ON SAINT URSIUS
IN THE VICENTINE TERRITORY OF ITALY.
PrefaceUrsius, in the Vicentine territory of Italy (St.)
BY THE AUTHOR G. H.
A mountain in the territory of the city of Vicenza under Venetian dominion, by the inhabitants on account of its loftiness called Summanus, is distant from the city of Vicenza itself by 15 miles. Cult and church of S. Ursius. At its foot is a hamlet with a church dedicated to S. Ursius, near the town of Salzena, destroyed by the tyrant Ezelinus. The feast day of this S. Ursius is held on the V Nones of May with great concourse of pilgrims and inhabitants, on account of the greatest indulgences granted by the Supreme Pontiffs to his temple. All these things Ferrari hands down both in the Catalogue of Saints of Italy, and in the General Catalogue of Saints who are not in the Roman Martyrology. Maurolycus and Molanus mention the same. The most ancient testimony of this Saint Antonius Verlus of Vicenza, and Henry de S. Ursio bookseller of Vicenza, published: by whose work at Vicenza in the year MCCCCXCIII came forth into light the Catalogue of Saints, After the Catalogue of Peter de Natalibus, collected by Peter de Natalibus Bishop of Equilum, with the preface of the said Antonius Verlus; who after this work with its Index completed, the deeds of some Saints subjoins with this preface: After to the end of the book, with God granting we have come, it has seemed to us that it would not be useless, to attach the deeds of certain Saints: which from their histories as compendiously as we could, having imitated the author of this, the deeds of certain other Saints subjoined, preserving only the order of time; both that the work might be had more abundantly, and that by our beginnings we might excite the minds of others to fuller fecundity. And these things in the first impression of the year MCCCCXCIII.
[2] But afterwards the said Catalogue of Peter de Natalibus was reprinted at Lyon in the year MDXIV, in which before the Supplement of this Catalogue was inserted, and on individual pages repeated this title, not of great fidelity, On Saints most lately canonized, and that very ineptly; since of the various whose deeds are so reported it is not established that they were ever canonized: and so vehemently those err who think to those some authority is added from such title. For as the said Antonius Verlus without any animadversion published the said catalogue of Peter de Natalibus, although various apocrypha are found in it; in which the life of S. Ursius so also without due examination he added in the Supplement the deeds of certain Saints, as he says he excerpted from the histories of the Saints. Furthermore if those things which in chapter 2 about S. William Duke of Aquitaine Verlus heaps together, are compared with those, which on February 10 by us were accurately discussed; it will easily appear, with how little judgment he gave to be printed, whatever in this appendix he cast. With these things necessarily indicated, we approach to the Acts of S. Ursius, in chapter 8 produced from the tradition of the common people and especially of the people of Summana, not without some animadversion to be given.
[3] There exists the Legend of the Saints, called golden or Lombardic, written by James de Voragine Bishop of Genoa, whose first part perhaps is taken from the Acts of S. Julian the Hospitator, and immediately after printing was invented printed and reprinted, also recognized by Claude de Rota and by others transcribed into various languages. In this on February XXIV in the Acts of S. Matthew the Apostle is first given the apocryphal history of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, as if he after various accidents and crimes had killed his father, whom he was ignorant was such, and had married his wife, whom he did not know was his mother: which left he came to Christ, by him assumed among the Apostles. Hence the inclination of men is known prone to similar little narratives: but perhaps in the prior part of the Life of S. Ursius with few changes, the Acts of S. Julian the Hospitator have been assumed, who his parents kindly received by his wife rashly killed, suspecting them to be adulterers. We gave some compendia of the Life of the said Julian on January XXIX, such as are held in Vincent of Beauvais, S. Antoninus, and the said Peter de Natalibus and James de Voragine; but from all of which about his birth alone, age, place of parricide or penance we could bring forth nothing even by conjecture. Afterwards proceeding to Rome, we found in the Vatican library his Acts more fully with this beginning: A certain Probus wrote the Life of B. Julian the Martyr, believing
that whoever heard it, would be delighted in it.
[4] But that what is narrated about S. Ursius, may be more conveniently compared, and about S. Julian, to whom churches and hospitals through all parts of the Christian world and even in the Roman city are dedicated, whence here some things are indicated found after the publishing of January, a more certain judgment may be formed, we shall produce a few circumstances neglected by others. And first his father is indicated as Ioffred Count of Anione, on which it was written above by an old hand, in others Avinion, and is said to have had the whole dominion of Anione and of Maym. His mother is called Anna, kinswoman of the Queen of France. The son of these in youth given to hunting, when he was about eighteen years old, by the voice of a beast is handed down warned of the parricide to be committed by him; therefore having left his fatherland for seven years he wandered, even at Jerusalem, which (in the twelfth century namely) was under the Christians, served the sick in the public hospital: and thence with the Templars by ship returning to the Gauls, at the town of S. Egidius for some time he stayed. That is in the Nemausensian tract of Lower Occitania, about his lineage, formerly a celebrated Benedictine Abbey, now is subject to the Knights of Malta. Hence about to depart to S. James, after a journey of nine days, Julian is written to have come to a castle, whose Count was waging fierce war with neighbors, and there received by a Soldier, and accompanying him to war strenuously to have acted and by the Count made Soldier, and the latter dying from a wound asked by the people the widow left, the Countess of the Castle, to have taken in marriage, and for five years to have been Count. The Sammarthani, about to treat of the Episcopate of Castro, instituted in the XIV century, assert, that Castro was the head of a notable County of the people first of Montfort and British stock, then of the Bourbon and Armagnac family Princelings, until the beginning of the previous century, possessed it.
[5] Furthermore Ioffred the Count and Anna the parents of S. Julian, to find their son going to make pilgrimage to S. Eugenius, the pilgrimage and death of his parents, according to the said Life, having departed from Anione first to S. Egidius, thence had sought the said Castle, and with the Countess had dealt: and recognized as parents, and kindly received, and refreshed by a bath, had been placed in the bed of the Countess herself: in which placidly sleeping finding them Julian, returning from the hunt, by sudden anger killed both, judging he had detected an adulterer with his wife. The said Castle, in which these things happened, is in upper Occitania, and not far thence is Albia or Albiga the city, in whose church rests the body of S. Eugenius the Confessor, as is established from the diploma of Pontius the second Count of Toulouse; and his afterward holy life and death, in Catellus in the History of the Counts of Toulouse page 100, and in Saussay in the Gallican Martyrology on July XIII, and its supplement on September VI. The parricide committed S. Julian penitent with his wife having left the castle, about to depart to Rome to the Supreme Pontiff; and had come to S. Egidius, thence into the Province of Provence, and to the river Gaudo (perhaps the Caulon or Vardon, for these are capable of ships) where both built a hospice, and received pilgrims transported by ship or about to be transported, and among those Christ Our Saviour in the habit of a sick pilgrim: at length however by robbers, judging there was money with them, killed at the same time, became famous by miracles, then translated to some neighboring city.
[6] Honoré Boucheus book 2 of the History of Provence section 2 page 524 asserts, hence many churches in the Province to him, that very many churches in the said Province are dedicated to S. Julian the Martyr, indeed five or six villages named from S. Julian. But the same Boucheus conjectures, that the Patron of those churches is S. Julian, who suffered at Brioude among the Auvergnats on August XXVIII. But why should we not judge that some churches or villages there were named from S. Julian the Hospitator? Certainly in the parish church of S. Julian at Arles, which boasts to have the Relics of its Patron, are found MS. lessons taken from S. Antoninus treating of Julian the Hospitator; so that the curators of that church seem formerly to have believed, that they had altogether his Relics, and to have recognized him as Patron: which a painted image confirms in the habit of a hunter, sustaining a hawk in his hand. It is true indeed that the authors of the proper Offices, for the Arelatensian churches printed at Paris in the year MDCXII, also at Arles Legends and image. preferred to treat of S. Julian the Martyr, husband of S. Basilissa: but his memory in the edition of the year MDCLVI was prudently omitted, and hitherto in the said parish (which is also called S. Antony) of no other than the penitent parricide is said to be made the feast. These on account of the similarity of the argument, taken from S. Ursius, it pleased here to taste of S. Julian the Hospitator, that to learned men of those regions occasion be given of inquiring more and suggesting to us for the supplement of January, in which we have set apart also some observations, sent by Father Charles Faber and others from Avignon, Arles, and Apt, since they yet expedite nothing certain. Now to S. Ursius let us return.
SUSPECTED ACTS,
Published by Antonio Verlus of Vicenza
Ursius, in the Vicentine territory of Italy (St.)
BHL Number: 0000
Ursius the Confessor, drew his origin from the noble race of the Franks: whom while still a nursing child a certain pilgrim foretold to his mother would be a future parricide. But when the boy had grown up to eighteen years, He is said to have been a strenuous soldier, approaching the palaces of Charles the Emperor, whether on foot or on horse so strenuously did he conduct himself, that he was made leader of arms. Who when he was at some time visiting his parents; he found his mother, mindful of the prognostic, always weeping: who often interrogated about her tears, at length overcome by sweet prayers, revealed the cause to her son. Who that he might decline the horrible crime, now twenty-six years old, with his Companion comrade, proceeded toward Dalmatia: where many of the Pagans sent by their King, that they should capture them as Christians, they slew. To whose vengeance the King preparing an army, by his son is admonished; that he should first order them to come to him with impunity, and inquire about their pilgrimage. to have married the daughter of the King of Dalmatia, Which done the King with his people is converted by them to the Lord: and his only daughter he betrothed to Ursius: to whom afterwards in the kingdom he succeeded. But this his father by letters understanding, dismissing the pilgrim's prognostic, betook himself to the court of his son: where with delays given he is received by his daughter-in-law: and because Ursius had gone outside the city to hunt, in his own bed with the old man and the little son for the sake of greater honor she placed herself. But behold the enemy of the human race, under the face of the chamberlain himself, denounces to the King, the father, son, and wife killed by him that a man is sleeping with his wife. Who hastening home, killed his father, son, and wife. Knowing which deed penitent he proceeded to Rome: to whom for the sin by Pope Hadrian was applied a penance, penance taken up, that in pilgrim's habit he should visit the church of S. Mary on Mount Summanus, asking of no one where it was. Who thence with bulls of remission departed, and at length the tomb of the Lord, Mount Sinai and the threshold of B. James visited, with the Lord granting it landed at Vicenza: and thence proceeding toward the mountains, heard shepherds saying: Let us go home, since clouds surround Mount Summanus. At whose words B. Ursius bending his knees giving thanks to God, betook himself to the town of Salzena, afterwards by the impious Ezelinus destroyed: in the Vicentine territory holily died. where from the maidservant Oralda twice asking drink, and not obtaining, he expired, with the bells of themselves resounding: and so was found the Saint with bulls and flowering staff: to whom immediately a church was erected. Knowing which the Emperor with his kinsmen came, that they might carry away the body: and when they could not lift it, with an arm and the flowering staff returned to Gaul. His feast day is venerated on V Nones of May.