Valerio of Bierzo
Encyclopedia
Valerio of Bierzo was an ascetic hermit
and monk
from the Bierzo
region of Visigothic Spain. A number of his writings still survive, including three short autobiographical works in which he complains about his many sufferings.
ic aristocracy. In his writings Valerio describes how, after an eventful youth, he retired from the world seeking a more spiritual life
. During one period he was a monk
at the Monastery of Compludo, but this he abandoned in favour of a "desert hermitage
" outside the city of Astorga, Spain
. After falling out with a local priest, some well-wishers built a church for him on an estate called Ebronanto where he lived as a hermit
in a cell by the altar, receiving food and other supplies from the family owning the estate. However, the head of this estate, a man called Ricimer, pulled the church down and built a new one, apparently with the intent of employing Valerio as a priest. But Valerio saw this as an attack by the devil, intent on destroying his reclusive life, and he was only spared when the church fell down and killed Ricimer. Later in life he was joined in another hermitage by his nephew and a servant, and the three men built a small church on the hillside next to their cells. Valerio was connected in some way with the Abbey of San Pedro de Montes; he wrote for the monks there, and later writers mistakenly assumed that he had been abbot
.
as seen by three monks; a summary of a journey to the Holy Land
by the fourth-century ascetic Egeria; some short works of monastic instruction; and a small body of poetry. Of particular historical value are three short autobiographical works which describe the difficulties and persecutions to which he was subjected at the hands of the local clergy and populace. These autobiographies particularly emphasize his sufferings, many of which he regarded as being directly inflicted by the devil
.
One short hagiographical work known as the Vita Fructuosi (Life of Fructuosus of Braga
), was from the 16th to the mid 20th century wrongly thought to have been written by Valerio.
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
and 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...
from the Bierzo
El Bierzo
El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :...
region of Visigothic Spain. A number of his writings still survive, including three short autobiographical works in which he complains about his many sufferings.
Life
Valerio was a member of the VisigothVisigoth
The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germans who spread through the late Roman Empire during the Migration Period...
ic aristocracy. In his writings Valerio describes how, after an eventful youth, he retired from the world seeking a more spiritual life
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
. During one period he was 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...
at the Monastery of Compludo, but this he abandoned in favour of a "desert hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
" outside the city of Astorga, Spain
Astorga, Spain
Astorga is a town in the province of León, northern Spain. It lies southwest of the provincial capital of León, and is the head of the council of La Maragatería. The river Tuerto flows through it. , its population was about 12,100 people....
. After falling out with a local priest, some well-wishers built a church for him on an estate called Ebronanto where he lived as a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
in a cell by the altar, receiving food and other supplies from the family owning the estate. However, the head of this estate, a man called Ricimer, pulled the church down and built a new one, apparently with the intent of employing Valerio as a priest. But Valerio saw this as an attack by the devil, intent on destroying his reclusive life, and he was only spared when the church fell down and killed Ricimer. Later in life he was joined in another hermitage by his nephew and a servant, and the three men built a small church on the hillside next to their cells. Valerio was connected in some way with the Abbey of San Pedro de Montes; he wrote for the monks there, and later writers mistakenly assumed that he had been abbot
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...
.
Works
A number of short works by Valerio survive. These works include: three brief accounts of visions of the afterlifeAfterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
as seen by three monks; a summary of a journey to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
by the fourth-century ascetic Egeria; some short works of monastic instruction; and a small body of poetry. Of particular historical value are three short autobiographical works which describe the difficulties and persecutions to which he was subjected at the hands of the local clergy and populace. These autobiographies particularly emphasize his sufferings, many of which he regarded as being directly inflicted by the devil
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
.
One short hagiographical work known as the Vita Fructuosi (Life of Fructuosus of Braga
Fructuosus of Braga
Saint Fructuosus of Braga was the Bishop of Dumio and Archbishop of Braga, a great founder of monasteries, who died April 16, 665. He was the son of a Visigothic dux in the region of Bierzo and he accompanied his father at a young age on certain official trips over his estates...
), was from the 16th to the mid 20th century wrongly thought to have been written by Valerio.
Translations
- Consuelo María Aherne, (1949), Valerio of Bierzo: An ascetic of the late Visigothic period. Catholic University of America Press
Studies
- Roger CollinsRoger CollinsRoger J. H. Collins is an English medievalist, currently an honorary fellow in history at the University of Edinburgh.Collins studied at the University of Oxford under Peter Brown and John Michael Wallace-Hadrill. He then taught ancient and medieval history at the universities of Liverpool and...
, "The 'Autobiographical' Works of Valerius of Bierzo: their Structure and Purpose," in A. González Blanco, (1986), Los Visigodos: historia y civilización, Universidad de Murcia. Reprinted in Law, Culture and Regionalism in Early Medieval Spain, Variorum, 1992. ISBN 0-86078-308-1