Pope Celestine V
Encyclopedia
Pope Saint Celestine V, born Pietro Angelerio (according to some sources Angelario, Angelieri, Angelliero, or Angeleri), also known as Pietro da Morrone (1215 – May 19, 1296) was elected pope
in the year 1294, by the papal election of 1292–1294
, the last non-conclave in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Despite his brief and disastrous papacy, Celestine V is recognized by the Church as a saint. No subsequent Pope has taken the name "Celestine
".
, in Molise
, the son of Angelo Angelerio and Maria Leone.
or a shepherd
. From the time he was a child, he showed great intelligence, and love for others. He became a Benedictine
monk
at Faifoli in the diocese of Benevento when he was seventeen. He showed an extraordinary disposition toward asceticism
and solitude, and in 1239 retired to a solitary cavern on the mountain Morrone, whence his name. Five years later he left this retreat, and betook himself, with two companions, to a similar cave on the Mountain of Maiella in the Abruzzi region of south Italy
, where he lived as strictly as was possible according to the example of St. John the Baptist
. There are accounts of the severity of his penitential practices. While living in this manner he founded, in 1244, the order subsequently called after him, the Celestines
.
after the death of Pope Nicholas IV
(1288–1292) in April 1292. Morrone, well known to the cardinals as a Benedictine hermit, sent the cardinals a letter warning them that divine vengeance would fall upon them if they did not quickly elect a Pope. Latino Malabranca, the aged and ill dean of the College of Cardinals
cried out
, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I elect brother Pietro di Morrone." The cardinals promptly ratified Malabranca's desperate decision. When sent for, Morrone obstinately refused to accept the Papacy, and even, as Petrarch
says, attempted flight, until he was at length persuaded by a deputation of cardinals accompanied by the Kings of Naples
and Hungary
. Elected July 5, 1294, he was crowned at S. Maria di Collemaggio in the city of Aquila
(now called L'Aquila) in the Abruzzi
, August 29, taking the name of Celestine V.
Shortly after assuming office Celestine issued a papal bull granting a rare plenary indulgence to all pilgrims visiting Santa Maria di Collemaggio
through its holy door on the anniversary of his papal coronation. The Perdonanza Celestiniana festival is celebrated in L'Aquila every August 28–29 in commemoration of this event.
His notable acts as pope include—in what seems to be the only instance of such an act in the history of the Church—empowering one Francis of Apt, a Franciscan
friar, to confer the clerical tonsure and minor orders
on Lodovico
(who would later become Bishop of Toulouse), the son of the King of Sicily. However, this decree seems not to have been carried out. He issued two other decrees—one confirming that of Pope Gregory X
(1271–76), which orders the shutting of the cardinals in conclave
; the second declaring the right of any Pope to abdicate the Papacy
—a right that he himself exercised, at the end of five months and eight days, at Naples on December 13, 1294. In the formal instrument of his renunciation he recites as the causes moving him to the step, "the desire for humility, for a purer life, for a stainless conscience, the deficiencies of his own physical strength, his ignorance, the perverseness of the people, his longing for the tranquility of his former life"; and having divested himself of every outward symbol of dignity, he retired to his old solitude. (It is often said that Celestine is the only Pope to voluntarily resign. In fact other popes have abdicated voluntarily eg. John XVIII in 1009, and Benedict IX in May 1045, although he regretted it and was soon back. There was also Gregory XII in 1415 who agreed to quit at the request of the Council of Constance.)
(1294–1303), sent for him, and finally, despite the former Pope's desperate attempts to escape, captured him and imprisoned him in the castle of Fumone near Ferentino
in Campagna
, where, after languishing for ten months in that infected air, he died on May 19, 1296. Some historians believe Boniface might have had him murdered, and indeed his skull does have a suspicious hole. He was buried at Ferentino
, but his body was subsequently removed to the Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio
in Aquila. Pope Clement V
canonized Celestine in 1313 at the urging of Philip IV of France
who saw it as an opportunity to demean Pope Boniface VIII
whom Philip despised.
(1963–1978) to Celestine's place of death in Ferentino
along with his speech in homage of Celestine prompted speculation the pontiff was considering retirement. Celestine's remains survived the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
with one Italian spokesman saying it was "another great miracle by the pope", and were then recovered from the basilica shortly after the earthquake. While inspecting the earthquake damage during an April 28, 2009 visit to the L'Aquila, Pope Benedict XVI
(2005–present) visited Celestine's remains in the badly damaged Santa Maria di Collemaggio
and left the woolen pallium
he wore during his papal inauguration in April 2005 on his glass casket as a gift. To mark the 800th anniversary of Celestine's birth, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the Celestine year from August 28, 2009 through August 29, 2010.
His entry in the Martyrologium Romanum, for May 19, is:
sees among those in the antechamber of Hell, in the enigmatical verses:
The first commentators to make this identification included Dante's son Jacopo Alighieri
, followed by Graziolo Bambaglioli in 1324. The identification is also considered probable by recent scholars (e.g. Hollander, Barbara Reynolds
, Simonelli, Padoan). Petrarch was moved to defend Celestine vigorously against the accusation of cowardice and some modern scholars (e.g. Mark Musa) have suggested Dante may have meant someone else (Esau, Diocletian
and Pontius Pilate have been variously suggested).
In 1346 Petrach declared in his "De vita solitaria" that Celestine's refusal was as a virtuous example of solitary life .
Pope Celestine V is referenced in Chapter 88 of Dan Brown
's Angels & Demons, where he is referenced as an example of a murdered pope. Celestine V is also mentioned in the film version.
The life of Pope Celestine V is dramatised in the plays L'avventura di un povero cristiano (The Story of a Humble Christian) by Ignazio Silone
in 1968 and Sunsets and Glories by Peter Barnes
in 1990.
Pope Celestine V's story is also told in Russell Chamberlin's The Bad Popes
.
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in the year 1294, by the papal election of 1292–1294
Papal election, 1292–1294
The papal election from April 5, 1292 to July 5, 1294 was the last papal election which did not take the form of a papal conclave...
, the last non-conclave in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Despite his brief and disastrous papacy, Celestine V is recognized by the Church as a saint. No subsequent Pope has taken the name "Celestine
Celestine
Celestine may refer to:Popes of the Roman Catholic Church:* Pope Celestine I * Pope Celestine II * Pope Celestine III * Pope Celestine IV * Pope Celestine V *Antipope Celestine II Other...
".
Birth
According to a tradition, Pietro Angelerio was born in the towns of IserniaIsernia
Isernia Isernia Isernia (Latin: Aesernia or, in Pliny and later writers, Eserninus, or in the Antonine Itinerary, Serni is a town and comune in the central Italian region of Molise, and the capital of Isernia province.- Geography :...
, in Molise
Molise
Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
, the son of Angelo Angelerio and Maria Leone.
Early life
After his father's death he started to work in the fields. His mother Maria was a key figure in Pietro's spiritual development: she imagined a different future for her deeply beloved son than just becoming a farmerFarmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
or a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
. From the time he was a child, he showed great intelligence, and love for others. He became a 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...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
at Faifoli in the diocese of Benevento when he was seventeen. He showed an extraordinary disposition toward asceticism
Asceticism
Asceticism describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals...
and solitude, and in 1239 retired to a solitary cavern on the mountain Morrone, whence his name. Five years later he left this retreat, and betook himself, with two companions, to a similar cave on the Mountain of Maiella in the Abruzzi region of south Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he lived as strictly as was possible according to the example of St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. There are accounts of the severity of his penitential practices. While living in this manner he founded, in 1244, the order subsequently called after him, the Celestines
Celestines
Celestines are a Roman Catholic monastic order, a branch of the Benedictines, founded in 1244. At the foundation of the new rule, they were called Hermits of St Damiano, or Moronites , and did not assume the appellation of Celestines until after the election of their founder to the Papacy as...
.
Papacy
The cardinals assembled at PerugiaPerugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
after the death of Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV
Pope Nicholas IV , born Girolamo Masci, was Pope from February 22, 1288 to April 4, 1292. A Franciscan friar, he had been legate to the Greeks under Pope Gregory X in 1272, succeeded Bonaventure as Minister General of his religious order in 1274, was made Cardinal Priest of Santa Prassede and...
(1288–1292) in April 1292. Morrone, well known to the cardinals as a Benedictine hermit, sent the cardinals a letter warning them that divine vengeance would fall upon them if they did not quickly elect a Pope. Latino Malabranca, the aged and ill dean of the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
cried out
Acclamation
An acclamation, in its most common sense, is a form of election that does not use a ballot. "Acclamation" or "acclamatio" can also signify a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval in certain social contexts in ancient Rome.-Voting:...
, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I elect brother Pietro di Morrone." The cardinals promptly ratified Malabranca's desperate decision. When sent for, Morrone obstinately refused to accept the Papacy, and even, as Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
says, attempted flight, until he was at length persuaded by a deputation of cardinals accompanied by the Kings of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
and Hungary
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary was the head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 to 1918.The style of title "Apostolic King" was confirmed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 and used afterwards by all the Kings of Hungary, so after this date the kings are referred to as "Apostolic King of...
. Elected July 5, 1294, he was crowned at S. Maria di Collemaggio in the city of Aquila
L'Aquila
L'Aquila is a city and comune in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 73,150 inhabitants, but has a daily presence in the territory of 100,000 people for study, tertiary activities, jobs and tourism...
(now called L'Aquila) in the Abruzzi
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, August 29, taking the name of Celestine V.
Shortly after assuming office Celestine issued a papal bull granting a rare plenary indulgence to all pilgrims visiting Santa Maria di Collemaggio
Santa Maria di Collemaggio
S. Maria di Collemaggio is a large medieval church in L'Aquila, central Italy. It was the site of the original Papal Jubilee, a penitential observation devised by Pope Celestine V, who is buried here...
through its holy door on the anniversary of his papal coronation. The Perdonanza Celestiniana festival is celebrated in L'Aquila every August 28–29 in commemoration of this event.
His notable acts as pope include—in what seems to be the only instance of such an act in the history of the Church—empowering one Francis of Apt, a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friar, to confer the clerical tonsure and minor orders
Minor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
on Lodovico
Louis of Toulouse
Saint Louis of Toulouse was a cadet of the royal French house of Anjou who was made a Catholic bishop. The California mission, city and county of San Luis Obispo, California, are named after him....
(who would later become Bishop of Toulouse), the son of the King of Sicily. However, this decree seems not to have been carried out. He issued two other decrees—one confirming that of Pope Gregory X
Pope Gregory X
Pope Blessed Gregory X , born Tebaldo Visconti, was Pope from 1271 to 1276. He was elected by the papal election, 1268–1271, the longest papal election in the history of the Roman Catholic Church....
(1271–76), which orders the shutting of the cardinals in conclave
Papal conclave
A papal conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a Bishop of Rome, who then becomes the Pope during a period of vacancy in the papal office. The Pope is considered by Roman Catholics to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church...
; the second declaring the right of any Pope to abdicate the Papacy
Papal abdication
Papal resignation is envisaged as a possibility in canon 332 §2 of the Code of Canon Law and canon 44 §2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches...
—a right that he himself exercised, at the end of five months and eight days, at Naples on December 13, 1294. In the formal instrument of his renunciation he recites as the causes moving him to the step, "the desire for humility, for a purer life, for a stainless conscience, the deficiencies of his own physical strength, his ignorance, the perverseness of the people, his longing for the tranquility of his former life"; and having divested himself of every outward symbol of dignity, he retired to his old solitude. (It is often said that Celestine is the only Pope to voluntarily resign. In fact other popes have abdicated voluntarily eg. John XVIII in 1009, and Benedict IX in May 1045, although he regretted it and was soon back. There was also Gregory XII in 1415 who agreed to quit at the request of the Council of Constance.)
Retirement, death, and canonization
Celestine V was not allowed to remain in solitude, however. His successor, Pope Boniface VIIIPope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
(1294–1303), sent for him, and finally, despite the former Pope's desperate attempts to escape, captured him and imprisoned him in the castle of Fumone near Ferentino
Ferentino
Ferentino is a town and comune in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, 65 km southeast of Rome.It is situated on a hill 400 m above sea-level, in the Monti Ernici area.-History:...
in Campagna
Campagna
Campagna is a small town and comune of the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of Southern Italy.-History:The town, located in a mountainous district, gradually lost importance in the 20th century...
, where, after languishing for ten months in that infected air, he died on May 19, 1296. Some historians believe Boniface might have had him murdered, and indeed his skull does have a suspicious hole. He was buried at Ferentino
Ferentino
Ferentino is a town and comune in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, 65 km southeast of Rome.It is situated on a hill 400 m above sea-level, in the Monti Ernici area.-History:...
, but his body was subsequently removed to the Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio
Santa Maria di Collemaggio
S. Maria di Collemaggio is a large medieval church in L'Aquila, central Italy. It was the site of the original Papal Jubilee, a penitential observation devised by Pope Celestine V, who is buried here...
in Aquila. Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V
Pope Clement V, born Raymond Bertrand de Got was Pope from 1305 to his death...
canonized Celestine in 1313 at the urging of Philip IV of France
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
who saw it as an opportunity to demean Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
whom Philip despised.
Legacy
Most modern interest in Celestine V has focused on his decision to resign the papacy. A 1966 visit by Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
(1963–1978) to Celestine's place of death in Ferentino
Ferentino
Ferentino is a town and comune in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, 65 km southeast of Rome.It is situated on a hill 400 m above sea-level, in the Monti Ernici area.-History:...
along with his speech in homage of Celestine prompted speculation the pontiff was considering retirement. Celestine's remains survived the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
2009 L'Aquila earthquake
The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 3:32 local time on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; its epicentre was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together...
with one Italian spokesman saying it was "another great miracle by the pope", and were then recovered from the basilica shortly after the earthquake. While inspecting the earthquake damage during an April 28, 2009 visit to the L'Aquila, Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
(2005–present) visited Celestine's remains in the badly damaged Santa Maria di Collemaggio
Santa Maria di Collemaggio
S. Maria di Collemaggio is a large medieval church in L'Aquila, central Italy. It was the site of the original Papal Jubilee, a penitential observation devised by Pope Celestine V, who is buried here...
and left the woolen pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
he wore during his papal inauguration in April 2005 on his glass casket as a gift. To mark the 800th anniversary of Celestine's birth, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the Celestine year from August 28, 2009 through August 29, 2010.
His entry in the Martyrologium Romanum, for May 19, is:
- Ad Castrum Fumorense prop Alatrium in Latio, natalis sancti Petri Caelestini, qui, cum vitam eremeticam in Aprutio ageret, fama sanctitatis et miraculorum clarus, octogenarius Romanus Pontifex electus est, assumpto nomine Caelestini Quinti, sed eodem anno munere se abdicavit et solitudinem recedere maluit.
- At Castrum Fumorense near AlatriAlatriAlatri is a town and comune of province of Frosinone in the Italian region of the Lazio, with c. 30,000 inhabitants. A part of the traditional region of Ciociaria, it is famous for its megalithic acropolis.-History:...
in Lazio, the birth of Saint Peter Celestine, who, when leading the life of a hermit in Abruzzo, being famous for his sanctity and miracles, was elected Roman Pontiff as an octogenarian, assumed the name Celestine V, but abandoned his office that same year and preferred to return to solitude.
In literature
A persistent tradition identifies Celestine V as the nameless figure Dante AlighieriDante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
sees among those in the antechamber of Hell, in the enigmatical verses:
The first commentators to make this identification included Dante's son Jacopo Alighieri
Jacopo Alighieri
Jacopo Alighieri was an Italian poet, the son of Dante Alighieri, whom he followed in his exile. Jacopo's most famous work is his sixty-chapter Dottrinale.-Biography:...
, followed by Graziolo Bambaglioli in 1324. The identification is also considered probable by recent scholars (e.g. Hollander, Barbara Reynolds
Barbara Reynolds
Barbara Reynolds is an English scholar, lexicographer and translator, wife of the philologist and translator Lewis Thorpe.-Early life:The daughter of Alfred Charles Reynolds, and the god-daughter of Dorothy L...
, Simonelli, Padoan). Petrarch was moved to defend Celestine vigorously against the accusation of cowardice and some modern scholars (e.g. Mark Musa) have suggested Dante may have meant someone else (Esau, Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
and Pontius Pilate have been variously suggested).
In 1346 Petrach declared in his "De vita solitaria" that Celestine's refusal was as a virtuous example of solitary life .
Pope Celestine V is referenced in Chapter 88 of Dan Brown
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
's Angels & Demons, where he is referenced as an example of a murdered pope. Celestine V is also mentioned in the film version.
The life of Pope Celestine V is dramatised in the plays L'avventura di un povero cristiano (The Story of a Humble Christian) by Ignazio Silone
Ignazio Silone
Ignazio Silone was the pseudonym of Secondino Tranquilli, an Italian author and politician.-Early life and career:...
in 1968 and Sunsets and Glories by Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes
Peter Barnes was an English Olivier Award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His most famous work is the play The Ruling Class, which was made into a 1972 film for which Peter O'Toole received an Oscar nomination....
in 1990.
Pope Celestine V's story is also told in Russell Chamberlin's The Bad Popes
The Bad Popes
The Bad Popes is a 1969 book by E. R. Chamberlin documenting the lives of eight of the most controversial popes :...
.