Seal of bishop Hemming of Turku, 14th century / Åbobiskopen Hemmings sigill / Piispa Hemminkin sinetti. Ilmari Salomies: Suomen kirkon historia I Suomen kirkko keskiaikana. Helsinki 1944.
Saint Hemming
Évêque en Finlande (+ 1366)
Né au nord d'Uppsala en
Suède en 1290, il étudia la théologie en France puis devint évêque d'Abo
(aujourd'hui Turku), en Finlande. Hemming (évêque de 1338 à 1366) a organisé le
régime
Ecclésiastique en
Finlande, il a été béatifié en 1499. Il mourut le 21 mai 1366.
À Aboë en Finlande, l’an
1366, saint Hemming, évêque. Brûlant de zèle pastoral, il restaura, par un
décret pris en synode, la discipline de cette Église, favorisa les études des
clercs, donna un nouvel élan au culte divin et promut la paix entre les peuples
du pays.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/11709/Saint-Hemming.html
Hemming de Abo
1366
Hemming vit le jour dans
la fin du 13e siècle à Abo (Balinge, Uppsala, Suède, auj. Turku,
Finlande).
Après des études à
Uppsala, il fut ordonné prêtre, puis envoyé compléter cette formation à Paris,
où il connut le futur pape Clément VI. Il commença alors à se constituer une
importante bibliothèque de théologie et de droit canonique.
En 1329, il fut nommé
chanoine de la cathédrale d’Abo, et fut remarqué au point d’être choisi à
l’unanimité des chanoines, pour devenir évêque, en 1338.
Hemming put accomplir un
travail considérable dans son diocèse, qui en avait besoin : il créa la table
épiscopale, développa l’enseignement dans les écoles, en particulier à
l’intention des futurs prêtres. Il fit don à la cathédrale de sa bibliothèque
et envoya ses meilleurs séminaristes étudier comme lui à Paris.
Il organisa des synodes
pour reprendre toute la vie liturgique et spirituelle des diocésains.
En 1347, il vint à Paris
sur invitation de sainte Brigitte (v. 23 juillet), rencontra Clément VI en
Avignon pour le persuader de revenir à Rome, et proposa ses services pour
rétablir la paix entre les deux rois de France et d’Angleterre.
Hemming mourut le 21 mai
1266, déjà honoré comme saint grâce aux nombreux miracles obtenus par son
intercession. Toutefois, ces actes ayant été perdus, la canonisation fut lente.
En 1514, on autorisa son culte ; l’actuel Martyrologe lui attribue le titre
de Saint.
SOURCE : http://www.samuelephrem.eu/
Hemming's
tomb in the Turku Cathedral.
Biskop
Hemmings relikskrin anno 1514, i Åbo domkyrka
Profile
Studied in
Uppsala, Sweden and Paris, France;
one of his classmates in Paris became Pope Clement
VI. Priest. Canon of
the cathedral of Åbo,
Turku (in modern Finland)
in 1329. Evangelizing bishop of Åbo in 1338 where
he served for 28 years. He renewed the faith of
his flock, improved the education,
training and discipline of his priests,
improved liturgical furnishings and diocesan finances,
and worked for peace among
the peoples of his area. Friend of Saint Bridget
of Sweden.
Born
late 13th
century in Balinge parish,
north of Uppsala, Sweden
miracles reported
at his tomb, and by 1400 there
were pilgrimages made
to it
Pope Leo X approves enshrining of
his relics in
the cathedral of Åbo,
Turku (in modern Finland)
in 1514
Additional
Information
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Blessed Hemming of
Åbo“. CatholicSaints.Info. 9 June 2022. Web. 13 May 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-hemming-of-abo/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-hemming-of-abo/
Hemming of Finland BM
Born at Balinge near
Uppsala, Sweden, in 1290; died May 22, 1366. After studying theology in Paris,
France, Hemming became a canon of Abo cathedral in Helsinki, Finland, and, in
1339, its bishop. Hemming was involved in the border disputes with Uppsala,
from where Saint Henry of Finland evangelized Finland. He is also associated
with Saint Bridget of Sweden, whom he accompanied to France. Saint Bridget and
Hemming worked together to bring peace to the Hundred Years War between England
and France and to end the Avignon papacy.
In 1352, Hemming convened
a diocesan synod in which he demonstrated his zeal for proper celebrations
of the feasts of the Church and the local saints of Scandinavia. He was also
concerned with the custody of the Eucharist, the administration of Church
property, and releasing poor people from the payment of stipends for
dispensations or for funerals.
Saint Hemming was buried
in his cathedral, where miracles were reported at his tomb. In 1514, his relics
were translated and enshrined. A surviving, embroidered altar frontal survives
which depicts Saints Hemming and Bridget together as an angel holds the mitre
over the bishop's head (Farmer).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0522.shtml
Blessed Hemming was
the bishop of Fennia or Österland – then the eastern
province OF the republic of Finland.
Hemming was one of the
uttermosts prominent individuals among the Catholic bishops of the medieval
times in Scandinavia. St Bridget of Sweden described him as “A very courageous
man – without fear of men – devoted, yes, ascetical pious; a contemplative but
at the same time an active and hardworking man.”
The Early years:
There are little known
about his early years but he was born around 1290 in Pålsbo a small village in
Bälinge parish north of the city of Uppsala. He came from a fortunate Swedish
family and had close contacts with Swedish nobility. He attended the Cathedral
school at Uppsala and continued his studies in Paris, where he first took a
degree in Arts, then in Theology and in Law. In Paris he had the forthcoming
pope Clemens VI as teacher.
There is a mention of a
Hemming who was a kanik, a canon priest, in Åbo in 1329, and this is most
probably him they are referring to. According to common belief was Hemming
imprisoned by king Magnus Ladulås because of some harsh words about a Swedish
duke… Later he was however said to side with the king again, saying that he “rather
have Magnus as a ruler, no matter what has been, then having the German
regiment.” However there is not to my knowledge any historical proof of this
incidence.
Bishop of Åbo:
In 1339 he was chosen
unanimously, with divina inspiriatione, to the bishop chair of Åbo. He
fought against worldly interference in the churchly domains of Finland, which’s
excellence he also was an advocate for. He was held in very high esteem by his
contemporary. He made wise laws and built numerous churches. He was concerned
with the proper celebrations of the church feast and the Scandinavian saints,
but also with administration of church property and for releasing the poor from
payment of stipends for dispensations or for funerals.
Hemming supervised
vividly the church taxes and even contradicted a verdict from the king in
benefit for the people of Nyland, a Finnish region. In 1340 he established the
dean office of Åbo Cathedral. He made a grand donation of 40 very valuable
books, mostly theological literature, to the Åbo Cathedral and in this way
founded the first library in Finland.
By gifts and trade he
also increased the wealth and the properties of the diocese which had been
looted by the Russians in 1318. He founded both a Cathedral school in Åbo and a
hospital. He was not particularly involved in the state affairs of
Sweden/Finland but in 1343 he took part in the union between the Swedish king
and the southern parts of Scandinavia (Blekinge, Småland and Skåne). In 1346,
together with the archbishop of Uppsala, he also laid out the borders between
the dioceses of Swedish Uppsala and Finnish Åbo. In 1352 he finished his
work Statua, with rules for the responsibilities of the Finnish priests
and with Finland’s first Church Ordinance.
Friendship with St Bridget:
He had a strong
friendship with St Bridget of Sweden and he went to France a second time
between 1347 until 1349, this time on St Brigit’s initiative. She chose him to
accompany her confessor, the Cistercian Prior Peter of Alvastra, in a mission
to his former teacher, Pope Clement VI at Avignon to try to convince him to
move back to Rome and to urge him to reform his own lasciviousness and to cease
supporting the King of France. Hemming also paid visit to the Kings of England
and France with another revelation from Bridget, in an effort to try to achieve
peace between the nations. Neither of those matters succeeded but a deep
friendship between him and St Bridget was established.
From the revelations of
St Bridget we can read about a dinner with Hemming where Hemming thought it was
peculiar that Bridget didn’t hesitated herself in enjoying the food when she
was a woman gifted by the holy spirit. Bridget did not now anything about what
Hemming had thought but in the evening before Vesper, she had a revelation
wherein a voice spoke to her: “Look, your neighbor at the table has problems
with your meal” Hemming recognized that the revelation was about him and he
apologized and asked for Bridget’s forgiveness and prayers.
On the third day
thereafter Virgin Mary shows her self to Bridget and says: “Tell the bishop
that – although he always begins his sermons with praising me and that his
judgment was not out of ill will but of love – his love still needs to be
mitigated. Tell him that I want to be for him a mother, and present his spirit
before God.”
His later years:
He seemed to have a great
pathos on behalf of Finland and worked for that the region should be treated as
an equal to the other regions of Sweden and at the king’s election on February
the 15th in 1362, by the initiative of Hemming, representatives of
Österland partook in the election of Håkan Magnussons as the new king after
Magnus Ladulås: Österland, the eastern country was thereafter an integrated and
equal part of Sweden, until the Greater and the Lesser
Wrath in the 1800-century, when Russia occupied Finland.
Well over 80 years old,
bishop Hemming had his heavenly birthday 1366, The 21st of May which is now
celebrated as his memorial day throughout Scandinavia.
The canonization process:
Blessed Hemming was
buried in his cathedral in Åbo, where miracles were reported at his tomb. In
July 16th, 1497 pope Alexander VI gave permission for the beatification of
Hemming and his relics were enshrined in 1514. He’s supposed canonization which
was planned to the year 1530 was abandoned due to the reformation.
Hemming today:
During the reformation
devote Catholics hid the relics in the walls of the Cathedral in Åbo. When they
where found during a restoration in the twentieth century the sacred relics
were confiscated by the Finnish state and are now locked in the cellar of a
museum. They are not on display. The Catholic community is trying to get the
relics back so they once again can be revered.
The Catholic community of
Finland is also having discussions with the Vatican to revive the canonization
process. However the old documents in the Vatican archives must be located,
further discussions between the authorities of the Catholic community in Finland
and the proper instances in Vatican must continue further. Such a Canonization
would indeed be very important in bringing Finland back to Catholicism.
There was also great
interest in the 2007 years Autuaan Hemmingin pyhiinvaellus, the Blessed
Hemming’s pilgrimage among both local press in Finland as well as by Catholic
priests and even among the Lutheran parishes we passed along the road. I have
great hope that this pilgrimage will be an annual tradition until the sainthood
of Blessed Hemming is officially recognized.
To further the
canonisation of Blessed Hemming:
– Autuas Hemming, rukoile
puolestamme.
– Salige Hemming, bed för
oss.
– Blessed Hemming,
pray for us.
This text was based on
the Swedish nineteenth century encyclopedia Nordisk Familjebok, the revelations
of St. Bridget and the wonderful book “Biskop Hemming av Åbo” from 1960, by B.
Klockars. Maiju Lehmijoki has written this interesting article about St Birgitta of Sweden’s
influence in Finland.
See more pictures from
the Blessed
Hemming Pilgrimage 2007.
SOURCE : https://swede1875.wordpress.com/2007/07/26/an-introduction-to-blessed-hemming-1290-1366/
Hemming
(1290 - 1366)
Hemming was one of the
most notable medieval Finnish bishops. He was a bishop for almost thirty years,
performed diplomatic duties abroad and was a close friend of St Birgitta. But
what puts Hemming in a special position is the fact that he was the other
Bishop of Turku, after St Henrik, to be beatified.
Hemming was one of the
most notable medieval Finnish bishops. He was a bishop for 28 years, developed
his diocese, performed diplomatic duties abroad and was a close friend of St
Birgitta. But what elevates Hemming to a special position is the fact that he
was the other Bishop of Turku, after St Henrik, to be beatified.
According to the Chronicle
of Bishops, Hemming was born in 1290. This piece of information is not
necessarily reliable, but his birth date was around 1300 at the latest. Hemming
originally came from Sweden, from the parish of Bälinge near Uppsala, where he
inherited a farm called Pålsbo. He was of a knightly family, but there is no
more precise knowledge of his family roots. Apparently Hemming began his
studies at the Uppsala Cathedral School and continued them at the University of
Paris. The only source refers to theological studies in the early 1320s, but
there are reasons to believe that he had previously studied at the Faculty of
Arts. Hemming's theological studies were directed by Maître Pierre Roger
(Petrus Rogerii), who later became Pope Clement VI.
After his studies, Hemming
may have worked as a priest in the Archdiocese of Uppsala, but he did not
belong to its Cathedral Chapter. In 1329 at the latest he received a canonry
from the Diocese of Turku; this may have been associated with the office of
Parish Priest of Kemiö. Hemming's move to the Diocese of Turku was obviously
due to the influence of Bishop Bengt (Benedictus), who came from the same area
of Sweden; Hemming is not known to have had any previous connections with
Finland. After the death of Bishop Bengt, the Turku Cathedral Chapter elected
Hemming as Bishop in November 1338. The election occurred via
inspirationis - by spontaneous and unanimous acclamation. Hemming was
consecrated a bishop in the Great Church in Stockholm, evidently in November
1339.
Hemming became
energetically involved in the development of the diocese from the very
beginning of his period as bishop. In 1340 he established the post of Dean of
Turku Cathedral; the incumbent lived permanently in Turku and assisted the
bishop in leading the diocese. Because the bishop did not have a town residence
in Turku, Hemming acquired the Kairinen estate, which was in the direction of
Kaarina but very close to the cathedral.
Turku Cathedral still
bore the scars of the fire of 1318; to help finance the repairs, Hemming
acquired letters of indulgence from the Pope and, in 1353, permission to
transfer a third of the tithes gathered by the parish churches to the
cathedral. Hemming had a new chancel built for the cathedral; this was
evidently a five-sided chancel, which was later demolished. During his
episcopacy the first side-altars were erected in the cathedral; a prebend, or
altar fund, was associated with these. In 1354 Hemming also presented the
cathedral with his library. This contained some forty books: works of the
Church Fathers, more recent theological literature and a comprehensive
collection of works on Canon Law.
Bishop Hemming strove to
raise standards among the clergy of his diocese. He tightened adherence to the
rule of celibacy and prohibited priests from moving to another diocese without
permission from the bishop. From his episcopacy comes the first mention of a
number of Finnish priests' undertaking university studies. In 1352 Hemming
issued synodal statutes; the regulations contained in them mainly concerned
finances, the external order of the Church, and the liturgy. These ordinances
were mostly borrowed from older Swedish statutes, but they were modified to
suit conditions in the Diocese of Turku.
In dealing with the
affairs of his diocese, Hemming conducted a number of episcopal visitations.
When a dispute arose with the Archbishop of Uppsala over the boundary between
the dioceses, Hemming travelled all the way to Tornio in 1346. There he met his
namesake, Archbishop Hemming, and reached agreement with him that the diocesan
boundary should run between the parishes of Tornio and Kemi.
Bishop Hemming developed
and improved the system of ecclesiastical taxes in his diocese and strengthened
the position of the Bishop of Turku. He personally issued tax regulations for
the different provinces of Finland and also asked the king to issue such
regulations. For the Turku episcopal, Hemming also acquired numerous farms - as
far as is known, more than any other bishop of Turku. he tenaciously defended
the rights of the bishop - for example, when a dispute arose over the bishop's
share of fish catches or the collection of fees.
Bishop Hemming stated
that he supported the position of Canon Law, according to which the temporal
authorities had no powers to intervene in ecclesiastical affairs. On several
occasions, however, he was forced to turn to King Magnus II for help in order to
resolve disputes concerning taxes and the rights of a bishop. In 1351 the king
handed over to Padis Monastery in Estonia the patronage rights to the Parish of
Porvoo and to the chapels at Pernaja and Sipoo. Initially Hemming had to
acquiesce; but he succeeded in having the monastery's rights temporarily
annulled in 1362.
During Hemming's
episcopacy, the Diocese of Turku increasingly became a target of the Pope's
taxation and appointments policies. In order to prevent the king from taking
advantage of this situation, as he was doing in Sweden, Hemming negotiated an
agreement (1352) which precisely delimited the king's patronage rights in
Finland. By contrast, Hemming was on good terms with the archbishops of
Uppsala.
Hemming was one of the
circle of friends of the Swedish visionary Birgitta and enjoyed her trust.
Birgitta has given us a many-sided description of Hemming's character: on the
one hand daring, active and energetic; on the other, humble, pious and
disciplined - positively ascetic. At Birgitta's behest Hemming travelled to
France, probably in 1348, with Petrus Olavi, the Prior of Alvastra Monastery.
Their mission was to convey to Pope Clement VI, who was residing at Avignon -
and to Edward III of England and Philip VI of France - messages from Birgitta
clothed in the form of revelationes. Hemming's voyage did not, however,
bring about the desired results.
Presumably Bishop Hemming
shared Birgitta's view that the time was ripe to convert the Karelians beyond
the border to Roman Catholicism. There is, however, no indication that he took
an active part in King Magnus II's crusade plans, which led to the unsuccessful
campaign against Russia in 1348 - 50. The enterprise included a plan to
establish in Karelia a diocese of its own, an idea which Bishop Hemming would
hardly have supported. As a result of the campaign, the king was forced to take
out a loan from the Pope's tax revenues, and Hemming and the other Swedish
bishops had to act as guarantors. Hemming was later obliged, under threat of
excommunication, to pay off this loan, the Pope even confiscating his
posthumous estate.
In Sweden a political
crisis erupted in the 1350s, and Bishop Hemming could not avoid taking a stand.
He had earlier been on good terms with King Magnus II, but relations had cooled
because of the king's inept handling of his debts. Thus Hemming attempted to
remain neutral in the quarrels between the king and his sons Erik and Håkan.
Despite this balancing act, in 1360 Hemming evidently fell into such disfavour
with Magnus that the king had him imprisoned for some time. Hemming was freed
in 1362 at the latest, when he set his seal to a letter of King Håkan granting
representatives of Finland the right to participate in the election of the king
of Sweden. During the power struggle between Magnus II and Albert of
Mecklenburg, Bishop Hemming initially supported Magnus, but went over to Albert
after the latter had consolidated his position as king. In 1364 Albert
confirmed the prerogatives of the Bishop and Cathedral of Turku.
Bishop Hemming died in
May 1366 - according to some sources, suddenly. He was buried in the chancel
that he had built at Turku Cathedral. After his death, an aura of sanctity
began to develop around his memory, primarily because of his close association
with St Birgitta. As early as 1416, miraculous events claimed to be connected
with Hemming began to be recorded in Turku. There already existed a popular
cult asserting his sanctity, but apparently no application for the Pope's
official confirmation of Hemming's sainthood was made until the late 15th
century.
In 1497 the Pope granted
permission for Hemming to be venerated as beatus - blessed - in the
Nordic countries and for his remains to be moved from his tomb to a reliquary.
Hemming's beatification ceremony - the moving of his sacred remains - could
not, however, be performed until 1514 because of the unsettled conditions at
the beginning of the 16th century. The Reformation put an end to the process of
Hemming's canonisation, so that he did not become an actual saint - a sanctus -
but remained a beatus.
Turku Cathedral possesses
a wooden casket for sacred remains. According to the general view, this is
Hemming's reliquary, although it has also been suggested that it may be the
reliquary of St Henrik. In the casket are preserved parts of the skeleton of an
elderly, powerfully built man - a description which seems to fit Bishop
Hemming. No church in Finland possesses a sacred picture known with certainty
to be of Hemming, but a picture in the former altar screen of Urjala Church
probably depicts him.
Ari-Pekka Palola
Translated by Roderick
Fletcher
Appendix
Hemming (Hemmingus), born
c. 1290 Bälinge, Uppland, Sweden, died 21.5.1366 Turku, buried in Turku
Cathedral. Parents: Swedish nobleman, name unknown, and Katarina, family name
unknown.
SOURCE : http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/english/?id=217
Hemming of Abo
(1290–1366),
bishop in Finland. He was
born in Sweden at Balinge (near Uppsala) and studied theology and canon law at
Paris. In 1329 he became a canon of Abo cathedral (Helsinki) and in 1339 its
bishop. Although zealous for his diocese, he also travelled much, both over
border disputes with Uppsala, from where Henry of Finland had pioneered its
conversion, but also through accompanying Bridget of Sweden to France. This
queen worked with Hemming's help both to end the Hundred Years War between
England and France and to end the residence of the popes in Avignon.
Hemming's diocesan synod
of 1352 reveals his care for the proper celebration of the main feasts of the
Church as well as those of the local saints of Scandinavia, Henry, Eric, and
Olaf. He was also concerned with the custody of the Eucharist, with the
administration of Church property and with suppressing the payment of fees by
poor people either for dispensations or for funerals. He died on 22 May and was
buried at Abo cathedral. Miracles were recorded at his tomb and in 1514 the
Holy See authorized the translation and enshrinement of his relics. A fine
embroidered altar frontal survives in Finland, which depicts Hemming and
Bridget together: an angel holds the mitre over his head. Feast: 22 May.
Bibl. SS., vii. 584–6
SOURCE : http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095930203
ST BIRGITTA OF SWEDEN'S
INFLUENCE IN FINLAND
MAIJU LEHMIJOKI
I. Birgitta of Sweden and
Bishop Hemming of Åbo
And make public the words
that I have spoken with my own mouth and deliver them personally to the head of
the Church.
Christ to Bishop Hemming,
in St Birgitta, Revelationes I.52
During many of her
Revelations, St Birgitta of
Sweden (1303-1373) heard Christ and the Virgin reveal the will of God,
which she was to pass on to secular and clerical rulers, as well as to common
people. These messages often fiercely urged their recipients to repent so that
their souls would be saved from divine anger, and God's peace could rule the
world. The spiritual messages were intertwined with visions for the practical
reform of the church and secular kingdoms, which in Birgitta's day were
troubled by wars, the Papacy's dislocation in Avignon (1309-1377) and epidemic
of the plague later known as the Black Death (1347-1351).
In the late Middle Ages
Finland, then an eastern province of the Swedish Kingdom, was only partially
Christianized. The cooperation with the Swedish church was close and most of
Finland's high-ranking clergymen came from the Swedish Diocese of Uppsala and
the region's written language was Swedish. When Birgitta was still in Sweden -
that is, before her journey to Rome in 1349, from which she never returned -
Finland was shepherded by the efficient and learned bishop of Åbo, Hemming
(from 1338-1366). Hemming came from a well-to-do Swedish family, had close
contacts with Swedish nobility, and knew Birgitta well. Birgitta chose him to
accompany her confessor, the Cistercian Prior Peter of Alvastra, in a mission
to Pope Clement VI at Avignon and to the Kings of England and France.
Bishop Hemming and Prior
Peter made their journey between 1346 and 1349. Their mission was to deliver to
the Pope Birgitta's Revelation which lamented the decline of the Papacy. This
Brigittine Revelation urged the Pope to reform his own lasciviousness, to cease
supporting the King of France, and to return the Papal See to Rome. In
Birgitta's Revelation Christ spoke directly to Clement:
It will not remain a
secret how at your time greed and ambition flourished in the Church, and how
many things you could have reformed and improved, but you, lover of the flesh,
balked. Rev. VI.63
Hemming and Peter were
also empowered with another of Birgitta's Revelationes (Rev. IV.103-105),
which exhorted the Kings of France and England to end their hereditary strife,
which was turning into a devastating sequence of wars. The mission of these two
Nordic reformers was not untypical of the time; many visionaries sought
audiences at the Papal Palace to deliver their visions for reform. These
individuals also took part in the secular politics of the magnates of Europe.
Alas, these peace makers spoke often to deaf ears. Likewise, Bishop Hemming and
Prior Peter's journey bore little fruit. Clement remained in Avignon, where he
continued his power-greedy life and his close relationship with the French
King. It also turned out that the Kings of France and England were beginning
their devastating Hundred Years' War (1338-1453). Birgitta's Vita states
that the bellicose kings were 'less than willing to receive the words of God'.
The cooperation between Birgitta and Hemming was a complementary partnership.
An ardent visionary and a diligent administrator joined forces.
Birgitta's Revelationes provided energy and inspiration while Bishop
Hemming channeled these into practicable plans. On his return to Finland,
Hemming probably spread the knowledge of Birgitta's sanctity in his diocese.
After her death, Finns contributed to the collection of her miracles. For
example, a clergyman from Kokemaki testified that a request to Birgitta had
granted him the restoration of his sight. But towards the end of the fourteenth
century the cult of St Birgitta, for over half a century, seems to disappear.
II. The Valley of Grace
Birgitta's cult and the
influence of the Brigittine Order (founded in 1370), was resuscitated when it
was decided to establish a Brigittine Abbey in southern Finland for nuns and
monks. The construction work for the abbey, Vallis gratiae (`Valley
of Grace'), started in 1443. Nådendal was the name of the village (in Finnish
'Naantali') that quickly grew up around this thriving monastic community. The
Abbey of Nådendal kept close contacts with its Swedish mother Abbey, Vadstena.
Yet, especially in its golden age, from the 1460s to the 1490s, Nådendal was
deeply rooted in the surrounding Finnish culture, and many of its members were
recruited from the Swedish-speaking Finnish gentry.
For several decades the
Brigittine Abbey of Nådendal was vital for Finnish religious, cultural and
economic life. The Abbey was favoured by the nobility and gentry, whose
generous donations helped Nådendal compete even against the nearby Cathedral of
Åbo (in Finnish, 'Turku'), and that city's Dominican convent dedicated to Saint
Olaf. The annual fairs in Nådendal helped the village's economy and merchants
greatly profited from the pilgrims who came. The spiritual life of the
cloistered nuns of Nådendal focused on contemplation and prayer, but they had a
reputation also for their skilful handwork. Their lace products were especially
famous. In the Abbey church the priest-monks gave sermons in both Swedish and
Finnish, and they also had charge of the religious education of the nuns. The
Abbey included the first-known Finnish author, Jons Budde (+ 1491), who
translated saints' legends and the Books of Ruth and Esther into Swedish for
the nuns' daily readings.
At the end of the
fifteenth century Birgitta's cult blossomed also in other regions of Finland.
Her feast day, 7 October, was given a solemn celebration. Birgitta and the
Norwegian warrior king, Saint Olaf (+1030), were viewed as regional saints in
Finland, alongside the sole canonized Finnish saint, the missionary Bishop
Henrik (+1156). St Birgitta's popularity is seen in numerous church
dedications. Several mural paintings and wooden statues of her survive from the
fifteenth century, in which Birgitta is usually depicted with her
characteristic emblem, the book, symbol of the Revelationes she
received and which she then wrote.
Santa Birgitta ora pro
nobis . 'Saint Birgitta, pray for us'. This inscription can still be seen
under a well preserved mural painting of Birgitta in the Church of Parainen
(1486). People asked Birgitta for intercessory prayer at the time when the
Finnish region was entering exceptionally hard times. Throughout the Middle
Ages, Finland had remained on the fringes of the Swedish Kingdom and
consequently in poverty. At the end of the fifteenth century that poverty was
aggravated by the Great Russian War, by very harsh winters, by famine and by
epidemics of plague. The Abbey of Nådendal also suffered and in the 1508 Plague
no less than thirty-six brothers and sisters died. The Finnish Brigittine Abbey
never recovered its former glory after the loss of at least half its members.
Its history as a Catholic Abbey then ended with the Lutheran Reforms executed
by King Gustaf Wasa. After 1544, monastic life was prohibited and the property
of Catholic religious houses was confiscated.
III. Lutheran Times
Birgitta has also left
many marks on Finnish secular culture and folklore. In medieval times children
were given the names of the saints and such popular Finnish names as Piritta,
Pirjo and Pirkko derive from Birgitta. Finland has kept the custom of celebrating
namedays. 7 October, Birgitta's Feast Day, is also the nameday for her
namesakes.
In folklore one finds
many elements that have been adapted from high culture, but which are
interpreted in down-to-earth fashion. Several Finnish proverbs were inspired by
Birgitta's Legend. For example, the Finnish word for 'ladybird' (English),
'lady bug' (American), leppapirkko, reveals a combination of both pagan
and Christian cultures. 'Ladybirds' in medieval Finland were seen as messengers
in the animal world who carried people's wishes to the gods, but in the
Christian era people learned to pray for the intercession of the saints. Common
people then fused the traditions by giving the name of a popular saint,
Birgitta, to their former animal messenger.
IV. Inspiration from St
Birgitta
St Birgitta has also been
studied by Finnish historians, among whom, beyond compare, was Birgit Klockars.
Birgit Klockars' books studied St Birgitta's social milieu, the Saint's
literary learning, and the life of the Nådendal Abbey. These books are still
only published in Swedish, giving English summaries at their conclusion, but it
is hoped that soon the English-speaking world may have more access to them.
St Birgitta's Order has
now returned to Finland. Since 1986 there has been a Brigittine house in Turku
and, in 1996, a second house was established in Helsinki. These houses belong
to the Order's new branch, founded in 1911 by the Swedish Sister Elisabeth
Hesselblad. The Finnish Brigittine houses are small, totalling only fifteen
Sisters. But with members from Italy, Mexico, India and England they add a
further international flavour to Finland's already multicultural Catholic
church. Birgitta valued the contemplative life and her Order follows her model.
In recent years, short contemplative retreats have been revived also in the
Finnish Lutheran church. Every October there is a retreat in Naantali
(Nådendal) which honours the saint by naming the event as Birgitanpaivat,
'St Birgitta's Weekend'.
Bibliography
Birger Gregersson and
Thomas Gascoigne. The Life of St Birgitta. Trans. Julia Bolton Holloway.
Toronto: Peregrina, 1991.
Birgitta of Sweden: Life
and Selected Revelations. Ed. Marguerite Tjader Harris, Albert Ryle Kezel, and
Tore Nyberg. New York: Paulist Press, 1990.
Johannes Jørgensen. Saint
Bridget of Sweden. Trans. Ingeborg Lund. 2 vols. London: Longmans, Green, 1954.
Julia Bolton
Holloway. Saint Bride and Her Book: Birgitta of Sweden's Revelations,
Translated from the Middle English with Introduction, Notes and Interpretative
Essay. Newburyport: Focus, 1992.
Birgit Klockars, Biskop
Hemming av Åbo. Helsingfors: Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland; København:
Ejnar Munksgaard, 1960.
_______________. I
Nadens dal Klosterfolk och andra, c. 1440-1590. Helsingfors: Svenska
Litteratursällskapet i Finland, 1979.
_______________. Birgitta
och Böckerna. En undersökning av den heliga Birgittas kallor. Stockholm:
Alqvist & Wiksell, 1966.
Christian Krötzl. Pilger,
Mirakel und Alltag. Formen des Verhaltens im skandinavischen Mittelalter. Tampere:
Studia Historia 46, Societas Historica Finlandiae, 1994.
Aare Lantinen, 'Nådendals
placering i den sociala miljon i Åbo stift'. In Birgitta, hendes vaerk og
hendes klostre i Norden. Ed. Tore Nyberg. Odense: Odense Universitetsförlag,
1991.
Tore Nyberg. Birgittinische
Klostergrundungen des Mittelalters. Lund: C.W.K. Gleerup, 1965.
Istvan Räcz and Riitta
Pylkkänen, Art Treasures of Medieval Finland. Trans. Diana Tullberg
and Judy Beesley. New York: Praeger, 1967.
Maiju Lehmijoki,
Department of Systematic Theology,
University of Helsinki,
FIN- 00014 Helsinki
Finland
JULIAN OF NORWICH,
HER SHOWING OF LOVE AND ITS CONTEXTS ©1997-2024 JULIA BOLTON HOLLOWAY|| JULIAN OF NORWICH || SHOWING OF LOVE || HER TEXTS || HER SELF || ABOUT HER TEXTS || BEFORE JULIAN || HER CONTEMPORARIES || AFTER JULIAN || JULIAN IN OUR TIME || ST BIRGITTA OF SWEDEN || BIBLE AND WOMEN || EQUALLY IN GOD'S IMAGE || MIRROR OF SAINTS || BENEDICTINISM || THE CLOISTER || ITS SCRIPTORIUM || AMHERST MANUSCRIPT || PRAYER || CATALOGUE AND PORTFOLIO (HANDCRAFTS,
BOOKS ) || BOOK
REVIEWS || BIBLIOGRAPHY ||
SOURCE : https://www.umilta.net/hemming.html
San Hemming di Abo Vescovo
Festa: 21 maggio
Studioso e
amministratore, divenne vescovo di Abo, in Svezia, nel 1338. Il suo episcopato
fu caratterizzato da un'opera infaticabile: riorganizzò la diocesi, potenziò le
scuole e la biblioteca del Duomo. Uomo di fede e di azione, si recò in Francia
per convincere papa Clemente VI a ritornare a Roma e cercò di riappacificare i
re di Francia e Inghilterra in guerra. Morto nel 1366, fu venerato fin da
subito come santo. Nonostante le numerose testimonianze di miracoli e pellegrinaggi
alla sua tomba, la sua beatificazione ufficiale tardò a causa della perdita
degli atti relativi. Ciononostante, nel 1514, poco prima della Riforma
Protestante, la Santa Sede ne autorizzò la traslazione e la deposizione delle
reliquie in un reliquiario, ancora oggi custodito nel Duomo di Turku.
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale
Martirologio
Romano: A Turku in Finlandia, sant’Hemming, vescovo, che rifulse per il
suo zelo pastorale: rinnovò la disciplina di questa Chiesa con l’indizione di
un sinodo, favorì gli studi dei chierici, diede maggior decoro al culto divino
e promosse la pace tra i popoli.
Prima che la Svezia conoscesse l’avvento della Riforma Protestante luterana, vi era stata una fioritura di santi della religione cattolica, una fra tutti s. Brigida. Nell’eletta schiera troviamo s. Hemming, nacque nella parrocchia di Balinge a nord di Uppsala, verso la fine del 1200 (sec. XIII).
Visto le sue attitudini alla vita sacerdotale, fu mandato a studiare ad Uppsala nelle scuole dipendenti dalla cattedrale, dopo ordinato sacerdote, proseguì gli studi all’Università di Parigi dove conobbe, fra gli altri insigni maestri anche Pietro Ruggero de Rosière che diventerà poi papa con il nome di Clemente VI.
Nel 1329 fu nominato canonico del duomo di Abo, odierna Turku in quella parte del regno svedese dal nome Osterland, odierna Finlandia, sulla sponda opposta alla Svezia del Golfo di Botnia.
Fattosi ammirare nella nuova sede dal clero locale, divenne naturale che alla morte del vescovo Bengt nel 1338, egli venisse eletto all’unanimità dai canonici riuniti e che contrariamente alla regola non fecero votazioni e scrissero parole di elogio e apprezzamento per la sua persona, nella lettera che comunicava le loro decisioni all’arcivescovo di Uppsala, da cui dipendeva la diocesi di Abo.
La sua opera fu enorme e qualificata: organizzò la mensa episcopale, diede maggiore importanza e incremento alle scuole per sacerdoti annesse al duomo (precursori dei seminari diocesani), incrementò il tesoro della cattedrale con vasi e oggetti preziosi, regalò al duomo la sua ricca raccolta di libri amanuensi di teologia e diritto canonico, che aveva iniziato a raccogliere nel suo periodo parigino; conscio della cultura ricevuta personalmente, dispose che i più meritevoli fra gli aspiranti sacerdoti potessero andare a Parigi a studiare.
L’organizzazione della diocesi fin nella più piccola parrocchia, le liturgie, le festività, l’amministrazione dei beni, il riposo festivo, ecc. furono discussi e regolamentati nei sinodi da lui indetti; a leggere gli articoli e gli argomenti che vennero disciplinati, sembra che si parli di una diocesi e parrocchie del nostro tempo e non del lontano 1352.
Viaggiò molto e per quell’epoca era una cosa non facile, verso il 1347 andò in Francia dove per incarico di s. Brigida di Svezia a cui era legato da una grande amicizia, dovette visitare papa Clemente VI, già suo maestro a Parigi, che stava nella sua sede di Avignone per persuaderlo a tornare a Roma, ed inoltre animato, come la regina Brigida, di desiderio di pace, cercò di riappacificare, senza riuscirvi, i re di Francia ed Inghilterra che erano in guerra.
Egli morì il 21 maggio 1366 dopo 29 anni circa di episcopato, fu quasi subito considerato un santo e già dal 1400 veniva invocato come intercessore nei casi di malattia e pericolo. Nonostante l’abitudine del clero di Abo di registrare tutti i miracoli che gli venivano attribuiti e i pellegrinaggi alla sua tomba nel duomo, non si arrivò mai ad una dichiarazione ufficiale della Santa Sede sulla sua santità, perché tutti gli atti relativi andarono persi.
Comunque però la Santa Sede nel 1514, un poco prima che subentrasse la riforma Protestante, autorizzò una traslazione del corpo del vescovo Hemming e la deposizione delle sue reliquie in un reliquiario, ancora oggi nel duomo di Abo (Turku) ormai in Finlandia; esiste una pala d’altare proveniente da Urdiala in Finlandia che lo rappresenta insieme a s. Brigida, con l’aureola di santo e con un angelo che gli pone sul capo la mitria di vescovo.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
