Ursinus the Abbot
Encyclopedia
Ursinus the Abbot was an abbot
of Saint-Martin at Ligugé
, and presumed biographer of Saint Leodegar
. He began his career as a monk
in the monastery
of Saint-Maixent
at Poitiers
in Neustria
.
Ursinus later became the abbot of the monastery of Saint-Martin, where he spent the rest of his days. During his tenure he built a basilica
, which became a place of honor to such a degree that in AD 782 it received the relics of sainted Leodegar. Ursinus also commissioned the monk Defensor to compile the florilegium
Liber scintillarum
from the Patristic writings in the abbey's collection.
An Ursinus wrote the Vita sancti Leodegarii. Later authors tell this story: In 684 CE, bishop Ansoald of Poitiers requested of the new abbot Andulf (684-696) that his monks provide him with a beatific Life of Bishop Leodegar
of Autun
, martyred three years prior at Sarcing in Artois; and Andulf delegated this task to Ursinus. This "Life", or "Passion", does not survive, but Krusch claimed to have reconstructed it as the basis of several versions from the Carolingian
era. Fouracre initially questioned this account, but by 1996 he had accepted it.
Ursinus's tombstone, in the Latin language, reads:
SUB HOC CONDITORIO SITUM EST CORPUS BONE MEMORIAE ABBA EDIFICAVI BASILICA SCI MARTINI XIII KL NVBS. SIC OBUT IN PACAE, CUI FUIT ALMA FIDES VITA BEATA SATIS MIGRUIT DE SCLO AD XPM AMEN (© Direction du patrimoine, 1992)
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Saint-Martin at Ligugé
Ligugé
Ligugé is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.It is located on the River Clain, 8 km south of Poitiers. It is known for its historic monastery, Ligugé Abbey.-Twin towns:...
, and presumed biographer of Saint Leodegar
Leodegar
Saint Leodegar or Leger, Bishop of Autun , was the great opponent of Ebroin— the mayor of the Palace of Neustria— and the leader of the faction of Austrasian great nobles in the struggles for hegemony over the waning Merovingian dynasty...
. He began his career as a 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...
in the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Saint-Maixent
Saint-Maixent
Saint-Maixent is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.-References:*...
at Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
in Neustria
Neustria
The territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
.
Ursinus later became the abbot of the monastery of Saint-Martin, where he spent the rest of his days. During his tenure he built a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
, which became a place of honor to such a degree that in AD 782 it received the relics of sainted Leodegar. Ursinus also commissioned the monk Defensor to compile the florilegium
Florilegium
In medieval Latin a florilegium was a compilation of excerpts from other writings. The word is formed the Latin flos and legere : literally a gathering of flowers, or collection of fine extracts from the body of a larger work. It was adapted from the Greek anthologia "anthology", with the same...
Liber scintillarum
Liber Scintillarum
Liber Scintillarum is a late seventh or early eighth-century florilegium of biblical and patristic sayings in Latin. It was compiled by Defensor, a monk who in the preface identifies himself as a member of St Martin's Abbey at Ligugé, near Poitiers, and who wrote the work at the behest of his...
from the Patristic writings in the abbey's collection.
An Ursinus wrote the Vita sancti Leodegarii. Later authors tell this story: In 684 CE, bishop Ansoald of Poitiers requested of the new abbot Andulf (684-696) that his monks provide him with a beatific Life of Bishop Leodegar
Leodegar
Saint Leodegar or Leger, Bishop of Autun , was the great opponent of Ebroin— the mayor of the Palace of Neustria— and the leader of the faction of Austrasian great nobles in the struggles for hegemony over the waning Merovingian dynasty...
of Autun
Autun
Autun is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in Burgundy in eastern France. It was founded during the early Roman Empire as Augustodunum. Autun marks the easternmost extent of the Umayyad campaign in Europe.-Early history:...
, martyred three years prior at Sarcing in Artois; and Andulf delegated this task to Ursinus. This "Life", or "Passion", does not survive, but Krusch claimed to have reconstructed it as the basis of several versions from the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
era. Fouracre initially questioned this account, but by 1996 he had accepted it.
Ursinus's tombstone, in the Latin language, reads:
SUB HOC CONDITORIO SITUM EST CORPUS BONE MEMORIAE ABBA EDIFICAVI BASILICA SCI MARTINI XIII KL NVBS. SIC OBUT IN PACAE, CUI FUIT ALMA FIDES VITA BEATA SATIS MIGRUIT DE SCLO AD XPM AMEN (© Direction du patrimoine, 1992)
Sources
- Defensoris Liber Scintillarum, ed. H. Rochais, Corpus ChristianorumCorpus ChristianorumThe Corpus Christianorum is a major publishing undertaking of the Belgian publisher Brepols devoted to patristic and medieval Latin texts. The principal series are the Series Graeca , Series Latina , and the Continuatio Mediaevalis...
Series Latina (Turnhout, 1954).