Majolus of Cluny
Encyclopedia
Saint Majolus of Cluny (ca. 906 – May 11, 994) was an abbot of Cluny. As a youth Majolus fled his family's estates near Rietz
to stay with relatives at Mâcon
due to the Muslim invasions
. Majolus studied at Lyon
and later became archdeacon
of Mâcon
.
Offered the bishopric of Besançon
, he became a monk of Cluny instead. In 954, he was named abbot-coadjutor to Aymard. Two years later, he became full abbot of Cluny.
At several times, he refused the papacy.
Majolus, along with his successor Odilo of Mercouer
, were supporters of the Ottonian emperors of Germany. He reformed many German
monasteries at the request of Otto the Great and settled a disagreement between Adelaide
and her son, Otto II.
The Andalusian
s of Fraxinet
in Provence captured Majolus in 972 as he crossed the Saint Bernard Pass. Majolus was ransom
ed by the monks of Cluny for a thousand pounds of silver. This outrage upon the greatest monk in the Christian West was followed by the extermination of Fraxinet by the lords of Provence in 975.
During his abbacy the replacement abbey church of Cluny (Cluny II) was consectrated in 981.
Shortly before his death, he made Saint Odilo his coadjutor. Majolus died while on his way to Saint-Denis
.
"on the altar of the fatherland".
Rietz
For the musician, seeJulius Rietz.Rietz is a municipality in the Imst district and is located 23 km east of Imst and 4 km west of Telfs on the southern shore of the Inn River. It is a peculiarity that the village has no sun during winter time because of the height of the Stubai Alps. In recent...
to stay with relatives at Mâcon
Mâcon
Mâcon is a small city in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.-Geography:...
due to the Muslim invasions
Muslim conquests
Muslim conquests also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab conquests, began with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power.They...
. Majolus studied at Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and later became archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Mâcon
Mâcon
Mâcon is a small city in central France. It is prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. Mâcon is home to over 35,000 residents, called Mâconnais.-Geography:...
.
Offered the bishopric of Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, he became a monk of Cluny instead. In 954, he was named abbot-coadjutor to Aymard. Two years later, he became full abbot of Cluny.
At several times, he refused the papacy.
Majolus, along with his successor Odilo of Mercouer
Saint Odilo of Cluny
-Biography:Odilo was born c. 962. He was descended from the nobility of Auvergne. He early became a cleric in the seminary of St. Julien in Brioude. In 991 he entered Cluny and before the end of his year of probation was made coadjutor to Abbot Mayeul....
, were supporters of the Ottonian emperors of Germany. He reformed many German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
monasteries at the request of Otto the Great and settled a disagreement between Adelaide
Adelaide of Italy
Saint Adelaide of Italy , also called Adelaide of Burgundy, was the second wife of Otto the Great, Holy Roman Emperor...
and her son, Otto II.
The Andalusian
Andalusian
The adjective Andalusian can refer to:*Andalusia, a region in Spain*Al-Andalus, a historical state on the Iberian Peninsula*Andalusian people, an ethnic group or nation in Spain centered in the Andalusia region...
s of Fraxinet
Fraxinet
Fraxinet or Fraxinetum was the site of a tenth-century fortress established by Saracen pirates at modern La Garde-Freinet, near Saint-Tropez, in Provence...
in Provence captured Majolus in 972 as he crossed the Saint Bernard Pass. Majolus was ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
ed by the monks of Cluny for a thousand pounds of silver. This outrage upon the greatest monk in the Christian West was followed by the extermination of Fraxinet by the lords of Provence in 975.
During his abbacy the replacement abbey church of Cluny (Cluny II) was consectrated in 981.
Shortly before his death, he made Saint Odilo his coadjutor. Majolus died while on his way to Saint-Denis
Saint Denis Basilica
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis is a large medieval abbey church in the commune of Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris. The abbey church was created a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy...
.
Veneration
In 1793 his relics, together with those of Odilo, were burned by the revolutionariesFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
"on the altar of the fatherland".