Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ entre saint Bartolomeo da Breganze et saint Louis IX, Chiesa di Santa Corona, Vicenza
Bienheureux Barthélémy de Bragance
Évêque
de Vicenza en Italie (✝ 1270)
Dominicain, maître
du Palais pontifical sous le pape Grégoire IX, ami de saint Louis qui lui remit une épine de la sainte Couronne
ramenée de Constantinople, évêque de Vicenza en Italie, il fut béatifié par le
pape Pie VI en 1793.
À Vicence en Vénétie, commémoraison du bienheureux Barthélemy de
Brégance, évêque, de l’Ordre des Prêcheurs, qui établit dans cette cité la
Milice de Jésus Christ pour la protection de la foi catholique et la liberté de
l’Église et mourut en 1270.
Martyrologe
romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/8644/Bienheureux-Barthelemy-de-Bragance.html
Bienheureux Bartolomeo di Braganza
Évêque de Vicence (Vénétie)
Fête le 23 octobre
O.P.
Vicence, Italie, 1200 ou 1201 – † id. 23 septembre 1270 (ou 1er juillet
1271 ?)
Béatifié le 11 septembre 1793
Autre mention : 27 octobre
Autre graphie : Bartolomeo di Braganza ou di Vicenza
Évêque et disciple de saint Dominique.
SOURCE : http://www.martyretsaint.com/bartolomeo-di-braganza/
Il vescovo
Bartolomeo entra in Vicenza,
Chiesa di
Santa Corona - Paliotto dell'altare centrale, Vicenza
Bienheureux Barthélemy de Vicence
Confesseur de saint Louis
Fête le 23 octobre
Vicence, Italie, v. 1200 – † id. 1270 (ou 1er juillet 1271 ?)
Dominicain, futur confesseur de saint Louis, prédicateur prodigieux, chargé
de missions pontificales, un des grands hommes de l’histoire de l’Église du
XIIIe siècle.
Il vescovo
Bartolomeo riceve la Sacra Spina da Luigi IX di Francia,
Chiesa di Santa Corona - Paliotto dell'altare centrale, Vicenza
Barthélémy de Bragance
Par
Webmaster
MC dans Histoire
le 1 Novembre 2014 à 19:32
ainsi nommé d’un fief noble appartenant à
sa famille, issu de l’ancienne maison des comtes de Bragance, célèbre en
Lombardie, naquit vers le commencement du treizième siècle.
Il fit ses études à Padoue où il eut le
bonheur de connaître saint Dominique, et de recevoir de ses mains l’habit de
son Ordre. Il ne fut pas plutôt honoré du sacerdoce, qu’on l’envoya prêcher et
travailler à la pacification des troubles qui étaient grands dans les villes,
surtout de Lombardie.
Il fut maître du sacré palais, non pas
immédiatement après saint Dominique, comme le prétend Fontana dans son Théâtre
dominicain, puisque quand le saint patriarche mourut, Barthélémy de Bragance
n’était âgé que de vingt ou vingt-et-un ans ; mais vers l’an 1235, sous le
pontificat de Grégoire IX, il exerça cette charge jusqu’à ce qu’Innocent IV le
nomma évêque de Nimésie [aujourd’hui Limasol] dans l’île de
Chypre, sous la métropole de Nicosie, en l’an 1250, selon Ughel, ou 1248, selon
les Bollandistes ; ce qui paraît plus probable.
Il venait de prendre possession de cette
dignité lorsque saint Louis, roi de France, passa la mer pour faire la guerre
aux infidèles, et dans la suite il eut ordre du pape de se rendre auprès de la
personne du saint monarque en Palestine. Il l’accompagna à Joppé, à Sidon, à
Ptolémaïde, et à son retour en France, selon Altamura dans sa Bibliothèque
dominicaine. D’autres disent qu’il retourna à son église après s’être acquitté
de quelques commissions dont le pape l’avait chargé envers ce saint Roi. Ce
qu’il y a de certain, c’est qu’il nous dit lui-même que le Roi fit ce qu’il put
pour l’engager de passer en France, lui faisant espérer que quand il serait à
Paris il lui ferait présent de quelques reliques pour orner son église.
Alexandre IV voulut avoir auprès de lui un
si digne prélat. Il le rappela dans sa patrie et le fit évêque de Vicence où il
eut beaucoup à souffrir de la part du tyran Ezzelin, l’ennemi déclaré de la
religion. Ce fut alors qu’on remarqua encore mieux dans la personne de
Barthélémy toutes les qualités d’un bon pasteur.
Le pape l’ayant envoyé légat en Angleterre
et en France, saint Louis qui le chérissait toujours lui donna un morceau de la
vraie Croix et une épine de la couronne de Notre Seigneur, que le digne évêque
déposa dans la magnifique église qu’il fit bâtir aux dominicains et qui fut appelée l’église de la Couronne.
Il fit son testament le 23 septembre 1270,
et mourut peu de temps après. Les Bollandistes assurent qu’on lui a toujours
rendu une espèce de culte et donné le titre de bienheureux.
Le père Papebrock dit que Barthélémy de
Bragance a été patriarche de Jérusalem ; mais cela est au moins fort
douteux puisque sans parler du silence de la plupart des auteurs, Barthélémy
lui-même n’a jamais pris ce titre dans aucun acte, ni dans son testament qui
renferme néanmoins un abrégé fidèle de sa vie, et où l’église de Jérusalem
n’est pas seulement nommée, tandis qu’il y est fait une mention expresse de
celles de Nimésie et de Vicence. L’épitaphe qu’on lit sur le tombeau de
Barthélémy, dans l’église de la Couronne de Vicence, et où il est appelé
patriarche de Jérusalem, ne mérite aucune considération, parce que, comme le
remarque le père Échard, ce n’est point la première qu’on y lisait d’abord,
mais une autre qu’on y mit en 1353, quatre-vingt-trois ans après sa mort,
lorsqu’on le transporta dans un nouveau tombeau.
Nous avons quelques ouvrages de Barthélémy
de Bragance, qui est aussi nommé quelquefois Barthélémy de Vicence ;
savoir, des Commentaires sur l’Écriture-Sainte et sur le livre de la
Hiérarchie, attribué à saint Denis l’Aréopagiste ; deux volumes de Sermons,
et quelques opuscules. Le père Échard en cite beaucoup d’autres qui sont
demeurés manuscrits. (Le père Échard, Script. Ord. Prœdic.,
tom. 1 pag. 254 et les suivantes. Le père Touron, dans la Vie de
saint Dominique, l. 5, pag. 508 et les suivantes.)
Bibliothèque sacrée, ou Dictionnaire universel historique,
dogmatique, canonique, géographique et chronologique des sciences
ecclésiastiques ... , Charles Louis Richard, Boiste fils ainé, 1822
Blessed Bartholomew of Breganza, OP B (AC)
Born at Vicenza, Italy, c. 1200; died 1271; cultus approved in 1793.
Bartholomew was born into the family of the counts of Breganza, Lombardy,
Italy. While still very young, he entered the University of Padua and gained a
reputation for scholarship and sanctity. There he met Saint Dominic and
received the Dominican habit from the founder's hands. Bartholomew completed
his novitiate, his studies at Vicenza and Padua, and was ordained.
Shortly thereafter
Bartholomew was sent to preach against heresy in cities throughout Lombardy,
and to make peace among the warring factions that were destroying the country.
In 1233 he founded a sort of military order--the Fratres Gaudentes--for the
preservation of public order. He preached so successfully in this difficult mission
that he was summoned to Rome, where the holy father appointed him master of the
sacred palace. He was one of the first after Saint Dominic himself to hold this
traditionally Dominican office of the pope's theologian.
In 1252 he was sent
to Cyprus as bishop of Nimesia. He journeyed there in company with Saint Louis,
king of France, who was on a crusade to the Holy Land. Bartholomew had just
begun his shepherding of Nimesia when he was called to Palestine by the king.
He was of such service to the king that Louis promised him several valuable
relics upon the king's return to France.
After administering
the diocese on Cyprus, he was translated to Vicenza in 1256. Here his first
care was to suitably enshrine the relics donated by Louis. He directed the building
of the magnificent Church of the Crown to house these precious relics, which
reputedly included a portion of the true Cross and a thorn from our Lord's
crown. He restored other churches and rebuilt the city that had been destroyed
by civil wars.
But civil war was
not the only evil visited upon Vicenza. Heresy did even greater damage.
Bartholomew used his powers as a preacher to bring many heretics back into the
fold. He was a peacemaker and a builder. So beloved was he that he had to
firmly resist the coercion of the grateful people to take over the temporal
rule of the city as well as the spiritual. Blessed Bartholomew was also given
the honor of preaching on the occasion of the second translation of Saint
Dominic's relics (Benedictines, Dorcy).
SOURCE
: http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1023.shtml
Blessed Bartholomew of
Vicenza
Here Father Touron has a footnote, in which he discusses a statement in the Acta Sanctorum, which says that all efforts to find the city of Nemosia proved abortive. He contends that the town, under Turkish domination, dwindled to nothing, or became a mere village. Most likely he is correct. Gams (Series Episcoporum, p. 438) makes di Braganza bishop there, and calls the place also Neo-Lemissus. It is likewise called New Limissa, or even, in Latin, Limonica. Joseph Thomas (Gazateer (1902), p. 1545) says that Nemosia is supposed to have been the ancient name of Limasol. It is absolutely certain that Bartholomew di Braganza was appointed bishop somewhere on the Island of Cyprus; and there seems to be no room for doubt that his episcopal see was called Nemosia. The Catholic Encyclopedia (XI, 71) places him among the bishops of Nicosia; but this appears to be an error. (Ed. note).
Autore: Fabio Arduino
Blessed Bartholomew of
Vicenza
Also known as
- Bartholomew of Braganza
Profile
Joined the Dominicans at Bologna, Italy, receiving the habit from Saint
Dominic himself. Noted preacher throughout Lombardy and Emilia in Italy. Bishop of Limassol, Cyprus in 1253. Bishop of Vincenza, Italy in 1255. Worked as a peace maker between warring factions in the region. Friend of King Saint
Louis IX of France. Preached at the second translation of the relics
of Saint Dominic in 1267.
Born
Blessed Bartholomew de
Braganza, B.C.O.P.
Memorial Day: October 23th
Profile
The historians of Vicenza agree with those of the
Order of Preachers in placing Blessed Bartholomew di Braganza among the first
and most illustrious of Saint Dominic's disciples. As a matter of fact, he was
a noted man in many ways. Nature endowed him with splendid gifts which he
developed by tireless industry. The services that he rendered the Church as an
apostolic preacher, as master of the Sacred Palace in Rome, as bishop, and as
legate of the Holy See make him worthy of an honorable place in ecclesiastical
history. An exceptional purity of heart and eminent piety gave the finishing
touches, so to express it, to his grand character.
More than one Pope honored Bartholomew with implicit
confidence. Saint Louis, king of France, held him in the highest esteem. His
virtues endeared him to those placed under his charge. Italy reaped many and
signal benefits from his preaching. He brought numbers into the Church, while
the fervor of the faithful was increased by his example and labors.
The memory of such a man, our readers will doubtless
agree, should not be suffered to die. Fortunately, he left a memoir or
memorandum in the form of a last will and testament. Thanks to this document,
one can write a part of his history and, to a certain extent, place the
principal events of his life in their proper chronological setting. Such an
order in these occurrences is the more important because historians have
confused them to an astonishing degree.
Vicenza, an episcopal city of Italy forty miles west
of Venice, and beautifully situated at the confluence of the Retrone and Bacchiglione,
is where Bartholomew first saw the light of day. The precise date of his birth
is not known; but it was in 1200 or 1201. He made a part of his studies at
Padua. Anthony Godi, an author of the thirteenth century, tells us that he
belonged to the family of the counts di Braganza long celebrated in Lombardy.
Several other Italian writers make the same statement. Only the continuers of
the Acta Sanctorum, begun by Father John Van Bolland, S. J., seem
disposed to question the blessed's ancient nobility.(1) Their doubt, however,
led to a consultation of the Società Palatina of Milan, which had Godi's Cronica
della Città di Vicenza published in its great collection known as Writers
of Italian History (Rerum Italicarum Scriptores). Signore Argelati, director
of that learned and far-famed society, replied that old manuscripts prove to a
certainty that Blessed Bartholomew, O. P., bishop of Vicenza, belonged to the
line of the counts di Braganza, lords of the manor of the same name.(2)
It was during his studies at Padua, which he took
care to season with the practice of piety, that the future bishop bad the good
fortune to make the acquaintance of Saint Dominic, as well as to hear some of
his sermons. The apostolic man inspired our student with so strong a dislike
for the vanities of the world that he determined to devote his talents to the
service of the Church. Nay, he made up his mind to follow the life which he saw
exemplified in the founder of the Friars Preacher, and received the habit of
the Order from the saint himself.(3)
Bartholomew must have been very young at this time.
At least, he himself tells us that he was trained under the fatherly care of
Saint Dominic and nourished in his Order from childhood.(4) From the beginning,
he applied himself whole-heartedly to the studies of his new life and the
development of the rare talent which nature bestowed upon him. In this way,
through the assistance of divine grace and under the guidance of experienced
teachers, he was soon regarded as a model religious, an able theologian, and a
faithful exponent and defender of the word of God.
Immediately after his ordination the new priest was
sent out to preach the Catholic faith to the people and to combat libertinage
and heresy. At the same time, he labored for the pacification of the serious
disturbances which were then prevalent in the cities of Italy, particularly in
those of Lombardy. In this latter work, which took much of his time, he was
associated with a number of other celebrated preachers of, his Order. Bishop
Henry de Sponde speaks highly in praise of these men in his Annales
Ecclesiastici, or epitome of the famed Annals of Cesare Baronio.(5)
Bartholomew, however, was not content to labor with
tireless zeal for the suppression of the spirit of discord, and for the
reconciliation of individuals, families, and communities. He felt that a
standing remedy was necessary to hold in check the unhappy dissensions which
continually disturbed the public peace. He was persuaded that, unless some such
antidote was found, the preaching of the fathers could not bear the fruit they
desired. Accordingly, he established a congregation, or new order, to which he
gave the name of Chevaliers of Sancta Maria Gloriosa.
The end of this institute was the preservation or the
restoration of peace and tranquility among the people. Its members were to
carry the message of reconciliation everywhere. They were to employ all the
means that Christian charity could suggest to put an end to dissensions,
quarrels, enmities -- in a word, to all that had led to the civil wars in which
so much Italian blood had been shed, and treasure sacrificed. De Sponde, the
bishop of Pamiers mentioned above, speaks of the establishment of this quasi
military order. It soon met with approbation from the Holy See, and in 1261 was
confirmed by a bull of Urban IV.(6)
Divine intervention was necessary to render the
people of Italy docile to the earnest exhortations, prayers, and counsels of
those who labored to bring about peace and harmony among them. Only punishment
from on high could touch the hearts of the seditious whom nothing seemed able
to bring to a sense of their duty. For this reason, de Sponde proceeds to say,
God visited the country with scourge after scourge. First, there were
destructive earthquakes. Then came unproductive seasons, followed by famine. To
these succeeded pestilence and extraordinary cold weather. Finally, great
floods brought desolation to the cities as well as to the country.(7)
These catastrophes, coming one after another,
disposed the people to penance. What the greater number of them would probably
not have done solely out of fear of God's judgment, that they all did in order
to avert the manifestations of His wrath whereby they were overwhelmed. Religious
processions were held everywhere, in which persons of every age, sex, and
condition took part. They walked in their bare feet, carried a crucifix or
torch, and sang the praises of God. They practised every kind of mortification.
All this caused 1233 to be called in Italy "the year of general
devotion" (1'anno della devozion generale). Happy were the faithful
whose contrite hearts and genuine humility rendered these outward expressions
of penance and religion acceptable to God.(8)
Our pious Friar Preacher was busily engaged in
explaining the nature and the necessity of interior sacrifice to the people in
place after place, when the Pope summoned him to Rome to be his theologian.(9)
Those who state that he was the immediate successor of Saint Dominic as master
of the Sacred Palace overlook the fact that Bartholomew di Braganza was only
twenty or twenty-one years of age at the time of the patriarch death. Besides,
it was Gregory IX, not Honorius III (in whose reign Saint Dominic died), who
conferred that honorable position on the subject of our sketch. The date of the
appointment was about 1235. Ile continued to bold it under Innocent IV,
whom he followed to Lyons in December, 1244,' or the year after that Pontiff
ascended the papal throne.
Whatever time was left him from the labors of this
charge Bartholomew employed in writing. The old manuscripts of the convent at
Vicenza long showed divers works of piety, some commentaries on Sacred
Scripture and on the books formerly attributed to Denis the Areopagite, and a
number of other treatises from his busy pen. Both the historians of Vicenza and
Father James Echard, O. P., give a list of his works; but lack of space
prevents us from reproducing it here, or making comments on their merit.(10)
Just how or when Saint Louis, king of France, became
cognizant of the illustrious Friar Preacher's accomplishments we do not know.
It might have been through Bartholomew's wide-spread fame.(11) Possibly, too,
he was sent by the Pope on some commission to the French monarch. However it
came to pass, it is certain that his majesty selected the learned and saintly
son of Saint Dominic as his confessor. It is believed, and not without reason,
that Bartholomew held this position when he wrote his little treatise on the
education of princes (De Informatione Regiae Prolis), which he dedicated
to Margaret of Provence, consort of Saint Louis.
Most likely Bartholomew was thus employed at Paris
when Innocent IV appointed him bishop of Nemosia (or Nimesia), in the Isle of
Cyprus. Ferdinand Ughelli, the Cistercian historian, places this event in 1250;
but the opinion of the Bollandists, who date it from 1248, is more
probable. In fact, Bartholomew himself tells us that the Holy Father nominated
him bishop of that see at the time Saint Louis undertook his journey to the
orient for the recovery of the Holy Land.(12) Quite probably the Friar-Preacher
bishop accompanied the sainted French monarch as far as Cyprus; and we know
that it was on September 17, 1248, that Louis reached the island.(13)
When the king left Cyprus, in the month of May, 1249,
to lay siege to Damietta, Egypt, Bartholomew had taken possession of his
diocese. Here he spent the next five or six years of his life in the
fulfillment of the duties of a vigilant bishop. He applied himself heart and
soul to the instruction of his flock, the regulation of the lives of his
clergy, and the succor of the poor. For all he was a perfect example of
Christian piety arid observance. He was regular and scrupulous in the visitation
of the parishes of his see. With care did he correct the abuses that had crept
in among the faithful, uproot superstition, reform religious practices, and
restore the discipline of the Church.
While he was thus busily engaged with the affairs of
his diocese, more pressing needs Of religion tore the pious bishop from his
beloved people. The Pope ordered him to go immediately to King Louis in
Palestine. However, it is not known whether he went on a secret mission, or to
aid the French monarch with his advice after the disastrous defeat of the
Christian army by the Saracens at Mansura, Egypt, subsequently to the capture
of Damietta by Louis. Father Vincent Fontana, O. P., is of the opinion that
Bartholomew was sent to Palestine in the capacity of legate a latere, and
that he there again acted as the king's confessor.(14) But we know that another
Friar Preacher, Geoffrey de Beaulieu, was then Louis' confessor, while Cardinal
Eudes of Châteauroux was with the monarch as legate of the Holy See.
Bishop Bartholomew himself tells us, in his own brief
memoir of his life, that he was with Saint Louis in Jaffa, Sidon, and
Ptolemais. He also says that the king and queen, when they were about to sail
for France, pressed him to come to see them in Paris, where he would receive
new proofs of their royal favor.(15) We may place the prelate's journey to
Syria in 1254, the last year of King Louis' stay in Palestine. Doubtless he
advised and helped the saintly monarch in his efforts in behalf of religion and
charity in the places of the Holy Land still under Christian domination.
If the bishop then returned to his see in Cyprus, he
could not have remained there long. Alexander IV, who ascended the throne of
Peter on December 12, 1254, felt that he was more needed in Italy, and
appointed him bishop of his native city of Vicenza. In this new charge
Bartholomew set to work with the same energy that characterized his whole life,
accomplishing much good in a short time. Earnestly did he labor for the
conversion of the Manicheans. His rare virtue won the admiration of all the
well-meaning. His firmness threw the wicked into confusion. Indeed, it was not
long before men of this character started a violent persecution against the
holy prelate. The leader in this iniquity was one Ezzelino da Romano, a
declared enemy of religion and a virulent oppressor of the Catholic clergy.
Unable to withstand the tyranny of a man as powerful as he was cruel,
Bartholomew withdrew to Rome, there to await an abatement in the dangers which
confronted him in his diocese.(16)
Alexander IV now sent him as papal legate to Great
Britain and France on matters of religion. From London he accompanied the
English king and queen to Paris. There he was present at the conference between
the two sovereigns. Having happily concluded this mission by the time the death
of Ezzelino da Romano put an end to the long persecution carried on by that
tyrant, Bartholomew started at once for Italy that he might rejoin his beloved
people. Before he left Paris, Saint Louis made good his promise given in
Palestine by bestowing on the legate some precious gifts. Among these were a
portion of the true cross and a thorn from the crown of our Lord. The better to
show the authenticity of the relics, Louis had an act of donation written and
stamped with the royal seal. In this document the monarch declared that he had
given them to Bartholomew di Braganza as a proof of the tender affection he
bore him.(17)
Vicenza's bishop, carrying the spiritual treasures
which he placed beyond value, reached his episcopal city in 1260. Both clergy
and people went out to welcome him. As they marched along in procession, they
carried candles and olive branches, and often cried out in delight:
"Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord." The holy man
responded to these manifestations of joy and reverence with fatherly
affection.(18) He began at once to restore his beloved church to its former
beauty. With energy did he set about the restoration of the practice of religion,
good order, and peace throughout the diocese, and to repair the ravage and
devastation caused by the heretics or their abetters during his absence.
God blessed Bartholomew's zeal. Indeed, his efforts
met with a success far greater than he could have expected. In a short time the
people of his diocese enjoyed the happiness of peace and tranquility, while
their neighbors were continually in the turmoil of agitation and disturbance.
The citizens of Vicenza, therefore, wished both to assure themselves of the continuance
of the fortunate quiet in their city and to show their gratitude to their
beloved chief pastor. Accordingly, they begged him, for the future, not only to
be their guide in spiritual things as their bishop, but even in temporal
affairs as their signor or podestà.(19)
Until this time the fathers of the Order to which the
bishop belonged had had but one house in Vicenza. Blessed Bartholomew now
induced them to build another convent, together with a magnificent temple of
worship called the Church of the Crown. In this were placed the thorn from the
crown of our Lord and the piece of the true cross which he brought from France.
The historians of Vicenza tell us of the veneration of the faithful for these
holy relics. In the same way we learn of the large gifts made in a spirit of
emulation for the construction and decoration of the new church. This house of
prayer was erected on an eminence which had long been profaned by the meetings
of the Manicheans, that God might be perpetually and specially honored and
served in a place which had been the rendezvous of sacrilege and impiety.(20)
While the people were engaged in building a material
temple to God, the holy prelate tirelessly and successfully occupied himself
with the erection of a more spiritual and worthy one by bringing sinners to
repentance and sectarians into the fold of Christ. Many were benefited by his
instructions. Some tried his zeal sorely; but they could not exhaust his
patience. One of the would-be bishops of the heretics, called Jeremiah, and a
doctor or minister, by the name of Gallo, resisted for a long time. The latter
particularly, in several conferences with the man of God, defended the teaching
of his sect with not a little obstinacy. However, the light of truth finally prevailed
over the darkness of error. The defeat and conversion of Gallo practically put
an end to the Catharists and other enemies of the Church in the City of
Vicenza.(21)
Another action of the pious bishop in behalf of his
country deserves mention here. A misunderstanding bad arisen between the people
of Padua and those of Vicenza, which was equally baleful to both communities.
It was a difficult problem to handle. However, through tact and diplomacy,
Bartholomew effected a reconciliation that pleased both parties to the
controversy.
For the sake of historical accuracy, attention should
be called to a mistake of Father Ferdinand Ughelli. The Cistercian abbot and
historian states that Bartholomew of Vicenza and the patriarch of Aquileia were
appointed vicars of what was then known as the Roman Empire for all Italy. He
places this event in 1262, and attributes the selection of these two men to
Rudolf I.(22) But this prince did not become emperor until 1273, eleven years
later, and at least three years after the death of our noted Friar Preacher.
It is more difficult to decide whether or not the
distinguished divine was actually raised to the dignity of patriarch, as is
held by some authors. The epitaph on his tomb might give a foundation for this
opinion. Father Daniel von Papenbroeck (better known as Papebroch), S. J.,
follows it in his list of the patriarchs of Jerusalem. According to this
learned critic, Urban IV appointed Bartholomew to this patriarchate in 1264,
and he departed for the Holy Land at once to assume his new charge. However,
says the same author, he returned to Italy after two years, resigned the higher
position in the hands of Clement IV, and was reappointed to the See of Vicenza,
which became vacant in 1266.(23) So much in favor of the subject of our sketch
having held the dignity of patriarch.
On the other hand, it must be stated, we have been
able to find no bull of Urban IV or Clement IV which shows this double transfer
from Vicenza to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem back to Vicenza. The greater
number of historians who have written of Blessed Bartholomew make no mention of
such a fact. These, it is true, are arguments from silence. But to them must be
added the difficulties which led other writers to decide against the opinion of
Father von Papenbroeck. Taken as a whole, these reasons dispose one to consider
it very doubtful that Bishop di Braganza was ever patriarch of Jerusalem.(24)
Furthermore, the metropolitan of Ravenna and the
other bishops of that ecclesiastical province were at Bologna for the second
translation of the relies of Saint Dominic. Bartholomew di Braganza also
honored the occasion with his presence. He preached the sermon for the event,
and announced to the people the indulgences granted by the archbishop and each
of his suffragans. Both during the ceremonies and in the act testifying to the
translation of the relics, which he himself drew up, he takes only the rank and
title of Bishop of Vicenza. Similarly, in his last will and testament, which
bears the date of September 23, 1270, and in which we have a faithful outline
of his life, he simply calls himself bishop of Vicenza. However, he does not
forget to state that the Holy See had successively appointed him to the
dioceses of Nemosia (or Nimesia) and Vicenza.(25) He makes no mention whatever
of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. All this, again, constitutes a strong
argument against his ever having had charge of the Holy City.
The precise date of the holy man's death is not
known. But it is agreed that he died a short time after writing his will and
testament, which, as has been said, is dated September 23, 1270. Widows,
orphans, and the poor were not the only ones who wept over his demise. His loss
was universally regretted by those who loved their religion, as well as by
those who knew how to esteem virtue and merit. His keen faith, his ardent zeal
for the things of God and the salvation of souls, his gentle disposition, and
his Christian humility were the virtues especially admired and praised in him.
The practice of humility he ever knew well how to combine with rare learning
and the most brilliant employments. His memory has always been held in
benediction in the city and diocese of Vicenza.(26)
Historians assure us that, from the time of his
death, the faithful not only held our Friar Preacher in veneration, but also
gave him the title of blessed. The Bollandists have likewise proved this not
only by the testimony of those who wrote on the spot, but also by other
indications which serve to verify the fact.(27) Such, for instance, are the
lamp which was burned before his relies and his likeness painted with rays of
light around his head and placed in the Church of the Crown. The miracles said
to have been wrought at Bartholomew's grave induced the people of Vicenza to
ask for a solemn translation of his remains. On this occasion, though he had
been dead for eighty years, his body was found to have undergone no corruption.
Quite naturally, this circumstance greatly increased the devotion of a people
who were already accustomed to invoke his aid in their necessities.
So lived, labored, and died the saintly bishop of
Vicenza. He was one of the earliest and greatest of Saint Dominic's disciples,
as well as one of the most learned. Such were the love and veneration in which
the people held him. The devotion towards him may be said to have continued to
grow until, more than five centuries after his death, and many years after
Father Anthony Touron wrote his book, Pius VI granted the Order of Preachers
and the clergy of the Diocese of Vicenza the favor of reciting the divine
office and saying mass in his honor. His feast falls on the twenty-third day of
October.
Born: at Vicenza, Ityaly towards the close of the
12th century
Died: September 23, 1270
Beatified: Pope Pius VI confirmed his
cult in 1793
Prayers/Commemorations
First Vespers:
Ant. Strengthen by holy intercession, O Bartholomew, confessor of the
Lord, those here present, have we who are burdened with the weight of our
offenses may be relieved by the glory of thy blessedness, and may by thy
guidance attain eternal rewards.
V. Pray for us, Blessed Bartholomew
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Lauds:
Ant. Well done, good and faithful servant, because Thou hast been
faithful in a few things, I will set thee over many, sayeth the Lord.
V. The just man shall blossom like the lily.
R. And shall flourish forever before the Lord.
Second Vespers:
Ant. I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock..
V. Pray for us. Blessed Bartholomew
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Prayer:
Let us Pray: O God, who didst make
Blessed Bartholomew, Thy Confessor and Bishop, wonderful in leading the enemies
of the faith from the darkness of error to the light of truth, and in bringing
back the multitude to peace and concord, grant, through his intercession, that
Thy peace which passeth all understanding may keep our hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus our Lord Who with Thee liveth and reigneth world without end.
Amen.
NOTES
1. GODI, Anthony, Cronica della Città di Vicenza, p. 92;
BARBARANO, Francis, O. M. Cap., Historia Vicentina (cited in Acta
Sanctorum, XXVIII -- first volume for July --, 246); Acta Sanctorum,
XXVIII, 249, No. 16. All through this adaptation we use a later edition of the Acta
Sanctorum than that employed, by Father Touron; which, of course, often
makes our references to that work differ from his.
2. Letter of July 18, 1730.
3. ALBERTI, Leander, 0. P., De Viribus Illustribus Ordinis
Praedicatorum, folio 115; SPONDE, Henry de, Annales Ecclesiastici, Anno
1233, No. 7; RAZZI, Seraphin, O. P., Storia dei Domenicani Illustri, p.
67.
4. QUETIF-ECHARD (first name of both James), Scriptores Ordinis
Praedicatorum, I, 255.
5. Op.
cit., Anno 1233, Nos. 6-7.
6. Op.
cit., Anno 1261. De Sponde's words are:
"A new military order was founded for pacifying the cities. The name given
it was Sancta Maria Gloriosa. Its founder was Father Bartholomew of
Vicenza, of the Order of Preachers" (Tum ad pacificandas
civitates novus militum Ordo, qui Sanctae Mariae Gloriosae vocati sunt, factus,
auctore Fratre Bartholomeo Vicentina Praedicatorii Ordinis). Father Touron
does not tell us how long this institutw lasted, or precisely with what success
it met. Yet it must have been started by 1230, and it continued in existence
for some years after its confirmation (1261) by Urban IV. (Ed. note).
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. ALBERTI, as in note 3; UGHELLI, Ferdinand, Italia Sacra, V,.
Col. 1052.
10. UGHELLI, op. cit., V, Col. 1053; QUETIF-ECHARD, op. cit.,
1, 258. Most likely, since the confiscation of monastic property by the
Italian government, these works have been lodged in other places. (Ed. note).
11. PIO, Michael, O. P., Delle Vite degli Huomini Illustri del Ordine
di San Domenico, Col. 116 ff; RAZZI, op. cit., pp. 67 ff.
12. Acta Sanctorum, XXVIII, 250, No. 18, 252, No. 28; QUETIF-ECHARD,
op. cit., 1, 255; LUSIGNAN, Stephen, O. P., Histoire de Cypre, Chap.
V, folio 19.
Here Father Touron has a footnote, in which he discusses a statement in the Acta Sanctorum, which says that all efforts to find the city of Nemosia proved abortive. He contends that the town, under Turkish domination, dwindled to nothing, or became a mere village. Most likely he is correct. Gams (Series Episcoporum, p. 438) makes di Braganza bishop there, and calls the place also Neo-Lemissus. It is likewise called New Limissa, or even, in Latin, Limonica. Joseph Thomas (Gazateer (1902), p. 1545) says that Nemosia is supposed to have been the ancient name of Limasol. It is absolutely certain that Bartholomew di Braganza was appointed bishop somewhere on the Island of Cyprus; and there seems to be no room for doubt that his episcopal see was called Nemosia. The Catholic Encyclopedia (XI, 71) places him among the bishops of Nicosia; but this appears to be an error. (Ed. note).
13.
FLEURY, Claud, Histoire Ecclesiastique, XVII, 423.
14. Syllabus
Magistrorum Sacri Palatii, p. 64; FONTANA, Vincent, O. P., Sacrum
Theatrum Dominicanum, pp, 248, 343.
15. Acta Sanctorum, XXVIII, 250, No. 20. His words are:
"Sailing for Syria, I visited the King and Queen, who received me most
kindly at Jaffa, Sidon, and Ptolemais. Such was their esteem for me that, when
they were about to return to France, they strongly urged me to visit them in
Paris, and led me to hope that there they would give me some sacred
relics" (Navigantes ergo in Siriam, Regem atque Reginam visitavimus, et
in Joppe atque in Sidone, et ultimo in Acone benignissinie ab eis accepti
fuimus, et tanto amore dilecti, ut in Franciam profecturi, nos instanter
rogarent, quod eos Parisiis visitare curaremus; spem nobis tribuentes, quod
ibidem sacra Dei nobis communicarent).
16. UGHELLI, op. cit., V, col. 1052; Acta Sanctorion,
XXVIII, 251, No. 27. Ughelli's words are: "In his administration he
won the good by his example, and weakened the bad and those fallen away from
the Catholic faith by his teaching. However, he suffered much from the schemes
of heretics, and was finally forced into exile by Ezzelino, the most cruel of
men" (In ea administratione probos vicisse exemplo, improbos et a
catholica fide aversos fregisse doctrina; haereticorum fraudibus circumventum,
multa possum esse, tandemque ab Ezelino saevissitno pulsum in exilium).
17. BARBARANO, op. cit., as quoted in Acta Sanctorum,
XXVIII, 253, No. 34.
18. Acta Sanctorum, XXVIII, 252, Nos. 30, 31; ALBERTI, op. cit.,
as in note 3.
19 BARBARANO, Historia Vicentina; QUETIF-ECHARD, op. cit.,
1,255.
20. Blessed Bartholomew's last will and testament.
21. BARBARANO, op. cit., p. 104; MARCHESE (Dominic M.), Sagro
Diario Domenicano, IV, 5.
22 UGHELLI, op. cit., col. 1052.
23. Acta Sanctoruin XX (seventh volume for May), 692 ff. See also
Acta Sanctorum, XXVIII, 255, No. 44.
24. See QUETIF-ECHARD, op. cit., I, 256.
25. Father Touron always calls the diocese Nimesia. But Nemosia seems to
be the correct name. (Ed. note).
26. THIENAEUS, Anthony, Catalogus Sanctorum et Beatorum;
MARCHESE, op. cit., IV, 5; BARBARANO, op. cit.
27. Acta Sanctorum, XXVIII, 247-248.
SOURCE : http://www.willingshepherds.org/Dominican%20Saints%20November.html#Bartholomew
de Braganza
Beato Bartolomeo di Breganze Vescovo di Vicenza
Breganze, 1200 - Vicenza, 1270
Appartenne
all'antica famiglia di Breganze e da Vicenza fu mandato a studiare a Padova.
Entrò giovanissimo nell'Ordine dei Predicatori, quando san Domenico era ancora
in vita. Predicò in varie città dell'Emilia e della Lombardia spesso straziate
dalle fazioni e rovinate dalle eresie. Papa Gregorio IX lo nominò maestro del
Sacro Palazzo, mentre Papa Innocenzo IV lo volle con sé al Concilio di Lione,
nominandolo, nel 1253, vescovo di Limassol nell'isola di Cipro. Papa Alessandro
IV, nel 1255, lo trasferì alla diocesi di Vicenza, da dove, costretto ad
allontanarsi da Ezzelino da Romano, fu inviato come legato in Inghilterra. Di
ritorno si recò a Parigi, dal Re, che gli regalò una spina della Corona del
Salvatore. Tornato a Vicenza vi fece costruire una chiesa detta della Sacra
Corona, dove fu venerata la sacra spina, oltre a un Convento Domenicano. Ha
scritto 430 opere, tra sermoni e opere di mistica. Morì nella sua Vicenza nel
1270, venendo sepolto nella chiesa di Santa Corona. Papa Pio VI l'11 settembre
1793 ne ha confermato il culto proclamandolo beato. (Avvenire)
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale, Mitria, Piviale
Martirologio
Romano: A Vicenza, commemorazione del beato Bartolomeo di Breganze, vescovo,
dell’Ordine dei Predicatori, che in questa città istituì la Milizia di Gesù
Cristo a difesa della fede cattolica e della libertà della Chiesa.
Il Beato
Bartolomeo apparteneva all’antichissima ed illustre famiglia vicentina di
Breganze, dove nacque del 1200 circa. Inviato a studiare a Padova, entrò
giovanissimo nell’Ordine dei Predicatori, quando ancora era in vita il Santo
Padre Domenico, di cui fu esemplare imitatore. Predicò in varie città
dell'Emilia e della Lombardia, sovente straziate dalle fazioni e in preda alle
eresie, portandovi la pace ed il buon costume. Le sue qualità gli meritarono
ben presto di essere messo a capo di diversi conventi, che governò con grande
saggezza e attirando parecchie vocazioni. Il Papa Gregorio IX lo nominò Maestro
del Sacro Palazzo, mentre il Pontefice Innocenzo IV lo volle con sé al Concilio
di Lione, destinandolo nel 1253 alla sede episcopale di Limassol nell’isola di
Cipro. Papa Alessandro IV, nel 1255, lo richiamò in Italia nominandolo di
Vicenza, sua terra di origine. Costretto ad allontanarsi
dalla città da Ezzelino da Romano, fu inviato quale Legato Pontificio in
Inghilterra. Nel ritorno sostò a Parigi, per fare visita al sovrano San Luigi
IX, desideroso di rivederlo in qunto memore del conforto che aveva ricevuto in
Terra Santa al tempo della Crociata, in cui Bartolomeo era stato inviato in
veste di Legato del Pontefice. In segno di gratitudine il Re donò al vescovo Bartolomeo una
preziosissima reliquia: una spina della Corona che cinse il capo di Cristo.
Rientrato a Vicenza fece edificare una nuova chiesa dedicandola alla Sacra
Corona, quale luogo di culto in cui venerare la sacra spina, come anche un Convento
Domenicano. Il resto dei suoi giorni spese ogni sua fatica nella cura pastorale
della città. Si contano ben 430 opere a lui attribuite, comprensive di sermoni
e trattati mistici. Morì in Vicenza nel 1270 e trovò sepoltura nella chiesa di
Santa Corona, a lui tanto cara. Papa Pio VI in data 11 settembre 1793 ne
confermò il culto quale Beato, estendendone il culto in particolare alla Chiesa
vicentina ed all’Ordine Domenicano. Il Martyrologium Romanum ne fa memoria al
27 ottobre.
Autore: Fabio Arduino
