Bienheureux Agnel de
Pise, religieux
Né à Pise vers 1194,
compagnon de saint François d'Assise en 1212, envoyé par lui en France en 1217
comme provincial puis en Angleterre en 1224 pour créer la nouvelle province, il
a assisté au chapitre général à Assise en 1230. Il meurt à Oxford en 1235/1236.
Saint Frère Ange
Un des six premiers
compagnons de saint François d'Assise (+ v. 1235)
Bienheureux Agnel de Pise
ou saint Ange.
Né à Pise en Toscane, il
est reçu chez les franciscains et chargé d'implanter l'Ordre en Angleterre.
Avec huit compagnons, il fonde des couvents à Londres, à Cantorbery et à
Oxford. Ils sont si pauvres que l'un d'entre eux faillit mourir de froid, faute
de bois de chauffage. De nombreux étudiants d'Oxford se joignent à eux, dont le
célèbre Roger Bacon. Angelo devint même le conseiller du roi Henri III et le
porte-parole des évêques, ce qui lui permit de les réconcilier avec le Pape.
Né à Pise vers 1194,
compagnon de saint François
d'Assise en 1212, envoyé par lui en France en 1217 comme provincial
puis en Angleterre en 1224 pour créer la nouvelle province, il a assisté au
chapitre général à Assise en 1230. Il meurt à Oxford en 1235/1236. Culte
confirmé par le pape Léon XII.
À Oxford en Angleterre,
le bienheureux Agnel de Pise, qui fut envoyé par saint François en France, puis
en Angleterre, où il établit l’Ordre des Mineurs et promut les sciences
sacrées.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/index.php?page=st&x1=799
AGNELLO DE PISE
(BIENHEUREUX)
Le 25 novembre 2015 Non
classé
Agnello de Pise (1194-1236)
Frère mineur, compagnon
de François, custode de Paris, puis fondateur de la Province
d’Angleterre.
Agnello est né à Pise,
vers 1194. La tradition le situe dans la noble famille des Agnelli, mais cela
reste incertain.. Au cours d’une prédication de saint François à Pise, étant encore
adolescent, il résolut d’entrer chez les Frères mineurs et reçut l’habit des
mains de François lui-même. Il se fit aussitôt remarquer par son ardeur à vivre
selon la règle.
CUSTODE DE FRANCE
En 1217, François
avait désigné plusieurs frères pour se joindre au frère Pacifique de la
Marche, chargé d’implanter la fraternité franciscaine en France. On ignore
si Agnello fit partie de ce premier groupe, mais dès 1219, François le nommait
custode de Paris, chargé d’y implanter un lieu pour les frères. Le
pape Grégoire IX, pour faciliter l’implantation des frères hors d’Italie,
avait publié la lettre Cum dilecti filii (11 juin 1219) pour les
recommander aux évêques. L’historien Luc Wadding a publié une lettre
d’obédience qu’il attribue à François et qui désigne Agnello comme custode en
France, mais le texte en est probablement apocryphe.
MINISTRE PROVINCIAL
D’ANGLETERRE
Agnello ne demeura que
peu de temps à Paris, car après le chapitre de 1224, François l’envoya
fonder une province en Angleterre. Selon le récit de Thomas
d’Eccleston, De adventu Fratrum minorum in Anglia, Frère Agnello était
accompagné de 8 frères : cinq frères laïques et trois clercs. Agnello
lui-même était diacre, il ne fut ordonné prêtre que quelques années plus tard,
après avoir fréquenté le couvent d’études qu’il avait fondé à Oxford. Les
frères se rendirent à Fécamp, bien accueillis dans la célèbre abbaye
bénédictine, et obtinrent des moines d’être transportés outre-manche. Ils débarquèrent
à Douvres, le 12 septembre 1224. Ils furent d’abord les hôtes des Frères
prêcheurs d’Oxford, et obtinrent rapidement un terrain pour y édifier une
petite maison de bois. Là, les frères recrutèrent rapidement d’autres frères
parmi les étudiants de l’université, encouragés par le maître séculier Robert
Grossetête, le chancelier, qui devint par la suite évêque de Lincoln et
demeura toujours le protecteur des frères. Agnello n’était pas lui-même un
intellectuel, mais il encouragea les frères à faire des études. Devenu prêtre,
il se consacra à la prédication, à l’accueil des nouveaux frères et à la
fondation de plusieurs maisons. Sa prudence, sa sagesse et sa sainteté étaient
reconnues par tous. Sous l’impulsion d’Agnello, la province d’Angleterre se
développa rapidement et dût se subdiviser en plusieurs custodies. Agnello fut
un ministre provincial très actif, et sa réputation d’homme pacifique lui valut
de nombreuses amitiés, dont celle des évêques britanniques qui le choisirent
pour une mission auprès du pape, et celle du roi Henri III d’Angleterre qu’il
conseilla pour éviter un grave conflit avec les Gallois. A l’âge de 42 ans, il
tomba gravement malade et mourut à Oxford, le 13 mars 1236. Enseveli dans
l’église du couvent d’Oxford, il fut l’objet d’un véritable culte. Quelques
années après sa mort on retrouva son corps intact, et les frères lui élevèrent
un mausolée qui subsista jusqu’à la ruine du couvent sous Henry VIII.
En 1882, le
pape Léon XIII approuva son culte pour l’Ordre des Frères mineurs et
pour le diocèse de Pise.
BIBLIOGRAPHIE
Grado Giovanni Merlo, Au
nom de saint François, Cerf Histoire, Éditions franciscaines, Paris, 2006 pp.
74, 83, 94 et 99.
© 2019 - Ecole
Franciscaine de Paris
SOURCE : http://ecole-franciscaine-de-paris.fr/agnello-de-pise-bienheureux/
Also
known as
Agnello
Profile
Born to the Italian nobility.
Received into the Franciscans by Saint Francis himself. Deacon. Custos of
Saint-Denis, the first Franciscan friary
in Paris, France.
Worked with the University
of Paris. Appointed by Saint Francis to
introduce the Franciscans into England in 1224.
With eight associates he established houses in Canterbury and London,
then a school for
friars in Oxford.
Friend of King Henry
III. Helped prevent civil war between Henry and Earl Marshall. Known for his
personal piety and his strict adherence to the Franciscan Rule,
especially on the matter of poverty.
Born
7 May 1236 at Oxford, England of dysentery
body reported incorrupt
up to the time the Oxford house
was dissolved by King Henry
VIII
4
September 1892 by Pope Leo
XIII (cultus
confirmed)
Additional
Information
books
Book of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Dictionary of Saints, by John Delaney
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
Medieval Religion Listserv, by John Dillon
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Blessed Agnellus of
Pisa“. CatholicSaints.Info. 9 May 2020. Web. 12 March 2022.
<https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-agnellus-of-pisa/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-agnellus-of-pisa/
Bl. Agnellus of Pisa
Friar
Minor and founder of the English Franciscan Province,
born at Pisa c.
1195, of the noble family of
the Agnelli; died at Oxford,
7 May, 1236. In early youth he was received into the
Seraphic Order by St.
Francis himself, during the latter's sojourn in Pisa,
and soon became an accomplished model of religious perfection. Sent
by St.
Francis to Paris he
erected a convent there
and became custos. Having returned to Italy,
he was present at the so-called Chapter of Mats, and was sent thence by St.
Francis to found the Order in England. Agnellus,
then in deacon's orders,
landed at Dover with nine other friars,
12 September, 1224, having been charitably conveyed from France by
the monks of Fecamp.
A few weeks afterwards they obtained a house at Oxford and there laid
the foundations of the English Province, which became the exemplar
for all the provinces of the order. Though not himself a learned man, he
established a school for
the friars at Oxford,
which was destined to play no small part in the development of
the university.
But his solicitude extended beyond the immediate welfare of his brethren. He
sent his friars about
to preach the word of God to
the faithful,
and perform the other offices of
the sacred ministry. Agnellus wielded considerable
influence in affairs of state and in his efforts to avert civil war between
the King and the Earl Marshal, who had leagued with the Welsh,
he contracted a fatal illness. Eccleston has
left us a brief account of his death. Agnellus's body, incorrupt, was preserved
with great veneration at Oxford up
to the dissolution
of the religious houses in the time of Henry
VIII. The cultus of Blessed Agnellus was
formally confirmed by Leo
XIII in 1882, and his feast is
kept in the Order on 7 May.
Donovan, Stephen. "Bl.
Agnellus of Pisa." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New
York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 13 Mar. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01212c.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Christopher Schaeffer.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01212c.htm
Blessed Agnellus of Pisa,
OFM (AC)
Born in Pisa, Italy, in
1194; died at Oxford, England, 1236; cultus confirmed in 1892. Saint Francis of
Assisi himself received Agnellus as a Friar Minor and sent him to Paris to open
a new house. Francis later appointed him the first Franciscan provincial in
England. Agnellus landed in Dover in 1224 and founded houses at Canterbury and
Oxford. He also spent time in London. He established a famous school at Oxford
(Benedictines).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0313.shtml
Blessed Agnellus of Pisa
(Benedetto Agnello di
Pisa)
Feast Day - March 13
It was the privilege of
Blessed Agnellus to have been received into the order by St Francis himself. He
descended from an ancient noble family at Pisa. The government of the Parisian
province of the order was entrusted to him. Later on the holy Founder sent him
to England with eight companions. Here Agnellus found it possible to establish
several convents of his order and to unite them into a province. Due to his
zeal and to his virtuous life, many young men, some from the most prominent
families in England, took the habit of the Poor Man of Assisi.
In order to provide the
young clerics with a thorough education he established a school of theology at
Oxford. Meanwhile, however, he infused into them a great desire for perfection
and a holy fidelity to the rule of the order, in all of which he led them by
his own good example.
His humility was so
profound that under no circumstances could be be prevailed upon to receive holy
orders. Finally, however, he yielded in obedience to the general chapter. A
great part of his time was devoted to meditation. At holy Mass and in choir he
was so overcome with interior affections that he was frequently found weeping
Blessed Agnellus died the
death of the saints in the year 1232, when he was but thirty-eight years old.
His grave and the church in which he was buried were destroyed during the
persecution of the Catholics in the reign of Henry VIII. Pope Leo XIII solemnly
confirmed the uninterrupted veneration that had been accorded to Blessed
Agnellus of Pisa.
Blessed Agnellus of Pisa
knew that while the ambitious are always ill at ease as to whether or not they
will be properly esteemed, or whether their dignity will be duly acknowledged,
the humble live in continual peace of soul. They do not wait for approval and
do not fear ill success. Their will is directed solely to the honor of God.
They expect a reward from Him alone.
from: The Franciscan
Book Of Saints, ed. by Marion Habig, OFM
SOURCE : http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/blessed-agnellus-of-pisa.html
Blessed Agnellus of Pisa is
remembered as the founder of the English Franciscan province, credited with
bringing the Franciscan rule to Great Britain in 1224. Admitted into the Order
by Saint Francis himself, Agnellus was a tireless missionary of God’s love,
going wherever he was asked, enduring harsh and inhospitable conditions.
Born in Pisa of noble
family, as a youth he encountered Saint Francis, and was admitted directly into
the Seraphic Order, where he became known for his pursuit of holy perfection.
Saint Francis, recognizing in this young man not only zeal for God’s law, but
also the meekness and humility required to counsel great leaders, mediate
misunderstandings, and secure the spread of the order. Saint Francis first
dispatched Agnellus to Paris, where he erected a convent, and upon success was
ordered to England to establish the province. Along with nine companions,
Agnellus traveled to Dover in the winter of 1224, subsisting on the alms and
kindness of those they encountered, truly living the rule of poverty. They
survived the winter, eating little but bread and fermented beer. Within months,
Agnellus had secured a house in Oxford, which eventually became the examplar
for all Franciscan provinces. Agnellus, despite his lack of personal schooling,
established a school for friars at Oxford, which led to the development of the
university there.
Blessed Agnellus sent his
brothers across the region, and throughout Europe, spreading the word of God.
He was counselor to Kings and Prices, and worked tirelessly to assist these
leaders in finding political options in avoidance of war and suffering. Given
his strict observance of the rule of poverty, his frequent fasting and
mortification, and his travels, is was not surprising when he contracted a
fatal disease. Upon returning to Oxford, he eagerly awaited death, crying out
repeatedly for three days, “Come, Sweetest Jesus, Come!” His body,
incorrupt, was buried in Oxford.
SOURCE : http://365rosaries.blogspot.ca/2010/03/march-13-blessed-agnellus-of-pisa-saint.html
St. Agnellus of Pisa
Franciscan founder and
diplomat. He was born in Pisa, a member of the noble Agnelli clan. St. Francis
of Assisi personally
received Agnellus into his order and sent him to Paris to
start a Franciscan mission there. Agnellus also attended the "Chapter of
Mats" and was then sent by St. Francis to England. Agnellus was only a
deacon at the time. He and nine other Franciscans landed in Dover on September
12, 1224. They obtained a house in Oxford and
began the Franciscan English Province. He became a friend of King Henry Ill (r.
1216-1272), who admired the saint's purity and holiness, calling upon Agnellus
to avert a civil war between
the throne and
the Earl Marshal. Agnellus worked to calm the situation, contracting a serious
illness in the process. He died in Oxford on
May 7, 1236, and the body remained incorrupt, venerated in Oxford until
the reign of King Henry
VIII (r. 1509-1547) and the dissolution of the English religious
houses. Pope Leo XIII declared Agnellus' beatification in 1882.
SOURCE : http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1177
Blessed Agnellus of Pisa
As a missionary, St.
Agnellus took the Franciscan way of life—poverty, simplicity, prayerfulness,
community—to England in both word and deed.
He was born to a family of nobles in Pisa, Italy, in 1195. St. Francis himself received him into the Franciscan
order. Even though he was a deacon, he was sent to Paris to start a Franciscan
mission there. From there, he was sent to England with nine other Franciscans.
True to the spirit of St. Francis, they set out for England with no money. A
monastery near the coast paid for their passage to Dover. When they arrived,
they settled at Canterbury in a building that was used as a school by day. They
had to stay huddled in a back room while students were in the building, and
after they had left, the Franciscans could come out and make themselves feel at
home with a fire. For sustenance, they had only a little bread and a thick beer
that had to be diluted with water. These conditions, however, did not dampen
their spirits and they were quickly known for their simple piety, cheerfulness,
and enthusiasm. The community grew and they secured a place to live in London
and a school at Oxford.
King Henry III befriended Agnellus, and admired his holiness and purity. He
asked Agnellus to serve as a diplomat and to negotiate a dispute between the
king and an earl that threatened civil war.
Agnellus was known as a deeply prayerful man. He shed tears continually during
Mass because he was moved so deeply, but he did not make any kind of show of
his piety. He strictly followed a commitment to poverty. He only consented to
build anything when it was a last resort, it was said, and one of the
infirmaries was built so simply that its ceilings were only barely higher than
a person.
He died at the age of 41 of natural causes in 1236, and his relics rest in the
reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Blessed Agnellus, you were the Franciscan missionary who founded centers of
study and prayer in England--pray for us!
Blessed Agnellus of Pisa
Dates: 1194? -
1235/6
Memorial Day: 10th
September
Agnellus was probably
born around 1194 to a noble Pisan family. He met St. Francis during the
latter's preaching tour of Tuscany in 1212. In 1217 Agnellus was sent to found
the first friary in Paris, where he later became Custos (responsible for a
group of friaries within a province).
At the 1223 General
Chapter the friars adopted the plan of establishing themselves in England.
Previous experience had taught them that these establishments needed to be well
planned and so Agnellus, supported by the Minister Provincial of France,
Gregory of Naples, prepared the introduction of the Friars to England with
care. He included five Englishmen within the group of 9 friars who, according
to the chronicler Thomas of Eccleston, arrived in England on 10th September
1224.
Leaving a group in
Canterbury, the ecclesiastical capital of England, Agnellus went on to found
friaries in London and Oxford, the political and intellectual capitals of the
country. At Oxford he founded a school at the friary where the brilliant Robert
Grosseteste, later Bishop of Lincoln, was the first teacher of the Friars.
His careful planning bore
abundant fruit and 23 friaries were founded in the Province by the time of his
death. Within 50 years there were 1,500 Friars in the Province of England.
In 1233 Agnellus was an
envoy of King Henry III of England to the rebellious Richard Marshall, Earl of
Pembroke and in 1234 he was part of a delegation representing the English
Bishops at the Roman Curia.
Agnellus died after a
short illness at the friary in Oxford on 13th March in either 1235 or 1236. He
was buried there before the high altar and, a few years later, his body was
found still incorrupt.
The Oxford friary and
church were sadly destroyed during the time of Henry VIII and the site is now
only marked by a plaque to Roger Bacon on a wall nearby. It is impossible to
verify without an archaeological dig, but many believe that Agnellus is still
buried there.
His cult was confirmed by
Pope Leo XIII on 30th August 1892 and he is remembered at the altar on 13th
March.
SOURCE : http://www.friar.org/saints-and-blessed
Beato Agnello da Pisa Francescano
Pisa, 1194 circa -
Oxford, Inghilterra, 1235/1236
Fu compagno di san
Francesco d’Assisi dal 1212; da lui fu inviato nel 1217 in Francia come
provinciale e poi nel 1224 in Inghilterra per istituirvi la nuova provincia
francescana. Assisté al capitolo generale di Assisi nel 1230. Culto
confermato da Papa Leone XII.
Etimologia: Agnello
= messaggero, dal greco
Martirologio
Romano: A Oxford in Inghilterra, beato Agnello da Pisa, sacerdote, che,
mandato da san Francesco prima in Francia e poi in Inghilterra, vi istituì
l’Ordine dei Minori e promosse lo studio delle scienze sacre.
Nel 1211, dopo una visita di S. Francesco, i Francescani si insediarono a Pisa. In quell’occasione il giovane Agnello conobbe il santo d’Assisi e, attratto dal suo ideale di vita, entrò nel primitivo convento, sorto presso la chiesa della SS. Trinità.
Nel Capitolo Generale del 1217 si decise che un gruppo di frati si sarebbe recato in Francia. Francesco cominciò il viaggio ma, incontrato lungo la strada il Cardinale Ugolino (futuro Papa Gregorio IX), dietro sue insistenze, decise di restare in Italia. A capo della spedizione fu posto Agnello, che era ancora un diacono. Giunti a Parigi, Agnello aprì nei dintorni alcuni conventi ed ebbe la felice intuizione di fondare una comunità per i francescani studenti universitari, considerando che la capitale francese era tra le più importanti dal punto di vista culturale. Dopo sette anni S. Francesco nominò nuovamente Agnello capo di una missione, composta da otto frati, questa volta diretta in Inghilterra. Tra questi vi erano tre inglesi, tra cui un sacerdote, Riccardo di Ingworth.
Passato il Canale della Manica, il gruppo sbarcò nell’isola il 10 settembre 1224. Si insediarono a Canterbury, trovando per qualche tempo soggiorno notturno presso una scuola, quando era chiusa agli studenti. Sopportarono molti disagi per le temperature rigide e per il poco cibo, ma il loro contegno e il loro entusiasmo destarono molta ammirazione. Ricevettero in dono, poi, un terreno poco ospitale su cui costruirono un convento. Da qui, due inglesi e due italiani, tra cui Agnello, si recarono a Londra dove, dopo essere stati accolti dai Domenicani, affittarono una casa. Grazie alle numerose vocazioni fu successivamente aperto un convento anche a Oxford con scuola teologica che grazie al Beato di Pisa, assunse un’importanza straordinaria.
Fedeli a “sorella povertà”, in tutti i conventi si viveva in modo austero e il tempo da dedicare agli studi non doveva compromettere la preghiera. Anche a Cambridge venne fondata una importante facoltà teologica, che però non eguagliò quella di Oxford. Il Beato Agnello, la cui fama di santità in vita raggiunse Re Enrico III, fu punto di riferimento anche per i secoli a venire. Tra i maggiori teologi che studieranno in seguito nelle scuole da lui fondate, basti citare Bacone e il Beato Duns Scoto.
Il Beato, nonostante la malferma salute, volle tornare brevemente in Italia. Ristabilitosi ad Oxford, morì il 13 marzo del 1235 o 1236, a soli quarantuno anni.
Il suo culto è stato confermato da Papa Leone XIII il 4 settembre 1892.
Autore: Daniele Bolognini
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90358
AGNELLO da Pisa
di Riccardo Pratesi -
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 1 (1960)
AGNELLO da Pisa.
- Nato intorno al 1194 a Pisa dalla nobile famiglia degli Agnelli, secondo una
tradizione non documentata, fu ricevuto nella famiglia francescana dallo stesso
s. Francesco, di passaggio da Pisa nella sua missione in Toscana del 1211-1212.
Destinato in Francia da s. Francesco (1217), fu custode dei conventi della
regione parigina. Nel capitolo generale del 1223, essendo solamente diacono e
appena trentenne, ebbe l'incarico d'introdurre l'ordine minoritico in
Inghilterra, dove egli si recò nel 1224 con altri otto confratelli: la
provincia inglese si distinse ben presto non tanto per il numero delle Case
(raggruppate poi in sei custodie) e dei religiosi, quanto per la virtù e la
dottrina dei suoi componenti. Convinto che fosse opportuna per i suoi
confratelli una buona formazione culturale, fondò ad Oxford una scuola
teologica, dove invitò come docente lo stesso cancelliere dell'università
Roberto Grossatesta.
A. ritornò in Italia nel
1230 per il capitolo generale e, ancora poco tempo dopo, per trattare con la
Curia romana alcuni affari riguardanti il clero inglese e le relazioni di
questo con i religiosi, ottenendo dal papa Gregorio IX assicurazioni per gli stessi.
Amico della corte e specialmente del re Enrico III, suo munifico benefattore,
si adoperò per ristabilire buoni rapporti tra questo e il duca del Galles, non
risparmiandosi disagi e viaggi. Morì nel convento di Oxford il 13 marzo 1235 o
1236 e qui fu sepolto.
Qualche anno più tardi,
in occasione di una traslazione, la sua salma fu trovata incorrotta e anche per
questo gli fu eretto un monumento, che sparì con la distruzione della chiesa e
del convento di Oxford al tempo dello scisma di Enrico VIII.
Il culto prestatogli
ininterrottamente nell'Ordine dei frati minori e a Pisa e in Inghilterra fino
al sec. XVI fu confermato il 30 ag. 1892 da Leone XIII, che lo dichiarò beato.
I francescani ne celebrano la festa il 13 marzo.
Fonti e Bibl.: T.
Eccleston, De adventu Fratrum Minorum in Angliam, di cui si hanno
quattro edizioni: la prima in Monumenta Franciscana, I, a cura di J.
S. Brewer, London 1858, pp. 5-72; la seconda in Analecta
Franciscana, I (1885), pp. 217-255; la terza, a cura di A. G. Little,
Paris 1909, fu poi nuovamente edita a Manchester, nel 1952, da J. R. H. Moorman
sul manoscritto preparato dallo stesso Little. Una modesta biografia è quella
di C. Mariotti, Il Beato A. da P., Roma 1895; notizie criticamente
accertate in E. Cristiani, I dati biografici e i riferimenti politici dei
rimatori pisani del Dugento, in Studi Mediolatini e Volgari, III
(1955),p. 9.
SOURCE : https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/agnello-da-pisa_(Dizionario-Biografico)
Den salige Agnellus av
Pisa (~1194-1235/36)
Minnedag: 13.
mars
Den salige Agnellus (it:
Agnello) ble født rundt 1194 i Pisa i regionen Toscana i Midt-Italia. Han kom
fra den adelige familien Agnelli. Han ble opptatt i fransiskanerordenen (Ordo
Fratrum Minorum – OFM) av den hellige Frans av Assisi selv
da han besøkte Pisa, trolig i 1211. Et kloster ble grunnlagt i byen, og der
opplevde Agnellus å bli båret av sted på den første bølgen av den tidlige
fransiskanske gløden.
På kapittelet i 1217 ble
det bestemt at brødrene skulle utvide sin virksomhet til Frankrike. Frans
ønsket å reise sammen med gruppen og fulgte dem også et stykke på veien, men i
et tilfeldig møte med kardinal Ugolino, den fremtidige pave Gregor IX
(1227-41), ble han overtalt til å akseptere at hans plass heller var i Italia.
Frans selv utnevnte Agnellus, som da var diakon, som leder for gruppen, som
skulle fortsette som planlagt.
Abbeden av Saint-Denis ga
brødrene tillatelse til å bruke et hus, og i løpet av svært kort tid åpnet
brødrene andre hus i regionen rundt Paris, som Agnellus var custos for
i noen år. Men det viktigste skrittet som Agnellus tok i Paris var å starte et
nytt kloster der for de fransiskanske studentene ved universitetet, og dermed
startet han forbindelsen mellom fransiskanerne og det mest innflytelsesrike
utdanningssenteret i middelalderen. Etter å ha vendt tilbake til Italia var
Agnellus også til stede på det såkalte «Mattekapitlet».
Syv år etter at Agnellus
kom til Frankrike gjorde Frans ham i 1224 til leder for en gruppe på åtte
brødre som skulle reise til England og grunnlegge fransiskanerklostre der, og
han ble ordenes første provinsial i England. Det var tre engelskmenn i gruppen,
og en av dem, Richard av Ingworth, var presteviet, mens Agnellus fortsatt bare
var diakon. Gruppen ble mottatt gjestfritt på den franske siden av kanalen av
munkene i Fécamp, som i tillegg betalte reisen til Dover. Dit kom de den 10.
september 1224 og fortsatte til Canterbury, hvor de ble innlosjert i De fattige
prestenes hus og sov i en bygning som ble brukt til skole på dagtid. Mens
elevene var der, var brødrene stuet sammen i et lite rom på baksiden, og først
da guttene var gått hjem, kunne brødrene komme frem og tenne opp i ovnen.
Det var vinter, og de må
ha hatt det svært ukomfortabelt, særlig ettersom kosten deres bare besto av
brød og fortynnet øl. Deres munterhet og glød gjorde at de vant beundring fra
erkebiskop Stephen Langton av Canterbury, som så i dem en legemliggjøring av
apostlenes ånd og refererte til dem som «Brødre av apostlenes orden». Etter
hvert fikk de et stykke land av forstanderen i De fattige prestenes hus. Det
var sumpaktig og udrenert, men der bygde de seg hytter hvor de bodde i rundt
femti år.
De to engelske brødrene
Richard av Ingworth og Richard av Devon hadde straks dratt til London sammen
med to italienske brødre. Der ble de varmt mottatt av dominikanerbrødrene, som
ga dem husrom i to uker inntil de fikk leie sitt eget hus i Cornhill. De to
engelske brødrene fortsatte da til Oxford, mens Agnellus dro opp til London for
å overta ledelsen av klosteret i Cornhill. Et år senere flyttet brødrene fra
Cornhill til et hus i Stinking Lane – et navn som sier noe om strøket. Huset
der ble i 1229 utvidet på grunn av det store antallet av kall. Agnellus selv
var sterkt gjennomsyret av Frans' fattigdomsideal, og han ville ikke tillate
brødrene å motta mer land en det som var strengt nødvendig eller å ha store
bygninger. Senere, da en sykestue ble bygd til klosteret i Oxford, gjorde han
takhøyden så lav at en mann av normal høyde bare så vidt kunne stå oppreist der.
Rekruttering var trolig
hovedformålet for å fortsette til Oxford, men den teologiske skolen som
Agnellus etablerte der, skulle bli av umåtelig betydning både for
fransiskanernes engelske provins og for universitetet i Oxford. Agnellus selv
var ingen lærd mann, og det kan heller ikke sies at Frans var en entusiastisk
forkjemper for studier – han var mer opptatt av at hans brødre kunne miste sin
enkelhet ved å falle som ofre for tomme ambisjoner. Lærdom var en god ting, så
sant den ikke slukket bønnens ånd eller hindre arbeidet til Den Hellige Ånd.
Den engelske provinsen
tok opp i seg Agnellus' ånd til en slik grad at selv om dens akademiske
standard var den høyeste i ordenen, var deres iver for fattigdomsidealet like
fremtredende. Haymo av Faversham, en engelsk fransiskaner som hadde sluttet seg
til ordenen i Paris, var lederen for gruppen som utfordret og avsatte Elias,
den kontroversielle ordensgeneralen som med sin mangel på sans for
fattigdomsidealet hadde opprørt flertallet av brødre. Den engelske provinsen
balanserte stødig i de etterfølgende kontroversene i ordenen omkring
fattigdomsspørsmålet, og kunne regnes med å være frittalende i spørsmålet på
generalkapitlene. Johannes Buralli ønsket at «en slik provins burde plasseres i
verdens sentrum slik at alle kunne følge dens eksempel».
Fransiskanernes ankomst
til Cambridge bidro til etableringen av et teologisk fakultet der, selv om
Cambridge aldri oppnådde den samme betydningen som Oxford i den fransiskanske
verden. Mange strålende vitenskapsmenn fra Oxford var forbundet med
fransiskanerne: Robert Grosseteste, hvis tjenester som foreleser Agnellus
sikret seg nesten helt fra starten på skolen og som kan sies å ha etablert dens
ry, ble fulgt av fire andre sekulære magistere før fransiskanerne selv tok over
posten. Blant disse var Adam Marsh, Thomas av York, Richard Rufus av Cornwall,
John av Wales og de intellektuelle kjempene Roger Bacon, den salige Johannes Duns Scotus og
William av Ockham.
Agnellus kunne ikke
forutse den intellektuelle briljansen som skulle karakterisere den engelske
provinsen og heller ikke den åndelige innflytelsen til så mange menn som var
viet til Frans' idealer. Det som var viktig, var at han levde ut disse idealene
og satte et levende eksempel på hva det var å være fransiskaner til de unge
engelske brødrene han tok opp i ordenen. Hans ry for hellighet var ikke mindre
blant legfolket. Han var en venn av kong Henrik III (1216-72), som beundret
hans renhet og hellighet, og i 1233 ble han på grunn av sin vennlighet og takt
valgt til å føre forhandlingene med den opprørske jarl Marshall. Agnellus
arbeidet for å roe situasjonen, men det ble sagt at hans helse ble undergravet
i dette arbeidet og av en siste smertefull reise til Italia.
Ved sin retur til Oxford
fikk han dysenteri og døde der den 13. mars 1236 (eller 1235), bare 41 år
gammel, etter at han i tre dager hadde ropt: «Kom, kjære Jesus» [kilden Catholic
Encyclopedia skriver at han døde den 7. mai 1236]. Hans legeme forble
intakt, og det ble æret i Oxford til Henrik VIIIs tid (1509-47) og oppløsningen
av de engelske klostrene. Han ble saligkåret den 4. september 1892 ved at hans
kult ble stadfestet av pave Leo XIII (1878-1903). Hans minnedag er dødsdagen
13. mars, mens fransiskanerne feirer ham den 7. mai. Han feires i
erkebispedømmet Birmingham og i fransiskanerordenen.
Kilder:
Attwater/Cumming, Butler (III), Benedictines, Bunson, Index99, KIR, CE, CSO,
Patron Saints SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz, santiebeati.it - Kompilasjon og
oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Opprettet: 2000-08-12 01:21 - Sist oppdatert: 2006-07-06 10:58
