noble family of the Canavese
which claimed descent from Arduino d’Ivrea. He was educated at home and subsequently by his uncle Arduino
, Bishop of Turin. He entered the religious life as a monk at the Benedictine
abbey of Fruttuaria
, about twenty kilometres north of Turin
. Subsequently he entered the Augustinian monastery of Sant’Orso at Aosta
where, having been made Prior in 1210, he exerted a vigorous leadership in both the spiritual and temporal realms. On 17 July 1219 Boniface was made Bishop of Aosta, an office which he retained until his death nearly 24 years later on 25 April 1243.
He was entombed first in the collegiate church of Sant’Orso; then his remains were translated
to the cathedral of Aosta. His cultus developed rapidly, and his veneration as a “blessed” remained steady over the centuries, with various monuments being dedicated to him in the cathedral. It was ratified as ab immemorabili by Pope Leo XIII on 28 April 1890.
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
in the Catholic Church, was a thirteenth-century Bishop of Aosta.
Boniface was born in the second half of the twelfth century into a noble family of the Canavese
Canavese
thumb|250px|Church of Santa Croce at [[Sparone]].Canavese is a subalpine geographical and historical area of north-west Italy which lies today within the Province of Turin in Piedmont. Its main town is Ivrea and it is famous for its castles.-Location:...
which claimed descent from Arduino d’Ivrea. He was educated at home and subsequently by his uncle Arduino
Arduino
Arduino is an open-source single-board microcontroller, descendant of the open-source Wiring platform, designed to make the process of using electronics in multidisciplinary projects more accessible. The hardware consists of a simple open hardware design for the Arduino board with an Atmel AVR...
, Bishop of Turin. He entered the religious life as a monk at the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey of Fruttuaria
Fruttuaria
thumb|300px|Bell tower of the abbey.Fruttuaria is an abbey in the territory of San Benigno Canavese, about twenty kilometers north of Turin, northern Italy.-History:...
, about twenty kilometres north of Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. Subsequently he entered the Augustinian monastery of Sant’Orso at Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...
where, having been made Prior in 1210, he exerted a vigorous leadership in both the spiritual and temporal realms. On 17 July 1219 Boniface was made Bishop of Aosta, an office which he retained until his death nearly 24 years later on 25 April 1243.
He was entombed first in the collegiate church of Sant’Orso; then his remains were translated
Translation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
to the cathedral of Aosta. His cultus developed rapidly, and his veneration as a “blessed” remained steady over the centuries, with various monuments being dedicated to him in the cathedral. It was ratified as ab immemorabili by Pope Leo XIII on 28 April 1890.