Hugo
von Cluny, Heinrich IV und Mathilde von Tuszien
Hugh
of Cluny, Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor,
and Matilda of Tuscany
Hugues
de Sémur, Henri IV et Mathilde de Toscane
Den
bannlyste konung Henrik IV ber
markgrevinnan Matilda om medlingshjälp gentemot
påve Gregorius VII
Cod. Vat. lat. 4922, fol. 49r, circa 1115
Saint Hugues de Cluny
Sixième abbé de Cluny (+ 1109)
Hugues le Grand ou Hugues de Semur.
Le fils du comte de Semur en Brionnais obtint de faire ses études chez son
oncle évêque d'Auxerre, ce qui le conduisit, à l'âge 15 ans, aux portes de
l'abbaye de Cluny alors que son père voulait en faire un chevalier. Dix ans
après il en était le Père Abbé et il fut l'un des artisans les plus dynamiques
de la réforme monastique. Malgré sa grande influence auprès de l'empereur, ce
fut en vain qu'il tenta de le réconcilier avec le Pape Grégoire VII après
l'affaire de Canossa. Il participa à de nombreux conciles régionaux et à de
nombreux synodes diocésains, en particulier dans le midi de la France. Il
appuya la reconquête de l'Espagne par le roi Alphonse VI de Castille. Il porta
à son apogée le rayonnement spirituel de Cluny et c'est lui qui entreprit la
construction de la troisième basilique.
Du 1er au 4 octobre 2009, à l’occasion du neuvième centenaire de la mort
d’Hugues de Semur, sixième abbé de Cluny, et dans le cadre de Cluny 2010, les
Amis de la Basilique romane de Paray-le-Monial, ont organisé un colloque
international sur Hugues de Semur, Paray-le-Monial et l’Europe Clunisienne.
(source: Narthex - blog abbaye de Cluny)
À Cluny en Bourgogne, l’an 1109, saint Hugues, abbé, qui gouverna saintement
son monastère et ses filiales durant soixante-et-un ans, porté sans cesse aux
aumônes et à la prière, gardien et promoteur très attentif de la discipline
monastique, fidèle ardent de la sainte Église dont il fut le défenseur et qu’il
s’appliqua à développer.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1055/Saint-Hugues-de-Cluny.html
Saint Hugh of Cluny
SAINT HUGUES de CLUNY
Abbé
(1024-1109)
Saint Hugues était
originaire d'une noble et riche famille de Bourgogne. En vain son père lui fit
donner une éducation toute militaire: les chevaux, les armes et la chasse
n'avaient aucun charme pour l'enfant; son bonheur était de se retirer à
l'écart, de visiter les églises et de lire nos saints livres.
A seize ans, Hugues alla
frapper à la porte du monastère de Cluny: "Quel trésor, dit un des plus
vénérables moines, reçoit ce jour le couvent de Cluny!"
A vingt-cinq ans, le
jeune moine était prieur du monastère, et peu de temps après, le saint abbé
Odilon étant mort, il fut porté en triomphe et malgré lui sur le trône
abbatial. Les honneurs, loin d'être une épreuve pour sa vertu, devinrent le
signal d'un accroissement dans la perfection.
Dès lors Hugues exerça
dans l'Église entière, par la confiance que lui témoignèrent les Papes, une
immense et très salutaire influence; il assista le Pape Étienne X sur son lit
de mort; il fut vénéré et consulté par les Papes saint Grégoire VII, Urbain II
et Pascal II, qui avaient été ses enfants, moines de Cluny, avant de monter sur
le siège de saint Pierre.
Hugues fut toujours
inébranlable dans la défense des droits de l'Église contre les princes de ce
monde, et nul plus que lui ne combattit avec vigueur les abus qui avaient
envahi le clergé à cette époque troublée.
Ayant reçu l'annonce
surnaturelle de sa mort prochaine, il s'y prépara par un redoublement
d'austérités et de ferveur. Malgré ses quatre-vingt-cinq ans, il porta jusqu'au
bout, pendant le Carême de 1109, le poids du travail et des pénitences
monastiques. Le Jeudi Saint, il se rendit au chapitre et fit distribuer aux
pauvres les aumônes ordinaires, lava les pieds de ses frères et fit couler
leurs larmes dans une exhortation touchante sur l'Évangile.
Il assista à tous les
offices du Vendredi saint et du Samedi saint, et put encore célébrer la
solennité de Pâques; mais le soir, épuisé, il dut se mettre au lit et reçut le
saint Viatique:
"Reconnaissez-vous,
lui dit-on, le Corps sacré du Sauveur?
-- Oui, répondit-il, je
Le reconnais et je L'adore!"
Il mourut étendu sur la
cendre et le cilice. "A l'heure où les derniers rayons du soleil
s'éteignent à l'horizon, écrit son biographe, s'éteignit aussi ce grand soleil
de l'Ordre monastique." Hugues avait été lié avec saint Udalric, saint
Pierre Damien, saint Bruno et un bon nombre d'autres Saints. Sous son autorité,
l'Ordre de Cluny comptait plus de trente mille moines.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie
des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950.
SOURCE : http://messe.forumactif.org/t1734-saint-hugues-de-cluny-29-avril
Saint Hugues
Hugues, fils de Dalmace, comte de Semur, naquit en 1024. Agé de sept ans il
partit chez son grand-oncle Hugues, évêque d’Auxerre, afin d’y recevoir une
éducation religieuse, plutôt que d’opter pour la carrière des armes.
Il entra à l’âge de 13 ans à l’abbaye Saint Marcel de Chalon, et de là à Cluny,
deux ans plus tard. Odilon le fit ordonner prêtre en 1044, et le nomma Grand
Prieur de Cluny en 1048. Il lui succéda comme abbé l’année suivante.
L’histoire d’Hugues est celle de l’abbaye et de l’ordre de Cluny pendant
soixante années...
Dès l’année de son élection il fut impliqué dans les grandes questions de
l’Eglise. Il participa au Concile de Reims, présidé par Léon IX, et suivit ce
dernier à Rome pour le Concile de Pâques 1050.
Là il se lia d’amitié avec Frédéric, abbé du Mont Cassin, et avec Hildebrand,
abbé de Saint Paul. Il fut à plusieurs reprises nommé légat du pape, envoyé en
missions difficiles dans l’empire de Germanie et même en Hongrie.
Frédéric fut élu pape sous le nom de Etienne X, tandis que Hildebrand devint
pape quelques années plus tard sous le nom de Grégoire VII.
Saint Hugues rencontra également à plusieurs reprises Pierre Damien, grand
conseiller des papes pour la réforme de l’Eglise.
Hugues mourut le 29 avril 1109, qui était le mercredi de l’octave de Pâques.
Calixte II, qui avait été élu pape à Cluny même en 1119, revint à Cluny le 1er
janvier suivant et ordonna de solenniser par un culte liturgique l’anniversaire
de la mort d’Hugues. Le culte de Saint Hugues fut célébré dès cette date, dans
l’ordre clunisien.
SOURCE : http://www.abbayes.fr/histoire/benedictins/hugues.htm
Hugues de Cluny (1024-1109), parfois appelé Hugues le Grand ou Hugues de Semur,
est le 6ème abbé de Cluny, de (1049 à 1109). Il a été canonisé par l'Église
catholique ; sa fête est le 29 Avril. Il est issu d'une famille aristocratique
de châtelains, liée aux Carolingiens et peut-être aux Capétiens. Son père est
Dalmace Ier, baron de Semur en Brionnais (1020-1068), dont le nom Dalmatius est
de souche Gallo Romaine, et issu de Brioude. Les barons de Donzy en Nivernais,
les Damas, sires de Cousan en Forez, les comtes de Chalons, etc., sont ses
parents. Entré au monastère à l'âge de 15 ans, il est nommé prieur à 20 ans. En
(1049), il devient l'abbé de Cluny où il est formé par son prédécesseur, Odilon
de Cluny. En (1054), avec son frère Geoffroy, il fonde le 1er prieuré de
bénédictines de Marcigny, dépendant de Cluny. Sous son abbatiat, l'ordre de
Cluny va s'étendre de l'Angleterre à la Pologne et de l'Allemagne à l'Italie et
l'Espagne. Il mit en chantier la 3ème Abbatiale de Cluny, qui deviendra au
début du (XIIIème siècle) la plus grande construction en Europe et le demeurera
jusqu'au (XVIème siècle). Hugues fut le principal artisan du mouvement
monastique clunisien pendant le dernier quart du (XIème siècle).
Les relations d'Hugues avec Ferdinand Ier et Alphonse VI de Castille, ainsi que
son influence sur le Pape Urbain II, qui fut avant son élection grand prieur à
Cluny même sous l'abbatiat d'Hugues, firent de ce dernier l'une des plus
puissantes et influentes figures de la fin du (XIème siècle). De plus, comme
parrain d'Henri IV, empereur d'Allemagne, il joua également un rôle dans son
conflit avec le Pape Grégoire VII au cours de la Querelle des Investitures. Il
refusa l’offre de Guillaume le Conquérant de réformer les monastères saxons.
SOURCE : http://monumentshistoriques.free.fr/personnages/hugues.html
Also
known as
Hugh the Great
Hugh of Cluni
Hugh of Semur
Hugues de Cluny
Profile
Born to the Burgundian nobility.
Eldest son of Count Dalmatius
of Semur and Aremberge of Vergy. His father wanted
him to become a knight and
secular leader; his mother was
advised of a vision received by a local priest that
her son was destined for religious
life. When Hugh seemed more inclined to the Church than
the hunt,
his father sent
him to his grand-uncle Hugh, Bishop of Auxerre, France for education. Novice at Cluny Abbey at
age 14. Monk at
15 under Saint Odilo. Deacon at
18. Priest at
20. Benedictine. Abbey prior.
Elected abbot on 1 January 1049.
Fought lay investiture, simony, and
corruption among the clergy.
Founded almost 2,000 new houses, led by like-minded religious,
in France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Fought against simony at
the Council of Rheims in 1049.
Participated in the Council of Rome in 1059 that
set the method of election of Popes.
Presided over the Synod of Toulouse, and participated in the 1063 Council
of Rome. Served as peace
maker between the Vatican and Henry
IV. Advisor to nine Popes.
Born
1024 at
Semur, Brionnais, diocese of Autun, France as Hugues
de Semur
28 April 1109 at Cluny Abbey, France
miracles reported
at his tomb
most of his relics were
destroyed by Huguenots in 1575
6 January 1120 by Pope Saint Callistus
II
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Citation
“Saint Hugh of
Cluny“. CatholicSaints.Info. 24 December 2023. Web. 27 April 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-hugh-of-cluny/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-hugh-of-cluny/
St. Hugh the Great
Abbot of
Cluny, born at Semur (Brionnais in the Diocese
of Autun, 1024; died at Cluny, 28 April, 1109.
His early life
The eldest son of Count Dalmatius of Semur and Aremberge (Aremburgis)
of Vergy, Hugh was descended from the noblest families in Burgundy.
Dalmatius, devoted to war and
the chase, desired
that Hugh should adopt the knightly calling and
succeed to the ancestral estates; his mother, however, influenced it is said by
a vision vouchsafed to a priest whom
she consulted, wished her son to dedicate himself to the service
of God.
From his earliest years Hugh gave indication of such extraordinary
earnestness and piety that
his father,
recognizing his evident aversion from the so-called gentle pursuits, entrusted
him to his grand-uncle Hugh, Bishop of Auxerre,
for preparation for the priesthood.
Under the protection of this relative, Hugh received his early education at
the monastery school attached
to the Priory of St. Marcellus. At the age of fourteen he
entered the novitiate at Cluny,
where he displayed such religious
fervour that he was allowed to make his vows in
the following year without completing the severe novitiate usual
at this monastery.
The special privilege of the Cluniac Congregation enabled
him to become deacon at
eighteen and priest at
twenty. In recognition of his wonderful zeal for
the discipline of the order, and of the confidence awakened by his
conspicuous talent for government, he was quickly, in spite of his youth,
chosen grand prior. In this capacity he was charged with the whole
domestic direction of the cloister in
both spiritual and temporal affairs, and represented the abbot during
his absence (Cfr. D'Achery, "Spicilegium", 2nd ed., I, 686). On
the death of St.
Odilo on 1 January, 1049, after a prolonged administration of nigh on
half a century, Hugh was unanimously elected abbot,
and was solemnly installed
by Archbishop Hugh of Besançon on
the Feast of the Chair of Peter at Antioch (22
February), 1049.
Hugh as abbot
Hugh's character bears many points of resemblance to that of his
great contemporary and friend, St.
Gregory VII. Both were animated with a burning zeal to
extirpate the abuses then prevalent among the clergy,
to crush investiture with its corollaries, simony and clerical incontinence,
and to rescue Christian society from
the confusion into which the reckless ambition and avarice of
rulers and the consequent political instability had thrown it. The emperor
claimed the right to
appoint bishops, abbots,
even the pope himself
(see CONFLICT
OF INVESTITURES), and in too many cases his selection was swayed entirely
by political motives to the exclusion of every thought of religious fitness.
To prevent the Church from
lapsing into a mere appanage of the State and to re-establish ecclesiastical
discipline were the great objects alike of Gregory and Hugh,
and if, in certain cases, Gregory allowed
his zeal to
outstrip his discretion, he found in Hugh an unflinching ally, and to
the Benedictine
Order, particularly the Cluniac branch,
belongs the chief credit of promulgating among
the people and carrying into effect in Western Europe the
many salutary reforms emanating from the Holy
See. In founding Cluny in 910, and endowing it with his entire
domains, William the Pious of Aquitaine had placed it under
the direct protection of Rome.
Thus Cluny, with its network of daughter-foundations
(see Cluny, Congregation of; Gallia Christ., II, 374),
was a formidable weapon for reform in the hands of the successive popes. Hugh entrusted
the election of the superiors of all cloisters and churches subject
to him into spiritual hands, promised them — in addition to
the privileges of the congregation — the support and protection
of Cluny, and thus saved hundreds of cloisters from
the cupidity of secular lords, who were very loath to interfere with
the rights of
a congregation so powerful and enjoying such high favour with emperors and
kings. To secure this protection numbers of cloisters became
affiliated with Cluny; new houses were opened in France, Germany, Spain,
and Italy,
while under Hugh was also founded at St. Pancras near Lewes
the first Benedictine house
in England.
(See, however, ST.
AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY; ST.
DUNSTAN.) Since the superiors of most of these homes were either directly
or indirectly nominated by Hugh, and since, as abbot,
he had to ratify the elections, it is easy to understand how important a
role he played in the great struggle between imperialism and the Holy
See.
As early as 1049, at the age of twenty-five, Hugh appeared at
the Council of Reims.
Here, at the request, and in the presence of Leo
IX, he expressed so energetically against the reigning abuses that even
the simoniacal bishops could
not withstand his zeal.
This advocacy contributed largely to the passing of many remedial ordinances
concerning church discipline (cfr. Labbe,
"Conc.", IX, 1045-6), and led Leo
IX to take Hugh with him to Rome that
he might have the assistance and advice of the young abbot at
the great council to be held in 1050, at which the question of clerical discipline was
to be decided and the heresy of Berengarius condemned
(cfr. Hefele, "Conciliengesch.", IV,
741). Leo's successor, Victor II, also held Hugh in
the highest esteem, and confirmed in 1055 all
the privileges of Cluny. On Hildebrand's arrival
in France as papal
legate (1054), he hastened first to Cluny to consult
with Hugh and secure his assistance at the Council of Tours. Stephen
IX, immediately on his elevation, summoned Hugh to Rome,
made him the companion of his journeys, and finally died in his arms
at Florence (1058). Hugh was also the companion of Nicholas
II, and under him took part in the Council of Rome which promulgated the
important decree concerning papal
elections (Easter,
1059). He was then sent to France with
Cardinal Stephan, a Monk of Monte
Cassino, to effect the execution of the decrees of
the Roman synod, and proceeded to Aquitaine, while his colleague
repaired to the northwest. The active support of the numerous cloisters subject
to Cluny enabled him to discharge his mission with the greatest
success. He assembled councils at Avignon and Vienne,
and managed to win the support of the bishops for
many important reforms. In the same year (10) he presided over
the Synod of Toulouse.
At the Council of Rome in
1063 he defended the privileges of Cluny which had been
recklessly attacked in France. Alexander
II sent St.
Peter Damian, Cardinal
Bishop of Ostia,
as legate to France to
adjudicate in this and other matters, meanwhile ratifying all
the privileges held by Hugh's predecessors. After a stay
at Cluny, during which he conceived the high admiration
and veneration for the monastery and
its abbot reflected
in his letters (cfr. "Epist.", VI, 2, 4, 5 in P.L., XCLIV, 378),
the legate held
a council at Châlons,
which decided in favour of Hugh.
Scarcely had Hildebrand ascended
the Chair of Peter as Gregory
VII when he wrote to Cluny to
secure Hugh's cooperation in promoting his
various reforms. Hugh was entrusted to deal with the delicate
case of the unworthy Archbishop Manasse of Reims,
as well as with commissions in connection with the expedition of
Count Evroul of Roucy against the Saracens in Spain.
Frequently urged by Gregory to
come to Rome, Hugh was
unable to leave France until
after the lamentable occurrences of 1076 (see GREGORY VII), but then
hastened to visit the pope at Canossa.
With the assistance of Countess Mathilda, he managed to bring about the
reconciliation — unfortunately of short duration — between Gregory and Henry
IV, who had already addressed a letter full of affection declaring his
great desire for the peace of the Church (cfr.
"Hist. Lit. de la France", loc. cit. infra). Hugh was
subsequently engaged with the papal
legate in Spain in
the matter of ecclesiastical reform,
and, as a result of his diligence and the high favour he enjoyed
with Alphonsus VI of Castille, the Mozarabic was replaced
by the Roman
Ritual throughout that monarch's realm. Thanks to the assistance of
the many Cluniac foundations
in Catalonia,
Castille, Leon, Aragon,
etc., and the many bishops chosen
from their inmates, he was also enabled to give a great impetus to ecclesiastical reform
in these countries. In 1077 he was commissioned to presides over the Council of Langres,
and later to undertake the removal of the Bishop of Orléans and
the Archbishop of Reims. Gregory wrote
him many affectionate letters, and at the Roman synod in 1081
referred to Hugh in terms of praise seldom used by
a successor of Peter concerning a living person.
That this appreciation was not confined to the Holy Father is evident
from the fact that, when asked by Gregory whether
his opinion was shared by them, all present answered: "Placet,
laudamus" (Bullar. Clun., p. 21).
On the revival of the quarrel between Henry
IV and the Holy
See, Hugh set out immediately for Rome,
but was seized on the way and conducted before the monarch. So earnestly did he
urge Henry to make his submission
to Peter's successor that he seemed again to have bridged the
quarrel, if this were not another example of the king's well-known duplicity.
It is scarcely necessary to
state that Hugo's intimacy with the Holy
See continued unchanged under Urban
II and Paschal II, since both issued from the ranks of his monks, Surrounded by cardinals and bishops, Urban consecrated on
25 October, 1095, the high
altar of the new church at Cluny, and granted the monastery new privileges,
which were augmented by Paschal during his visit in 1107. At the
great Council of Clermont in
1095, whose decision to organize the First
Crusade was a clear indication of the great religious enthusiasm
resulting from Gregory's and Hugh's labours,
the abbot performed
most valuable services in the composition and promulgation of
the decrees, for which he was specially thanked by the pope.
Until the death, in 1106, of Henry
IV, who in that year addressed two letters to his ":dearest
father", begging for his prayers and
his intercession with the Holy
See (cfr. "Hist. Lit. de la France", loc. cit.
infra), Hugh never relaxed his efforts to bring about a
reconciliation between the spiritual and temporal powers.
In the spring of 1109, Hugh, worn out with years and labours, and feeling
his end approaching, asked for the Last Sacraments, summoned around him
his spiritual children, and, having given each the kiss
of peace, dismissed them with the greeting: Benedicite. Then,
asking to be conveyed to the Chapel of our Blessed Lady, he
laid himself in sackcloth and ashes before her altar,
and thus breathed forth his soul to
his Creator on the evening of Easter Monday
(28 April). His tomb in
the church was soon the scene of miracles,
and to it Pope
Gelasius I made a pilgrimage in
1119, dying at Cluny on 20 January. Elected at the monastery on
2 February, Callistus
II began immediately the process of canonization,
and, on 6 January, 1120, declared Hugh a saint,
appointing 29 April his feast-day.
In honour of St.
Hugh the Abbot of Cluny was
henceforth accorded the title and dignity of a cardinal.
At the instance of Honorius
III the translation of the saint's remains
took place on 23 May, 1220, but, during the uprising of the Huguenots (1575),
the remains and the costly shrine disappeared with the exception of a few relics.
Hugh's personality and influence
In the case of comparatively few of our saints has
the decision of their own and subsequent ages been so unanimous as in that
of St.
Hugh. Living in an age of misrepresentation and abuse, when
the Church had
to contend with far grater domestic and external inimical forces than those
marshalled by the so-called Reformation,
not a single voice was raised against his character — for we disregard
the criticism of the French bishop,
who in the heat of a quarrel pronounced hasty words afterwards to be recalled,
and who was subsequently one of Hugh's panegyrists. In one of his
letters Gregory declares
that he confidently expects the success of ecclesiastical reform
in France through God's mercy
and the instrumentality of Hugh, "whom no imprecation, no applause or
favours, no personal motives can divert from the path of rectitude" (Gregorii
VII Registr., IV, 22). In the "Life
of Bishop Arnulf of Soissons", Arnulf says
of Hugh: "Most pure in though and deed, he as the promoter
and perfect guardian of monastic discipline and
the regular life, the unfailing support of the true religious and
of men of probity, the vigorous champion and defender of
the Holy Church" (Mabillon, op. cit. infra, saec. VI, pars II,
P. 532). And of his closing years Bishop Bruno of Segni writes:
"Now aged and burdened with years, reverenced by all and loved by
all, he still governs that venerable monastery [sc. Cluny]
with the same consummate wisdom — a man in all things most laudable, difficult
of comparison, and of wonderful sanctity"
(Muratori, "Rerum Ital. script.", III, pt. ii, 347).
Emperors and kings vied with the sovereign
pontiffs in bestowing on Hugh marks of
their veneration and esteem. Henry the Black, in a letter
which has come down to us, addresses Hugh as his "very dear
father, worthy of every respect", declares that he owes his own return to
health and the happy birth
of his child to the abbot's prayers and
urges him to come to the Court at Cologne the
following Easter to
stand sponsor for this son (the future Henry
IV). During her widowhood Empress Agnes wrote
to Hugh in terms no less respectful and affectionate, asking him
to pray for
the happy repose
of her husband's soul and
for the prosperous reign of her son. Reference has been already made to the
letters sent to Hugh by Henry
IV, who, notwithstanding his prolonged struggle to make the Church subservient
to the imperial power, seems never to have lost his affection and profound
respect for his saintly godfather. In recognition of the benefits
derived from the Cluniac foundations, Ferdinand the
Great of Castille and Leon (d. 1065) made
his kingdom tributary to Cluny; his sons Sancho and Alfonso VI
doubled the tribute, and the latter, in addition to introducing the Roman
Ritual at Hugh's request, carried on a most affectionate
correspondence with the abbot.
In 1081 Hugh was chosen by the kings and princes of the various Christian kingdoms
of Spain as
arbiter to decide the question of succession. When Robert II of Burgundy refused
to attend the Council of Autun (1065),
at which his presence was necessary, Hugo was
sent to summon the duke, and remonstrated with him so eloquently in the
interests of peace that Robert accompanied the abbot unresistingly to
the council, became reconciled with those who had put his son to death,
and promised to respect thenceforth the property
of the Church.
William the Conqueror of England,
shortly after the Battle of Hastings (1066), made rich presents
to Cluny and begged to be admitted a confrater of the abbey like
the Spanish kings. He subsequently begged Hugh to send
six monks to England to
minister to the spiritual needs of the Court, and renewed his request in
1078, promising to appoint twelve of the Cluniac Congregation to bishoprics and abbacies within
the kingdom. Hugh disabused his mind on the subject
of ecclesiastical appointments,
and, when founding a little later the Priorate of St.
Pancras at Lewes, took every precaution to secure in the case of it and
its dependent cloisters freedom
of election and respect for canon law. How necessary this
precaution was, the Investiture war,
which broke out under William's sons, clearly indicated. The champion
of the Church in
this struggle, St.
Anselm of Canterbury, was one of the many bishops who
consulted Hugh in their difficulties and trials, and on three
occasions — once during his exile from England —
visited the abbot at Cluny.
For the monks under
is care Hugh was a model of fatherly forethought,
of devotion to discipline and prayer,
and unhesitating obedience to the Holy
See. In furtherance of the great objects of his order, the service of God and
personal sanctification, he strove to impart the utmost possible splendour
and solemnity to the liturgical services
at Cluny. Some of his liturgical ordinances,
such as the singing of
the Veni Creator at Tierce on Pentecost Sunday (subsequently
also within the octave), have since been extended to the entire Roman
Church. He began the magnificent church at Cluny — now
unfortunately entirely disappeared — which was, until the erection of St.
Peter's at Rome,
the largest church in Christendom,
and was esteemed the finest example of the Romanesque style in France.
For the part played by Cluny in the evolution of this style
and for its special school of sculpture,
the reader must be referred to treatises on
the history of architecture. Hugh gave the first
impulse to the introduction of the strict cloister into
the convents of nuns,
prescribing it first for that of Marcigny, of which his sister became
first prioress in
1061 (Cucherat, op. cit. infra), and where his mother also took the
veil. Renowned for his charity towards the
suffering poor, he built a hospital for lepers,
where he himself performed the most menial duties.
It is impossible to trace here the effect which his granting of personal and
civic freedom to the bondsmen and
colonists feudatory to Cluny, and the fostering of
tradesmen's guilds — the nuclei from which most of the modern cities
of Europe sprang
— have had on civilization.
Although his favourite study was the Scriptures, St.
Hugh encouraged science in
every possible way, and showed his deep interest in education by
teaching in person in the school attached
to the monastery.
Notwithstanding the exceeding activity of his life he found time to carry on an
extensive correspondence. Almost all his letters and his "Life of
the Blessed Virgin", for whom as well as for the souls in purgatory he
had a great devotion, have been lost. However, his extant letters and his
"Sermo" in honour of
the martyred Saint Marcellus are
sufficient to show "how well he could write and with what skill he could
speak to the heart" (Hist. Lit. de la France,
IX, 479).
Sources
The sources for Hugh's
biography are the Vitae of RAINALD, HILDEDETER, the monk HUGO, GILO,
and ANONYMUS PRIMUS and SECUNDUS. The Vitae of Rainald and Anonymus
Primus. together with a melded Synopsis of the former also by Rainald are given
in Acta S.S., III, Apr., 648 58; those of Hildebert, Hugo and Anonymus
Secundus in Bibliotheca Cluniacensis, ed. MARRIER and DU CHESNE (Paris,
1614), 413 38; 447 62, 557-69, LEHMANN, Forschungen zur Gesch. des Abtes
Hugo I von Cluny (Gottingen, 1869) is a careful consideration of the
information contained in all the above Vitae except that by Gilo. The
Vita of Gilo was first edited by L'HUILLIER, Vie de St-Hugues (Solesmes,
1888), probably the best biography et written. For the Cluniac discipline see
HEROOTT, Vetus disciplina monastica (Paris, 1726), 371 sqq., and
P.L., XCLIX (Paris, 1882). The following works may also be consulted:
DUCKETT, Charters and Records of Cluni (Lewes, 1890); IDEM, Record-Evidences
among Archives of the Ancient Abbey of Cluni from 1077 to 1537 (Lewes, 1886),
containing documents in connection with the foundation of the order in England;
MABILLON, Annales O.S.B., III V (Paris, 1703-38); SAINTE-MARTHE, Gallia
Christ., IV (Paris, 1728), 1117; HELVOT, Hist. des ordres religieux, V
(Paris, 1792); CHAMPLY, Hist. de Cluny (Macon, 1866); Hist. Lit.
de la France, IX, 465 sqq.; HEIMBUCHER, Die Orden u. Kongreg. der kath.
Kirche, I (Paderborn, 1896), 116 sqq.; BAUMER in Kirchenlex., s.v.;
BOURGAIN, Chaire Francaise, XII s. (1879), 72; BRIAL, Rec. hist.
France, XIV (1896), exi, 71 3; PIGNOT, Hist. de Cluny, II (Paris, 1868),
1-372; WATTENBACH, Deutsch. Geschichtsquell., II (1874), 150;
CUCHERAT, Cluny au onzième siècle (Autun, 1886); BERNARD and
BRUEL, Recueil des chartes de l'Abbaye de Cluny (Paris, 1876-);
GREEVEN, Die Wirksankeit der Cluniacenser auf kirchl. u.
polit. Gebiete im 11. Jahrhunderete (Wesel, 1870).
Kennedy, Thomas. "St. Hugh the Great." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1910. 31 Mar.
2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07524a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Michael T. Barrett. Dedicated to
the Poor Souls in Purgatory.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07524a.htm
April 29
St. Hugh, Abbot of Cluni,
Confessor
HE was a prince related
to the sovereign house of the dukes of Burgundy, and had his education under
the tuition of his pious mother, and under the care of Hugh, bishop of Auxerre,
his great uncle. From his infancy he was exceedingly given to prayer and
meditation, and his life was remarkably innocent and holy. The world he always
looked upon as a tempestuous sea, worked up by the storms of human passions,
and concealing rocks and shelves everywhere under its boisterous waves. In
obedience to the will of his father, he learned the exercises of fencing and
riding. But one day hearing an account of the wonderful sanctity of the monks
of Cluni, under St. Odilo, he was so moved, that he set out that moment, and
going thither, humbly begged the monastic habit. After a rigid novitiate, he
made his profession in 1039, being sixteen years old. His extraordinary virtue,
especially his admirable humility, obedience, charity, sweetness, prudence, and
zeal, gained him the respect of the whole community; and, upon the death of St.
Odilo, in 1049, though only twenty-five years old, he succeeded to the
government of that great abbey, which he held sixty-two years. He received to
the religious profession, Hugh, duke of Burgundy, and died on the 29th of
April, in 1109, aged eighty-five. 1 He
was canonized twelve years after his death by Pope Calixtus II. See his life
written in the same age, by Hildebert, bishop of Mans, afterwards archbishop of
Tours, among his works published by Dom. Beaugendre, in 1705; also in
Papebroke, 29 Apr. p. 628 and 658. See likewise Ceillier, t. 21, p. 353; Mabil.
l. 71; Annal. Bened. and t. p. 9. Actor.
Note 1. Several of
the letters of St. Hugh of Cluni are extant. In one to William the Conqueror,
who had offered him for his house one hundred pounds for every monk he would
send into England, he answered that he would give that sum himself for every
good monk he could procure for his monastery, if such a thing were to be
purchased. The true reason of his refusal was, his fear of the monks he should
send falling into relaxations by living in monasteries not reformed. He left
many wise statutes for his monks, and others for the nuns of Marcigni, of which
monastery he was the founder. See them published by Dom. Marrier, and H.
Duchesne, in their Bibliotheca Cluniacensis, p. 500. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/4/293.html
Hugh of Cluny, OSB Abbot (RM)
(also known as Hugh the Great)
Born at Semur (Samur, near Autun), Burgundy, France, in 1024; died at Cluny in
1109; canonized by Pope Callistus III in 1120.
Hugh, eldest son of Count Dalmatius of Semur, entered the monastery at Cluny,
France, at age 15. It was unusual that a nobleman would allow his heir to chose
this vocation so early in life, especially when he seems destined to a notable
career in the world. Nevertheless, Hugh's father may have realized that his son
was more suited for the monastery, than the court. The youth was overly
studious and too clumsy to be a knight. In fact, though, Hugh may have
professed himself a monk at Cluny (c. 1040) in defiance of his father.
Hugh was ordained five years later, was named prior shortly thereafter, and in
1049, at the tender age of 25, succeeded Saint Odilo as abbot. By then, Hugh
had grown tall and handsome, able and sympathetic, focussed yet detached--the
perfect person to executive the plans God had for him. The abbacy carried with
it the leadership of the powerful Benedictine confederation that depended upon
Cluny. He also continued Saint Odilo's policy of bringing the more than 200 constituent
monasteries of the congregation into closer dependence on the mother house. In
the 60 years of Hugh's governance, the number of dependents expanded from about
60 to about 2,000 with various forms of association, in Italy, France, Spain,
and England.
Hugh attended the Council of Rheims and eloquently supported the reforms of
Pope Saint Leo IX, denouncing simony and the relaxation of clerical discipline.
Hugh went back to Rome with Leo, attended a synod condemning Berengarius of
Tours in 1050, and in 1057, as papal legate, effected peace between Emperor
Henry IV and King Andrew of Hungary.
Hugh assisted Pope Nicholas II in drawing up the decree on papal elections at a
council in Rome in 1059 and continued in close relationship with the Holy See
when Hildebrand, who had been a monk at Cluny, was elected pope as Gregory VII.
Hugh worked closely with Gregory to reform the Church and revive spiritual life
in it. In 1068, settled the usage for the whole Cluniac order. In 1095, he had
Pope Urban II consecrate the high altar of the basilica at Cluny, then the
largest church in Christendom, and was a leader at the Council of Clermont in
organizing the First Crusade.
He served nine popes, was adviser of emperors, kings, bishops, and religious
superiors. Hugh's list of friends could be a 'who's who' of the period: Saint
Anselm, Blessed Urban II, and Saint Peter Damien. Hugh's integrity and
generosity were known to all; when Saint Anselm fell out with King William II
of England, it was to Hugh at Cluny that he first went for counsel. He also
mediated in the bitter feud between Pope Gregory and Emperor Henry IV at
Canossa in 1077. Hugh also founded a hospital at Marcigny in which he loved to
wait upon the lepers with his own hands.
He championed reforms wherever he went. Universally admired for his
intellectual and spiritual attainments and as a simple man of great prudence
and justice, he exercised a dominant influence on the political and
ecclesiastical affairs of his times. Hugh was a man of eminent psychological
insight and diplomatic ability. Hugh's saintly life impressed such varied men
as Saint Peter Damian and William the Conqueror (Attwater, Benedictines,
Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill, Husenbeth).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0429.shtml
St.
Hugh the Great
Feastday: April 29
Patron: Against fever
Birth: 1024
Death: 1109
Benedictine abbot and
one of the most influential men of his era. He was born the eldest son of the
Count of Semur, France and
entered Cluny Abbey, France, at the age of fifteen. He was ordained at twenty,
and elected abbot at
twenty five. Hugh succeeded St. Odilo in
this office. He attended the Council of Reims, supported Pope St. Leo IX's
efforts at reform, and in 1057 served as a papal legate negotiating
a peace between King Henry IV and
King Andrew I of Hungary. In 1059, he aided Pope Nicholas II and
then Pope Gregory VIII. Hugh mediated the feud between the Holy See and
King Henry
IV Cluny, then the largest church in Christendom, was blessed by Pope
Urban II. Hugh also founded a hospital for lepers and preached the First
Crusade. He died at Cluny having served as abbot for
six decades, and was canonized in 1120.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3813
Catholic
Heroes . . . St. Hugh The Great
April
26, 2016
By
CAROLE BRESLIN
In the 11th century, over 150 years before St. Francis of Assisi received the order from our Lord to “repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin,” the secular rulers sought to control the appointment of bishops, abbots, and even the Pope. During this period of simony and conflict, St. Hugh the Great entered time to be one of the most influential men both within the Church and among the rulers of Europe.
St. Hugh the Great was born in 1024, the eldest son of Count Dalmatius of Semur and Aremberge of Vergy. He was descended from the noblest families of Burgundy, France, located about 200 miles southeast of Paris. As a noble, Hugh’s father hoped that his firstborn son would follow the manly pursuits of hunting and warfare.
On the other hand, his mother was deeply devout and faithfully practiced her faith. She wished that her son would prepare for the priesthood. According to one biographer, Hugh’s mother had a vision indicating that Hugh should become a priest and give all to serve God.
With the special gifts that God bestowed on Hugh and with his mother’s prayers, Hugh developed in intelligence, piety, holiness, and sincerity. The count recognized that Hugh had no interest in knightly pursuits and was more inclined to the priesthood, so he entrusted him to the care of Bishop Hugh of Auxerre, the boy’s grand-uncle.
The bishop monitored young Hugh as he attended the school at the Priory of Marcellus, a monastery. Next Hugh entered the novitiate of Cluny, about 240 miles southeast of Paris. Although he was only 14, this event marked the beginning of a new era in both Church and European history.
Hugh’s remarkable gifts became even more pronounced. His fervor and dedication to the religious life was profoundly elevated. Even given the strict novitiate at Cluny, he was allowed to make his vows after only one year — something never done before.
He achieved another remarkable step in his Church career at the age of 18 when he was ordained a deacon. Only two years later he was ordained a priest.
Hugh’s great talents and gifts, his piety and his zeal for discipline, brought him to the attention of his superiors who readily chose him to be grand prior of the monastery at Cluny. Hugh once again proved his skill at government and he also became the director of the cloister in spiritual as well as temporal matters.
Whenever the abbot left the monastery, he would leave Hugh in charge of all the men. When Hugh was 25 years old, the abbot, St. Odilo, died, on January 1, 1049. Unanimously, Hugh was elected abbot of Cluny. About six weeks later, on February 22, 1049, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Hugh was installed by Archbishop Hugh of Besancon.
Now began Hugh’s relationship with eight Popes in reforming the Church in Europe. Under Pope St. Leo IX (1049-1054), he attended the Council of Reims, denouncing the prevalence of simony and the relaxation of clerical celibacy with such effectiveness that even those who received their offices by simony applauded him.
Pope Victor II (1054-1057) respected the growing work of the Cluny abbey so much that he confirmed all the privileges previously endowed.
In 1057, Hugh then went to Rome to participate in the synod which denounced the Berengarian heresy under the same Pope. When the papal legate came to France, he first went to Cluny to seek Hugh’s advice and then when that legate became Pope Stephen X (1057-1058), Hugh was called to Rome. Hugh was so close to this Pope that the Pope called him to his deathbed — Stephen held him in his arms as he died.
His Successor, Pope Nicholas II (1058-1061), called Hugh to Rome once again to attend the Council of Rome. After the synod, Hugh was sent back to France where, because of the expanding network of monasteries under Hugh, he effectively implemented the decrees from Rome and held councils in Avignon, Toulouse, and Vienne.
Although he also worked with Pope Alexander II (1061-1073), his most memorable work came when Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) enlisted Hugh to reform the Church from its many abuses of simony and sins against clerical celibacy.
Hugh also worked with Urban II (1088-1099), Pope Pascal II (1099-1118), and many other world leaders. In fact, he was godfather to the son of the emperor who later became Henry IV. His stature among the rulers of Europe was so high and his skills so great that he frequently served as arbitrator in disputes at the highest levels.
He spent every moment in service to God. Not only did he serve the highest men in the hierarchy of the Church and the rulers of Europe, but he also oversaw the growth of Benedictine monastic life. Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy were some of the countries where new houses were founded. One monastery was founded in England while a full enclosure convent for women was built in Marcigny — one to which his sister belonged.
The Cluniac monasteries were well known for their holiness and disciplined life and continued to grow in number. Given the number of Cluniac monasteries that had been established and their effectiveness, many of their members were chosen to fill church offices — this greatly facilitated any decrees from Rome that needed to be implemented.
Yet Hugh’s most important work was prayer. When he was not in prayer, he was either working for God or neighbor. His disciple, Heribert, wrote of Hugh, “Insatiable in reading, indefatigable in prayer, he employed every moment for his own progress or for the good of his neighbor. It is hard to say which was the greater, his prudence or his simplicity. Never did he speak an idle word: Never did he perform a questionable act. . . . When he was silent, he was conversing with God; when he talked he spoke of God and in God.”
In the spring of 1109, as death neared, Hugh received the last sacraments, bid each of his brothers in Christ goodbye with a kiss and a blessing, and then asked to be taken to the Chapel of Our Lady where he lay down in sackcloth and ashes and died.
His tomb soon became the site of many miracles. Pope Gelasius I (1118-1119) made his final pilgrimage to Cluny, visited the saint’s tomb, and then died at Cluny in 1119. His Successor, Pope Callistus II, when he was installed as Pope, immediately began the cause of canonization of Hugh from Cluny.
St. Hugh’s feast day is April 29.
Dear St. Hugh the Great, pray for us. You served as a priest tirelessly, working to reform the Church. Help the Church today by interceding for us to have good priests, religious, and laity who will work as tirelessly as you did to hold firm to the true disciplines and teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Carole
Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the
Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was
national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon,
SJ.)
SOURCE :
https://thewandererpress.com/saints/catholic-heroes-st-hugh-the-great/
Apr
28 – St Hugh (1024-1109) abbot of Cluny
28
April, 2012
Summary: St Hugh
was abbot of Cluny for sixty years and advisor to nine popes. He was one
of the most influential leaders of the Middle Ages. It is important to
distinguish him from St Hugh of Lincoln, a Frenchman who came to England about
a century later.
Patrick
Duffy tells this Hugh’s story.
Of
Noble Origin
St
Hugh of Semur, was elected abbot of Cluny. He was the eldest son of
Dalmatius, count of Semur (near Autun) and a relative of several Burgundian
noblemen. He became a monk of Cluny in defiance of his father’s wishes in 1040
and four years later was ordained priest.
Abbot at Twenty-five
Abbot Odilo (962-1049) appointed him as prior and on Odilo’s death he was
elected abbot at twenty-five. As abbot Hugh was influential throughout Europe
over the next sixty years. He fought lay investiture, simony, and corruption
among the clergy. He was adviser to nine popes, including Popes St Leo IX and
St Gregory VII.
Counciler and Papal Legate
He took part in many important events such as the condemnation of Berengarius
in 1050, the reforming councils of 1055 and 1060. He was papal legate in
Hungary (1051-2), Toulouse (1062 and 1068) and Spain (1073). As the godfather
of the emperor Henry IV, he also played a role as a mediator during the
conflict between Gregory VII and Henry IV, though he was not successful.
The Largest Church in Christendom
During his time a new huge church and monastery were built at Cluny with funds
from Kings Ferdinand I and Alphonso VI of Leon and Castile. The church was the
largest in Christendom and was consecrated in 1093 by Pope Urban II, who had
been prior at Cluny under Hugh.
Foundation in England
In 1078 Hugh sent monks to begin the foundation of the priory of St
Pancras at Lewes in Sussex, England and later was an adviser to St Anselm of
Canterbury.
First Crusade (1095)
With Pope Urban II Hugh also helped initiate the first crusade at the
council of Clermont (1095).
Canonisation
Pope St Callistus II canonised Hugh in 1120.
SOURCE :
https://www.catholicireland.net/saintoftheday/st-hugh-1024-1109-abbot-of-cluny/
Sant' Ugo di Cluny Abate
Brionnais (Autun), 1024 -
Cluny (Francia), 29 aprile 1109
Ugo il Grande fu il
quarto abate della celebre abbazia benedettina di Cluny, centro della rinascita
religiosa, e non solo, che investì l'Europa dell'XI secolo. Nato nel 1024,
eletto a venticinque anni alla guida della comunità monastica francese, governò
numerosi monasteri. Fu consigliere di re e papi, tra i quali Gregorio VII
(Ildebrando di Soana) che prima di accedere al soglio pontificio era stato un
suo monaco. Morì nel 1109. (Avvenire)
Martirologio Romano: A
Cluny in Burgundia, nell’odierna Francia, sant’Ugo, abate, che per sessantuno
anni resse santamente il monastero di questo luogo, sempre dedito alle
elemosine e alla preghiera, custode e instancabile promotore della disciplina
monastica, fervido amministratore e propagatore della santa Chiesa.
Le notizie su questo santo abate dell’abbazia benedettina di Cluny in Francia, fondata nel 910 da Guglielmo il Pio, duca di Aquitania, ci pervengono da ben quattro ‘Vite’ tutte scritte dal 1120 al 1125, praticamente quasi contemporanee, essendo s. Ugo morto nel 1109.
Egli nacque nel 1024 a Brionnais nella diocesi di Autun, primo degli otto figli del conte Dalmazio di Semur e imparentato con i duchi di Aquitania e con i conti di Poitou.
Contrariamente ai desideri paterni di farlo diventare un cavaliere, Ugo appoggiato dalla madre, si indirizzò verso gli studi, insistendo riuscì ad entrare nel convento di S. Marcello di Chalon nel 1037, per ricevere un’adeguata educazione.
Questo convento era stato donato a Cluny da un suo parente, il vescovo di Auxerre, Ugo conte di Chalon. Nel 1039, vincendo ancora l’opposizione del padre, entrò a 15 anni, come novizio nell’abbazia di Cluny e qui nel 1044 a venti anni fece la sua professione e ordinato sacerdote; tre o quattro anni dopo a soli 24 anni, divenne priore maggiore nella celebre abbazia.
Nel 1048 venne inviato in Germania in missione presso l’imperatore Enrico IV, era ancora in viaggio, quando il 1° gennaio 1049 morì l’abate di Cluny, s. Odilone, Ugo fu eletto come successore il 20 febbraio, insediandosi due giorni dopo.
Il suo abbaziato durò moltissimo, circa 61 anni e fu diviso tra i periodi trascorsi a Cluny ed i numerosi viaggi nelle varie Case dell’Ordine benedettino, dipendenti dall’abbazia cluniacense e in vari Paesi stranieri; come è noto i viaggi di allora erano fatti a piedi o a dorso di mulo o cavallo, quindi i tempi erano lunghi ed i percorsi pieni di pericoli e difficoltà.
I suoi viaggi e le date sono state accuratamente tracciate in tutti i particolari, da studiosi della materia; nel 1049 fu a Reims per il Concilio là svoltasi; poi accompagnò fino a Roma il papa Leone IX dove prese parte al Sinodo del 1050; nella Pasqua del 1051 si trovava a Colonia per il battesimo del figlio dell’imperatore Enrico III.
Ancora lo si trova in Ungheria per fare opera di riconciliazione fra l’imperatore suddetto ed il re Andrea I, durante il viaggio di ritorno, fu catturato dai banditi e liberato poi dopo il pagamento di un riscatto. Nel 1055 e 1056 partecipò a dei Concili in Italia e in Francia; negli anni successivi fu di nuovo a Roma ad un Sinodo e a Firenze per la morte di papa Stefano IX; partecipò al Concilio Lateranense del 1059, presiedette in Francia alcuni Concili Provinciali, tornò a Roma per il Sinodo del 1063, poi è di nuovo in Francia con s. Pier Damiani, che partecipa al Concilio di Chalon, per dirimere una controversia instauratasi tra Cluny e il vescovo di Mâcon.
Continuando in questa incredibile missione itinerante, tanto faticosa per quell’epoca, Ugo prosegue nella sua opera di legato pontificio nel Mezzogiorno della Francia; nel 1072 è alla Dieta di Worms in Germania, e nel 1073 è in Spagna. Negli anni successivi farà da mediatore tra il papa e l’imperatore a Canossa, incontrerà nei loro luoghi di residenza Guglielmo il Conquistatore, papa Gregorio VII, l’imperatore Enrico IV, il re di Spagna Alfonso VI; nel 1093-94 è al monastero di S. Biagio nella Foresta Nera.
Quando risiede a Cluny, accoglie papa Urbano II nel 1095, s. Anselmo d’Aosta nel 1097, papa Pasquale II nel 1106. Concluse la sua laboriosissima vita ad 85 anni, il 29 aprile 1109 a Cluny.
Durante il periodo della sua carica di abate, Cluny raggiunse il suo massimo splendore, nonostante che la stessa abbazia risentì per altri versi, delle sue continue e prolungate assenze; Ugo non era incline ad allargare ulteriormente le fondazioni monastiche, che si ricollegavano all’abbazia madre di Cluny, specie se lontane come in Inghilterra; ad ogni modo se splendore vi fu, dopo la sua morte cominciò un periodo di decadenza di Cluny, che gli studiosi fanno risalire già ad alcune iniziative di Ugo.
Infatti l’Abbazia fu ridimensionata nel numero di monaci, perché molti furono mandati a popolare le nuove fondazioni; una conseguenza fu che si abbreviò il tempo del noviziato e il tempo della formazione e già nel 1075-1086 la Comunità del monastero dava segni di stanchezza; il progredire della prosperità materiale, provocò fra i monaci una diminuzione dello spirito di povertà e di austerità e un interesse maggiore verso le costruzioni; si mendicava, più che lavorare.
La provvisoria decadenza dell’Istituzione, com’è nella logica delle cose terrene e che accadde dopo un periodo di splendore, fu certamente ritardata dalla forte personalità del santo abate, durante i sessanta lunghi anni del suo governo.
Per quanto riguarda il culto, per s. Ugo c’è una particolarità; quando all’inizio del 1120, papa Callisto II visitò Cluny, gli venne chiesto, in base ad alcuni documenti, di riconoscere la santità del grande abate, santità che fino a pochissimo tempo prima, veniva perlopiù dichiarata a grande richiesta popolare.
Il papa non ritenne sufficienti i documenti presentati e chiese allora un interrogatorio di testimoni; questo è uno dei più antichi casi di una ricerca storica preliminare ad una canonizzazione. Soddisfatto ciò il papa il 6 gennaio dello stesso anno 1120, dichiarò santo Ugo di Cluny, fissandone la festa al 29 aprile.
Successivamente in parecchi monasteri benedettini, la festa fu unificata nello stesso giorno, per i quattro santi abati di Cluny, Oddone, Maiolo, Odilone e Ugo. La grande reputazione del santo abate, fu associata a quella di altri due grandi personaggi della Chiesa, suoi contemporanei, papa s. Gregorio VII (1020-1085) e s. Anselmo d’Aosta (1033-1109).
Le sue reliquie furono nel 1220 deposte in una cassa per la venerazione dei fedeli, su autorizzazione di papa Onorio III. Nel 1562 gli Ugonotti (in Francia, i protestanti seguaci di Calvino) saccheggiarono l’abbazia di Cluny e il corpo del santo, dopo un tentativo di salvataggio portandolo nel castello di Lourdon, fu bruciato e disperso al vento con altre reliquie; si salvò solo un frammento del femore.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91535
Voir aussi : http://www.dieu-parmi-nous.com/NIC/Hugues.de.Cluny.pdf
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/bec_0373-6237_1900_num_61_1_452603
http://www.narthex.fr/blogs/abbaye-de-cluny-910-2010/hugues-de-semur-1ere-partie
