Ernulf
Encyclopedia
Ernulf was a French Benedictine
architect, and Bishop of Rochester
, Kent
, England.
at the monastery of Bec
, entered the Benedictine Order, and lived long as a brother in the monastery of St-Lucien, Beauvais
. At the suggestion of Lanfranc he went to England, some time after 1070, and joined the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury. He studied under Ivo of Chartres
, and was considered an expert on canon law.
Ernulf was made prior
by Archbishop Anselm, and in 1107 Abbot of Peterborough, where he was one of the teachers of Hugh Candidus
; on 28 September 1114 he was invested as Bishop of Rochester by Ralph d'Escures
Archbishop of Canterbury
, and was consecrated on 26 December 1115.
While at Canterbury, Ernulf had taken down the eastern part of the church which Lanfranc had built, and erected a far more magnificent structure. This included the famous crypt (Our Lady of the Undercroft), as far as Trinity Tower. The chancel was finished by his successor Conrad. The chapel of St. Andrew is also part of Ernulf's work.
At Peterborough
and Rochester, Ernulf had the old buildings torn down and erected new dormitories, refectories, chapter house, etc.
Ernulf is either the author of the Textus Roffensis
(a large collection of documents relating to the Church of Rochester); "Collectanea de rebus eccl. Ruffensis" or it was compiled for his use. He also authored several canonical and theological treatises.
Ernulf died on 15 March 1124.
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...
architect, and Bishop of Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England.
Life
Ernulf studied under LanfrancLanfranc
Lanfranc was Archbishop of Canterbury, and a Lombard by birth.-Early life:Lanfranc was born in the early years of the 11th century at Pavia, where later tradition held that his father, Hanbald, held a rank broadly equivalent to magistrate...
at the monastery of Bec
Bec Abbey
Bec Abbey in Le Bec Hellouin, Normandy, France, once the most influential abbey in the Anglo-Norman kingdom of the twelfth century, is a Benedictine monastic foundation in the Eure département, in the Bec valley midway between the cities of Rouen and Bernay.Like all abbeys, Bec maintained annals...
, entered the Benedictine Order, and lived long as a brother in the monastery of St-Lucien, Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
. At the suggestion of Lanfranc he went to England, some time after 1070, and joined the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury. He studied under Ivo of Chartres
Ivo of Chartres
Saint Ivo ' of Chartres was the Bishop of Chartres from 1090 until his death and an important canon lawyer during the Investiture Crisis....
, and was considered an expert on canon law.
Ernulf was made prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
by Archbishop Anselm, and in 1107 Abbot of Peterborough, where he was one of the teachers of Hugh Candidus
Hugh Candidus
Hugh Candidus was a monk of the Benedictine monastery at Peterborough, who wrote a Medieval Latin account of its history, from its foundation as Medeshamstede in the mid 7th century up to the mid 12th century.-Life:...
; on 28 September 1114 he was invested as Bishop of Rochester by Ralph d'Escures
Ralph d'Escures
Ralph , also known as Ralph d'Escures from the family estate Escures, near Sées in Normandy, was a medieval Abbot of Séez, Bishop of Rochester and then Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at the school at the Abbey of Bec. In 1079 he entered the abbey of St Martin at Séez, and became abbot there...
Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, and was consecrated on 26 December 1115.
While at Canterbury, Ernulf had taken down the eastern part of the church which Lanfranc had built, and erected a far more magnificent structure. This included the famous crypt (Our Lady of the Undercroft), as far as Trinity Tower. The chancel was finished by his successor Conrad. The chapel of St. Andrew is also part of Ernulf's work.
At Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
and Rochester, Ernulf had the old buildings torn down and erected new dormitories, refectories, chapter house, etc.
Ernulf is either the author of the Textus Roffensis
Textus Roffensis
The Textus Roffensis, or in full, Textus de Ecclesia Roffensi per Ernulphum episcopum , refers to a manuscript in which two originally separate manuscripts written about the same time, between 1122 and 1124, are bound together...
(a large collection of documents relating to the Church of Rochester); "Collectanea de rebus eccl. Ruffensis" or it was compiled for his use. He also authored several canonical and theological treatises.
Ernulf died on 15 March 1124.