Ventura

ON BLESSED VENTURA

OF THE ORDER OF CRUCIFERS OF SPELLO IN UMBRIA.

Ventura, of the Order of Crucifers, of Spello in Umbria (B.)

BY THE AUTHOR G. H.

[1] Spello, an illustrious town of Umbria, between Foligno and Assisi, (where many hand down the Episcopal See once was) on this day venerates S. Ventura: to whose name there exists a dedicated Church there. This man Silvester Marulus or Maurolycus, in the Sea Ocean of Sacred history of all religions book 1 page 51, hands down was of the Order of Crucifers, and in the Martyrology of Francis Maurolycus is referred to April XXX. Not light indeed is the hallucination: for of Maurolycus's Martyrology we have a double edition, but without mention of B. Ventura: nor does Felicius mention him, Memory in Ferrari, who was wont especially to follow Maurolycus. But Ferrari, from the tablets of the Church of Spello and of the Crucifers, refers him in the General Catalogue with these words: At Spello of B. Ventura of the Order of Crucifers. The same Ferrari, in the Catalogue of Saints of Italy, on S. Ventura Confessor of Spello has this eulogy: Ventura of Spello, born of the ancient family of the Hispelluci, which still in this our age perseveres, as old tradition has, flourished in sanctity. His body in a marble ark placed, in the church constructed and dedicated to his name is piously preserved at the walls of the city; and has great veneration with the people of Spello on V Nones of May, on which day his * birthday with the highest celebrity by the Clergy and people with public procession and devotion is venerated. He is reported to have shone with some miracles. But Acts do not exist, nor at what time he lived, has it been delivered to memory. Thus Ferrari on April XXX from the monuments and Annals of the city of Spello marking his death on such day. Him, says the same Ferrari, the Friars Crucifers affirm to have been an alumnus of their congregation: and his memory on this day they celebrate. Nicholas Brautius, Bishop of Sarsina, Brautius, in his Poetic Martyrology on the same April XXX, venerates S. Ventura with these verses:

Flourished at Spello born Ventura, of good things

Who full of fruit passes to the stars an old man.

Lodovico Iacobillus, in his work on the Saints and Blessed of Umbria, gathered from various sources the Life of B. Ventura of the Order of Crucifers, and Iacobillus:

Founder of the convent and hospital house at the walls of Spello. We offer it from Italian into Latin to the benevolent Reader, that he may judge it according to his prudence. But it is of this kind.

[2] Blessed Ventura was born at Spello, in the region of Umbria and the diocese of Spoleto, born at Spello, of the ancient family of the Spelluci, which still flourishes. Yearning truly for eternal life, he scorned and held in hatred all transient and fragile things of the present life: and since he knew that good which is infinite cannot be acquired, except at the expense of many good works, given to virtue, and especially performed with great charity; therefore he occupied himself in many exercises of exceptional charity toward God and neighbors, intent always to perform greater and greater works. But it happened that through the city of Spello passed some Fathers of the Order of the Crucigeri, he attaches himself to the Crucigeri, thence about to set out for Rome, both to visit the Bodies of the holy Apostles and other Sacred Relics, and especially to bestow their effort on poor pilgrims in the hospital, as the institution of the Order requires. Which understood B. Ventura subjected himself to them, taking up this opportunity no otherwise, he took the habit: than as if it had been ordered by God. He joined himself as their companion to Rome, where having taken the habit of the said Religion, he gave himself with greater ardor to exercises of charity, made an illustrious example to the rest. Among the assiduous fatigues of the hospital house he fixed the eyes of his mind on the acquisition of other virtues, on many vigils and abstinences, on prayer and contemplation undertaken with great fervor. He lives holily: Hence the fame of his sanctity, growing from day to day, made him a most lucid mirror of every laudable action.

[3] Meanwhile to him by the death of his kinsmen various possessions devolved, donated with this intention especially, at Spello he founds a cenobium and hospital house: that with these a cenobium with a hospital house should be built for the Crucifer Fathers. Wherefore by the mandate of the prepositors Superiors of the Order, B. Ventura sent to Spello, that he might attend to this building, within a brief time outside the walls he constructed a church under the title of the holy Cross; and added a cenobium for his religious, and a hospital house, in which poor pilgrims might be received. He himself was created the first Prior of this new convent, to which were sent many other Crucifer Fathers, that they might dwell there: whom he ruled with great charity, prudence and zeal. He found there himself ample opportunity of exercising the duties of hospitality and charity, especially because the place was situated on the Roman Way, through which innumerable pilgrims and poor always passed: by which reason also more his sanctity became known. At length full of days and good works, to eternal life, he died on April 30 which he had so greatly desired, he migrated in the said cenobium on day XXX April… His venerable body in the same church in a marble ark was deposited; and the Lord God, on account of his merits, he is illustrious for miracles: in diverse times wrought great and many miracles; and then the said church, with the name of holy Cross left behind, began to be called the church of S. Ventura, as it is still called. Meanwhile on the feast of the Discovery of the holy Cross on day III May, by ancient statutes of the Spello people, the Clergy of both Collegiate Churches, which there is found, other Religious and Confraternities with the Governor, Magistrate and people, every year in solemn procession proceed to the said church: in which some Canon of the church of S. Lawrence then offers the sacrifice of the Mass to God.

[4] Pope Clement IV, in a Brief signed at Perugia in the year MCCLXV, Pope Clement 4 mentions this Convent of S. Ventura, and directed to the hospital house of the Crucifers of Bologna, signed under his register all the churches and hospital houses, which at that time the Order of Crucifers had: and among others he names the hospital house of S. Ventura among the Spello people: but this afterwards, because it was on the public road, was destroyed by soldiers with the convent itself. The church however, when gradually it tended to ruin, was in the year MDCXXV, by Justinian Cambius Spello Priest restored, and in the following year MDCXXVI by Nicholas Venanzi Abbot, and Vicar of Spello, the church is restored: by the authority of Lorenzo Castrucci Bishop of Spoleto, the tomb of B. Ventura was opened; and within it was found a cypress ark, tightly enclosed by three iron rings, within which were the head and other bones of the said Blessed: which was then again enclosed, Sacred bones are elevated: and replaced in the prior place. From most ancient time hitherto is pious devotion of the Spello people, venerating this his tomb: where in the said church is preserved a most ancient image of him, an old image. and many benefits are granted by God, to those who with devotion and faith invoke B. Ventura.

[5] These things Iacobillus, with the MS. Chronicle of the Crucifers of M. Antonio Boldu preserved at Venice cited at the margin, the MS. History of Spello of Guido Olerini and Faustus Gentilis Donnola, Authors cited by Iacobillus. MS. monuments of the Crucifers preserved at Rome and Bologna and others with Ferrari above alleged: to whom we prefer to believe saying, at what time he lived, has not been delivered to memory, than to the words of Iacobillus, above of design omitted, marking the year of our Lord DLVIII in the time of Pope Pelagius I. Such great antiquity of him certainly the name Ventura does not suade, for Bonaventura cut down by the solemn custom of the Umbrians, and tasting of an age later than the X or XI century. Would that the whole Bull of Clement IV someone might exhibit, from which about the Crucigeri under him, in name, order, amplitude more certainly to us could be known, than from the histories of the Crucigeri themselves: it seems wrongly to be referred to century 6 who content with having repeated their beginnings from the times of S. Cletus the Pope, and dragging to themselves whatever of the institution of Hospitals anywhere is read, in such assertion and deduction of imaginary antiquity stick absorbed; teaching us nothing meanwhile of the middle age, to which a more certain conjecture would refer their origin.

[6] In the times of Pius II principal celebrity is thought to have accrued to that Order: for he in the year MCCCCLXIV celebrating a council at Mantua, in which it was treated of war against the Turks, the Brothers of many Hospitals through Italy in habit, institutes, origin various, not much earlier than the 12th century. are said to have been coordinated into one Religion of the Crucigeri: which Religion in the year MDLXVIII Pius V reformed, and in our age Alexander VII extinguished, together with several others of less utility in the Church congregations, converting their possessions to the more urgent necessities of the Church. Whatever be, and of whatever title and age that congregation was, to whose possession the Hospital of S. Ventura at Spello belonged, before the aforesaid coordination, even from the XIII century; one or another century it must be that Ventura was older, of whom as a Saint so celebrated a name then was; and it can be that the Crucifers count him among their Saints only in this manner, in which other Orders various venerate among their own those Saints, by whom places founded or advanced they themselves afterwards possessed. We wish nothing detracted from them by conjecture, and his memory rather to this day on which he is venerated, than to the last of April on which he is said to have died we have judged should be referred: and the cause of the principal cult on this day we judge to be that, since the titular feast of that hospital was then kept, and at the same time the tomb of Ventura was then most accessed, nor he had any proper veneration of his own at another time, the very festivity of the holy Cross commonly came to be reckoned for his solemnity.

* rather memory