Also
known as
Gilla
Gille
Gillebert
Gilli
Profile
Priest.
Worked in Rouen, France
from 1103
to 1106.
Apostolic delegate
to Ireland
from the papacy
of Pope
Paschal
II c.1106.
Chosen bishop
of Limerick,
Ireland
in 1107.
With Saint
Malchus
of Waterford and Ceallach of Armagh, he helped reorganize the Church
in Ireland,
replacing monastic
rule with that by the bishops
and diocesan
structure, and advocating for a uniform liturgy. Gilbert retired from his
position as papal
legate
in 1139,
and from hisbishopric
in 1140.
c.1145
of natural causes
Additional
Information
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
other
sites in english
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Saint Gilbert of
Limerick“. CatholicSaints.Info. 30 January 2023. Web. 30 September 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-gilbert-of-limerick/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-gilbert-of-limerick/
Gillebert of Limerick B
Died 1140. The date of
Saint Gillebert's appointment as apostolic delegate to Ireland about 1106 (or a
little earlier) is inferred from an extant congratulatory letter he wrote in
1107 to Archbishop Saint Anselm of Canterbury. Gillebert, together with Saint
Malchus of Waterford and Ceallach of Armagh, launched a reorganization of the
Irish church from monastic to episcopal rule. Gillebert is remembered for his
tract entitled De statu ecclesiae, which outlined the episcopal and parochial
reorganization, as well as advocated for a uniform liturgy. This movement was
blessed by the High King Murcertach at the Council of Cashel at which time he
bestowed the famous Rock of Cashel on the church. At the National Synod of Rath
Breasel in 1110, Ireland was divided into 24 dioceses, and, in 1162, Archbishop
Saint Gelasius decreed a uniform liturgy for the entirety of Ireland (Curtis,
D'Arcy, MacNeill, O'Hanlon)
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0204.shtml
Saint of the Day – 4
February – Saint Gilbert of Limerick (c1070–1145) Bishop
Posted on February
4, 2024
Saint of the Day – 4
February – Saint Gilbert of Limerick (c1070–1145) Bishop, Canon Lawyer, Papal
Legate to Ireland appointed by the Papacy of Pope Paschal II in c1106 and also
then appointed as the Bishop of Limerick, Scholar and Philsopher, Church Reformer,
Unknown date or place of birth and died in Bangor, Ireland in 1145 of natural
causes. Also known as – Gille, Gillebertus, Gilla, Gilli.
“For the early Irish Lent
began on the Sunday after Ash Wednesday. Gilbert of Limerick (†1145) insisted
on Ash Wednesday.” This injunction was part of the programme of Church Reform
which took place in the 12th Century, reform in which St Gilbert of Limerick
was deeply involved.
We know very little about
Gilbert’s private history and personal life. He refers to himself both as Gille
and Gillebertus. It is not even clear whether he was of Irish or Norse
extraction. Is is suggests that his family roots are almost certainly in the
Hibero-Norse City of Limerick, Ireland but his choice to retire to Bangor, Co.
Down where he died may refer to Bangor as his birthplace.
The first record we have
of Gilbert is a letter which he sent in 1106, as the Bishop of Limerick, to St
Anselm, at that time the Archbishop of Canterbury, sending a gift of pearls and
congratulating him on “the victory of your labours in subduing the indomitable
minds of the Normans.” St Anselm’s reply states that the two “have known each
other and delighted in friendship, since our time in Normandy.”` This may
suggest our Gilbert had been a pupil of St Anselm in north-eastern France.
The balance of evidence
suggests that Gilbert was a Papal Legate for almost all his time as the Bishop
of Limerick and that he headed the Synod of Raith Bressail in 1111. According
to St Bernard of Clairvaux, he was the first to be a Legate “per universam
Hiberniam — throughout all Ireland.”
The Synod of Raith
Bressail , in 1111,was the second aimed at reforming the Irish Church and the
first to include the whole country. The first, held in Cashel in 1101,
legislated against the purchase of Church positions and regulated the
relationship of Church and State, of marriage laws and, of clerical celibacy.
The Synod of Raith
Bressail went further, instituting for the first time, a full system of Diocese
in Ireland in a hierarchy subject to a Primate of all Ireland and, through him,
to the See of St Peter in Rome and the Sovereign Pontiff. This was the greatest
change in the Irish Church since the 5th Century. A document, the Acta, from
this Synod, gives further circumstantial evidence for Gilbert’s own origin in
Limerick – Limerick is given as a model Diocese (with “St Mary’s Church” as its
Cathedral Church) in a level of detail, suggesting local knowledge.
Gilbert records in his treatise ‘De Statu Ecclesiae’ that many Irish Bishops
and Priests requested he explain the hierarchy he advocated.
With Saint Malchus of
Waterford and Ceallach of Armagh, he helped reorganise the Church in Ireland,
replacing monastic rule with that by the Bishops and Diocesan structure and
advocating for a uniform Liturgy.
As a Canon Lawyer,
Gilbert was working in the Paris tradition which was founded on law based on
custom, rather than the compilation and reconciliation of texts as practised by
the (later) Gratian. As such his style is very different, “exhortatory rather
than prescriptive, encouraging rather than demanding” – very different from
what we would regard as a legal text today. The law was based on a common
vision of life; an inportant aspect of it was the rights and duties owed to a
lord.
The Treatise itself is a
commentary on a diagram (the image below) in which the hierarchical structure
of the Church is shown as a pyramid, made up of further interlocking pyramids.
The Pope is at the apex, balanced by the Emperor and Noah at the other two
points. The pyramids below balance the Archbishop with the Duke, then the
Bishop, with the Count and finally the Priest with the soldier. 15
In 1115, Gilbert is
recorded as being present at the Consecration of a new Bishop of St David’s in
Westminster. In 1129, St Bernard of Clairvaux records that Gilbert, along with
Maek Isu of Lismore prevailed on St Malachy to accept the vacant See of Armagh
and that, in 1140, Malachy became the Papal Legate due to the retirement of St
Gilbert having become unwell in his old age.
Gille’s death, his only
mention in the Irish annals, is recorded in 1145 in Bangor Co. Down. The ‘De
Statu Ecclesiae‘ survived in two manuscripts and a prologue to it, ‘De Uso
Ecclesiastico’ in three. The two parts were published by Archbishop James
Ussher in 1632.
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Imago
Ecclesiae (Durham Cathedral Library MS B.II.35, fol 36v)
Canon
Lawyer, Papal Legate: Gille of Limerick
C.
M. BARRY FEBRUARY 10, 2016 LEAVE
A COMMENT
Imago Ecclesiae (Durham
Cathedral Library MS B.II.35, fol 36v)
“For the early Irish Lent
began the Sunday after Ash Wednesday. Gilbert of Limerick (†1145) insisted on
Ash Wednesday” 1.
This injunction was part of the programme of church reform that took place in
the 12th century, reform that Gilbert (or Gille) of Limerick was deeply
involved with. Gille was also “a philosopher whose philosophical thinking
form[ed] the basis of his canon law” 2.
We know very little about
Gille’s life: there are even numerous versions given of his name. He refers to
himself both as Gille and Gillebertus 3.
It is not even clear whether he was of Irish or Norse extraction. John Fleming
suggests that his family roots are almost certainly in the Hibero-Norse city of
Limerick 4,
but his choice to retire to Bangor, Co. Down where he died may suggest that as
his birthplace 5
The first record we have
of Gille is a letter that he sends in 1106 as bishop of Limerick to Anselm, at
that time Archbishop of Canterbury, sending a gift of pearls and congratulating
him on “the victory of your labours in subduing the indomitable minds of the
Normans” 6 Anselm’s
reply states that the two “have known each other and delighted in friendship
since our time in Normandy”. This may suggest Gille had been a pupil of Anselm
in north-eastern France. Fleming suggests the history of learning in the area
influenced Gille’s work 7:
the earthly and heavenly
hierarchies of Eriugena; the tripartite division of the role of the laity put
forward by Adelbero and his cousin…and, in particular, a preoccupation with
heresy.
The balance of evidence
suggests that Gille was papal legate for almost all his time as bishop of
Limerick, and that he headed the Synod of Raith Bressail in 1111 8.
According to Bernard of Clairvaux, he was the first to be legate ‘per universam
Hiberniam’ 9.
The Synod of Raith Bressail was the second aimed at reforming the Irish church
and the first that covered the whole country. The first, held in Cashel in
1101, legislated against the purchase of church positions, and regulated the
relationship of church and state, marriage and clerical celibacy 10.
St Mary’s Cathedral,
Limerick
(c) John Armagh/Wikipedia, Public Domain.The Synod of Raith Bressail went
further, instituting for the first time a full system of dioceses in Ireland in
a hierarchy subject to a Primate of all Ireland, and through him to the see of
Rome. This was the greatest change in the Irish Church since the 5th century. A
document, the Acta, from this synod gives further circumstantial evidence
for Gille’s origin in Limerick. Limerick is given as a model diocese (with “St
Mary’s church” as its cathedral church) in a level of detail suggesting local
knowledge 11.
Gille records in his
treatise De statu ecclesiae that many Irish bishops and priests
requested he explain the hierarchy he advocated 12.
As a canon lawyer, Gille was working in the Paris tradition which was founded
on law based on custom, rather than the compilation and reconciliation of texts
as practised by the (later) Gratian. As such his style is very different,
“exhortatory rather than prescriptive, encouraging rather than demanding” 13 –
very different from what we would regard as a legal text today. The law was
based on a common vision of life; an inportant aspect of it was the rights and
duties owed to a lord 14
The treatise itself is a
commentary on a diagram (the image at the top of this post) in which the
hierarchical structure of the church is shown as a pyramid, made up of further
interlocking pyramids. The pope is at the apex, balanced by the emperor and
Noah at the other two points. The pyramids below balance the archbishop with
the duke, then the bishop with the count and finally the priest with the
soldier. 15
The pyramidal structure
“expresses a theory of authority in the Church, it represents a vision of an
ordered ecclesiastical organisation and it demonstrates the neoplatonist
philosophical background in which [Gille] was educated.” 16.
This hierarchy reflects the hierarchy of Being outlined by Pseudo-Dionysus,
with the One (God) at the top, with higher levels more perfect and receiving
more power than lower levels.17
The three corners reflect
the three-fold classification of the laity into those who plough, those who
fight and those who pray, a classification formulated by Adelbero of Laon and
Gerald of Cambrai in northeastern France 18 Each
of these form an ordo or social group, each with their own duties and
function, which interlock to form an ordered, Christian society. 19
Gille is recorded as
being present at the consecration of a new bishop of St David’s in Westminster
in 1115. Bernard of Clairvaux records that Gille, along with Maek Isu of
Lismore prevailed on Malachy to accept the vacant see of Armagh in 1129, and
that Malachy became papal legate in 1140 due to the retirement of Gille due to
old age and infirmity 20.
Gille’s death, his only
mention in the Irish annals, is recorded in 1145 in Bangor Co. Down.
The De statu ecclesiae survived in two manuscripts and a prologue to
it, De uso ecclesiastico in three. The two parts were published by
Archbishop James Ussher in 163221.
Further Reading
Sean Duffy (2004)
“Gilbert [Gille, Gilli, Gillebertus; called Gilla Espaic] (d. 1145), bishop of
Limerick” in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/10734
John Fleming
(2001) Gille of Limerick (c. 1070-1145), Dublin:Four Courts Press, p. 11]
John Fleming (2009)
“Gille of Limerick (c. 1072-1145), an Irish canonist” in James McEvoy and
Michael Dunne (eds) The Irish Contribution to European Scholastic Thought,
Dublin: Four Courts Press, pp. 37-48.
Further Listening
Peter Adamson’s The
History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast includes episodes on early
medieval political philosophy and law. Of the figures mentioned, Ivo of Chartes
was roughly contemporary with Anselm, the generation before Gille. Gratian and
Lombard were the generation after.
Peter Adamson
(2015) Two
Swords: Early Medieval Political Philosophy
Peter Adamson
(2015) Early
Medieval – Law and Order: Gratian and Lombard.
Peter Adamson
(2015) Caroline
Humfress on the Roots of Medieval Law
References
1.Per tweet from
@Peritia:
For the early Irish Lent
began the Sunday after Ash Wednesday. Gilbert of Limerick (†1145) insisted on
Ash Wednesday pic.twitter.com/a71o0pvrRs
— Peritia
(@PeritiaEditors) February
10, 2016
2.John Fleming (2009)
“Gille of Limerick (c. 1072-1145), an Irish canonist” in James McEvoy and
Michael Dunne (eds) The Irish Contribution to European Scholastic Thought,
Dublin: Four Courts Press, p. 46
3.Sean Duffy (2004)
“Gilbert {Gille, Gilli, Gillebertus; called Gilla Espaic} (d. 1145), bishop of
Limerick” in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/10734
4.John Fleming
(2001) Gille of Limerick (c. 1070-1145), Dublin:Four Courts Press, p.
11
5.John Fleming (2009),
pp. 37-8n.
6.Fleming (2001), p.
165.
7.Fleming (2009), p.
41.
8.Fleming, 2001, p.
45
9.Duffy, 2004
10.Fleming, 2001,
p.33
11.Fleming, 2001, pp.
36-40
12.Fleming, 2001,
p.44
13.Fleming, (2009), p.
43
14.Fleming (2001), pp.
53-4
15.Fleming (2009), p.
43
16.Fleming (2001), p.
77
17.Fleming (2001), p.
75
18.Fleming (2009), p.
41.
19.Fleming (2001), pp.
50-1
20.Duffy (2004)
21.Duffy (2004)
SOURCE : https://www.irishphilosophy.com/2016/02/10/gille-of-limerick/
San Gilberto di Limerick Vescovo
Etimologia: Gilberto
= nobile ostaggio, dardo brillante, dal tedesco
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale
Nulla si sa della prima
parte della vita di questo vescovo di Limerick, né se fu di origine danese o
irlandese. Una parte della sua vita trascorse certamente fuori d'Irlanda,
poiché sappiamo che fu a Rouen tra il 1103 e il 1106, durante l'esilio di
Anselmo d'Aosta, arcivescovo di Canterbury (v ). Poco dopo Gilberto fu eletto
vescovo di Limerick e scrisse ad Anselmo (1107) congratulandosi con lui per la
fine delle sue controversie con i magnati normanni in Inghilterra, inviandogli
un "povero piccolo dono" di venticinque pietre preziose di vario tipo
("munusculum paupertatis meae et devotionis transmitto, viginti quinque
margaretulas inter optimas et viliores").
Anselmo gli rispose
affettuosamente ringraziando "il vecchio amico" che era stato con lui
a Rouen, congratulandosi per la sua elezione e sollecitandolo a lavorare per
l'introduzione degli usi romani nella vita ecclesiastica irlandese.
Il male che piú affliggeva
la Chiesa in Irlanda, come altrove, era, in quel tempo, la laicizzazione che,
nell'isola, aveva assunto la forma del decadimento delle chiese monastiche le
quali, in gran parte, avevano finito per divenire delle istituzioni secolari.
Il matrimonio degli ecclesiastici, chierici e monaci, e l'attrattiva delle
proprietà della Chiesa rappresentavano forze di secolarizzazione che agivano in
Irlanda come nel continente.
Tuttavia, sin dal tempo
in cui Gilberto divenne vescovo di Limerick, il movimento di riforma gregoriana
aveva compiuto qualche progresso nell'isola e si era tenuto un sinodo di
riforma a Cashel nel 1101 sotto la presidenza del legato Maelmuire O'Dunain,
vescovo di Meath. S. Anselmo si era tenuto in contatto con queste correnti di
riforma sin dalla sua elezione a Canterbury nel 1093 e non sembra esservi
dubbio che le influenze anglo-normanne, quale l'amicizia tra Anselmo e Giacomo,
giovarono a questi primi tentativi di portare l'Irlanda in linea con il resto
della Chiesa.
Seguendo le esortazioni
di Anselmo, pare che Gilberto fosse divenuto uno dei capi della riforma ed
avesse scritto un Liber de statu ecclesiae che può considerarsi come il
programma del partito riformatore. Dopo una prefazione (De usu ecclesiastico)
in cui stabilisce l'uso canonico o romano di recitare le ore, descrivendo l'uso
irlandese come scismatico, Gilberto prosegue pro ponendo al clero irlandese
un'adeguata organizzazione della Chiesa sotto il papa, i primati, gli
arcivescovi, i vescovi e i preti.
Nel 1110 o 1111, circa
nel periodo in cui Gilberto componeva questo trattato, fu nominato legato
papale e in questa veste presiedette il sinodo nazionale di Rath Breasail nel
1111. Con l'aiuto del re Muirchertach Ua Briain, anch'egli in corrispondenza
con s. Anselmo, Gilberto, in questo sinodo introdusse il sistema continentale
di governo della Chiesa. Risultato di ciò fu che l'intera Irlanda fu divisa in
due province ecclesiastiche basandosi sulla antica suddivisione di Leath-Mhogha
e Leath Chuinn, con gli arcivescovi di Armagh e di Cashel; furono istituite
ventisei diocesi di cui vennero delimitati i confini e le chiese, invece di
dipendere dagli abati dei monasteri, furono completa mente affidate ai vescovi
diocesani. Il maggior risultato del sinodo, tuttavia, fu quello di estendere
l'autorità della gerarchia di nuova istituzione in tutti e cinque i regni
d'Irlanda.
I rimanenti anni della
vita di Gilberto sembrano essere trascorsi nel consolidamento del nuovo ordine.
Si ha notizia di un viaggio fuori d'Irlanda allorché, nel 1115, assistette
l'arcivescovo di Canterbury per la consacrazione del vescovo di St. Davió.
Gilberto morí nel 1143,
tre anni dopo avere, a causa dell'età avanzata, rinunciato alla sua sede, ed es
sere stato sostituito come legato da s. Mael-Maedoc Ua Morgair o Malachia di
Armagh.
La sua festa è celebrata
il 4 febbraio.
Autore: Leonard
Boyle
