ON ST. FELIX OF FONDI, MONK, IN LATIUM,
SIXTH CENTURY
CommentaryFelix, monk at Fondi in Latium. (S.)
C. D. S.
[1] The name of Felix, monk of Fondi Felix, monk of Fondi, was first, if I am not mistaken, numbered among the saints and placed among the saints venerated on this day by Peter de Natalibus, bishop of Equilio, in his Catalogue of the Saints [Unless you prefer to regard as an older testimony the mention of a certain Felix in one Auctarium of Usuard, namely the Register of the Charterhouse of Utrecht (Act. SS., in the appendix to June vol. VII, p. 655 f), which is certainly not older than the fourteenth century (since in it is marked at 25 August St. Louis the king, in the work cited, p. 499, and indeed at 23 July St. Birgitta of Sweden † 1373, ibid., p. 421) and by no means indicates that Felix of Fondi is treated here.]. He was followed by Canisius or Walasser, Maurolycus and the Roman Martyrology, in which he is recorded in these few words: At Fondi in Latium, of St. Felix, monk; and afterwards the Benedictine martyrologies of Arnold Wion, Hugh Menard and Gabriel Bucelin, and likewise Ferrarius in the Catalogue of the Saints of Italy, Flaminius Cornelius in the Hagiologium Italicum, and Chastelain in the Universal Martyrology. Further, as Baronius has already indicated in his annotations on the Roman Martyrology, all these had one source, chapter III of book I of the Dialogues of Gregory the Great, in which these few things are related concerning Felix: Felix, who is called Curvus, whom you yourself know well, who was recently provost of the same monastery (of Fondi), told me many admirable things about the brothers of that monastery; of which I pass over some that come to memory, because I am hastening to other things. But I will tell one, which, as told by him, I think should by no means be passed by. In that same monastery a certain monk of great life was the gardener… There follows the account of the miracle performed by that gardener monk P. L., vol. LXXVII, pp. 164–65..
[2] from a wrongly understood account of Gregory the Great Someone may ask what indication there is in that chapter to prove the sanctity of Felix or his ancient cult. None indeed. But certain hagiographers, whom Peter de Natalibus again led as chief, applied to Felix himself the things that the provost Felix told concerning that holy anonymous monk. Thus Peter:
Felix, a monk, was renowned in the monastery of Fondi. He was a man of great holiness, and tended the garden of that same monastery… Still more boldly and rashly Bucelin expressly proclaims that the holy monk is no different from Felix Curvus. Felix, he says, surnamed Curvus, a monk of the monastery of Fondi, and afterwards appointed provost, shone in his whole life with great signs of virtues. He, once ordered to care for the garden of his monastery … called at last to the crown of eternity, deserved Gregory the Great as his herald Menologium Benedictinum (Feldkirch, 1655), p. 761..
[3] inserted in the martyrologies. But as to why the feast of this Felix was assigned to 6 November, they bring no other reason than that, since it was wholly unknown on what day he had died or had formerly been venerated, and since on this sixth day of November Felix of Toniza was venerated, the name of our Felix was therefore marked at the same day, according to a usage well received among martyrologists So Chastelain, Martyrologe Universel (Paris, 1709), p. 563.. If this reason held good, he could have been assigned to many other days also, since innumerable Felixes occur on different days of the year in the ancient martyrologies.