Benno (c. 1010 – 16 June 1106) was named Bishop of Meissen in 1066. Venerated since the 13th century, he was canonized in 1523. Benno did much for his diocese, both by ecclesiastical reforms on the Hildebrandine model and by material developments. He was venerated in his native Saxony throughout the Late Middle Ages.
The first Vita was composed in 1460 by one Spedel, a Benedictine monk of St. Michael's monastery in Hildesheim. The second, by Jerome Emser, was published in 1512 as part of the efforts to have Benno canonized.[1] In the last years of the fifteenth century and the first decades of the sixteenth century the canons of Meissen and George, Duke of Albertine Saxony, coordinated a campaign to achieve Benno's canonization. The canons sought the prestige of a canonized local bishop, and the duke sought a suitable model bishop for the reform of the church.[2]
Lifeedit
Little is known of Benno's early life. Born in Hildesheim, it is reported that he was the scion of a Saxon noble family, such as the Woldenburgs;[3] and may have been educated at the monastery of St. Michael in Hildesheim.[4] However it is certain that Benno was a canon of the Goslar chapter.[5] In 1066 he was nominated by King Henry IV to the episcopal see of Meissen.[4]
Benno appears as a supporter of the Saxon rebellion in 1073,[5] though the chronicler Lambert of Hersfeld and other contemporary authorities attribute little weight to his share in it.[6] Henry IV exiled Benno in 1075, but allowed him to return to his see the following year.[1]
During the fierce Investiture Controversy, Benno supported Pope Gregory, and allegedly took part in the election of antiking Rudolf of Rheinfelden in 1077.[5] After Rudolf's death he turned to the new antiking Hermann of Salm and was accordingly excommunicated and deprived of his bishopric by the 1085 Synod of Mainz. Benno betook himself to Archbishop Guibert of Ravenna, supported by Henry as Antipope Clement III, and by a penitent acknowledgment of his offences obtained from him both absolution and a letter of commendation to Henry, on the basis of which he was restored to his see.[5]
Benno promised, apparently, to use his influence for peace with the Saxons, but again failed to keep his promise, returning in 1097 to the papal party and recognizing Urban II as the rightful pope. With this he disappears from authentic history;[4] there is no evidence to support the later stories of his missionary activity and zeal for church-building and for ecclesiastical music.[5] Benno died of natural causes on June 16, 1106.[7]
Venerationedit
St Benno depicted with a fish in hand, two keys between its gills (stained glass from the Church of Saint Benno in Munich)
Benno did much for his diocese, both by ecclesiastical reforms on the Hildebrandine model and by material developments.[8] Benno enjoyed veneration in his native Saxony throughout the later Middle Ages.[4]Adrian VI issued the bull of canonization in 1523.[9][10] Although Benno's sainthood had little to do with Luther's call for reform, once canonized he became a symbol for both sides of the reforming debate: Luther reviled him in early tracts against the cult of the saints.[11] Catholic reformers turned him into a model of orthodoxy; and after Protestant mobs desecrated Benno's tomb in Meissen in 1539,[12] the Wittelsbach dynasty ultimately made him patron saint of Munich and Old Bavaria.[4]
For his part, the English Protestant John Foxe eagerly repeated the charges which Benno, who opposed Gregory VII,[13] made against Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy,[14] such as necromancy, torture of a former friend upon a bed of nails, commissioning an attempted assassination, executions without trials, unjust excommunication, doubting the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and even burning it.[15]
Benno's feast day is 16 June. He is the patron-saint of anglers and weavers. His iconographic figures include a fish with keys in its mouth and a book. The reason for the fish is a legend that upon the excommunication of Henry IV the bishop told his canons to throw the keys to the cathedral into the Elbe; later a fisherman found the keys in a fish and brought them to the bishop.[4][16]
^ abFinucane, Ronald C., Contested Canonizations: The Last Medieval Saints, 1482-1523, CUA Press, 2011 ISBN9780813218755
^id=I3ZMCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT91&lpg=PT91&dq=saint+benno&source=bl&ots=IIs8iCCBYH&sig=wn2yeCq1rFD8BIfUC11FRZz6S2s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi25Lm5kvTNAhUDph4KHcHJDkc4FBDoAQgbMAA#v=onepage&q=saint%20benno&f=false Collins, David J. Reforming Saints: Saints' Lives and Their Authors in Germany, 1470-1530, Oxford University Press, 2008 ISBN9780190450144
Foxe, John; Townsend, George (1837). The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe: With a Preliminary Dissertation by the Rev. George Townsend. R.B. Seeley and W. Burnside, sold by L. & G. Seeley. p. 121.
Kirsch, Johann Peter (1907). "St. Benno" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Thurston, Herbert; Attwater, Donald, eds. (1963). Butler's Lives of the Saints. Vol. II. New York: P. J. Kennedy. p. 556.
Collins, David J. (2001). "Bursfelders, Humanists, and the Rhetoric of Sainthood: The Late Medieval vitae of Saint Benno". Revue Bénédictine. 111 (3–4): 508–556. doi:10.1484/J.RB.5.100714.
Collins, David J. (2008). Reforming Saints: Saints' Lives and Their Authors in Germany, 1470-1530. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 3–6, 28–39, 45–46. ISBN978-0-19-532953-7.
Soergel, Philip M. (1993). Wondrous in his Saints. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 181–191.
Volkmar, Christoph (2002). Die Heiligenerhebung Bennos von Meißen (1523/24). Spätmittelalterliche Frömmigkeit, landesherrliche Kirchenpolitik und reformatorische Kritik im albertinischen Sachsen in der frühen Reformationszeit (Reformationsgeschichtliche Studien und Texte; 146) (in German). Münster.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Benno.
Saint Benno at the Christian Iconography web site.
Christoph Volkmar: Benno. In: Institut für Sächsische Geschichte und Volkskunde (Hrsg.): Sächsische Biografie.
benno, meissen, this, article, about, benno, bishop, meissen, other, german, benno, benno, osnabrück, italian, bishop, also, known, benno, beno, santi, martino, silvestro, benno, 1010, june, 1106, named, bishop, meissen, 1066, venerated, since, 13th, century, . This article is about St Benno Bishop of Meissen For the other German St Benno see Benno II of Osnabruck For the Italian bishop also known as Benno see Beno of Santi Martino e Silvestro Benno c 1010 16 June 1106 was named Bishop of Meissen in 1066 Venerated since the 13th century he was canonized in 1523 Benno did much for his diocese both by ecclesiastical reforms on the Hildebrandine model and by material developments He was venerated in his native Saxony throughout the Late Middle Ages SaintBenno of MeissenPainting by Johann Michael Rottmayr 1702Alte Pinakothek MunichConfessor and Bishop of MeissenBornc 1010 Hildesheim Duchy of SaxonyDied 1106 06 16 16 June 1106Meissen Margraviate of MeissenVenerated inCatholic ChurchCanonized31 May 1523 by Pope Adrian VIMajor shrineMunich formerly MeissenFeast16 JuneAttributesbook fish with keys in its mouthPatronagefishermen weavers Dresden Meissen Munich Contents 1 Sources 2 Life 3 Veneration 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksSources editThe first Vita was composed in 1460 by one Spedel a Benedictine monk of St Michael s monastery in Hildesheim The second by Jerome Emser was published in 1512 as part of the efforts to have Benno canonized 1 In the last years of the fifteenth century and the first decades of the sixteenth century the canons of Meissen and George Duke of Albertine Saxony coordinated a campaign to achieve Benno s canonization The canons sought the prestige of a canonized local bishop and the duke sought a suitable model bishop for the reform of the church 2 Life editLittle is known of Benno s early life Born in Hildesheim it is reported that he was the scion of a Saxon noble family such as the Woldenburgs 3 and may have been educated at the monastery of St Michael in Hildesheim 4 However it is certain that Benno was a canon of the Goslar chapter 5 In 1066 he was nominated by King Henry IV to the episcopal see of Meissen 4 Benno appears as a supporter of the Saxon rebellion in 1073 5 though the chronicler Lambert of Hersfeld and other contemporary authorities attribute little weight to his share in it 6 Henry IV exiled Benno in 1075 but allowed him to return to his see the following year 1 During the fierce Investiture Controversy Benno supported Pope Gregory and allegedly took part in the election of antiking Rudolf of Rheinfelden in 1077 5 After Rudolf s death he turned to the new antiking Hermann of Salm and was accordingly excommunicated and deprived of his bishopric by the 1085 Synod of Mainz Benno betook himself to Archbishop Guibert of Ravenna supported by Henry as Antipope Clement III and by a penitent acknowledgment of his offences obtained from him both absolution and a letter of commendation to Henry on the basis of which he was restored to his see 5 Benno promised apparently to use his influence for peace with the Saxons but again failed to keep his promise returning in 1097 to the papal party and recognizing Urban II as the rightful pope With this he disappears from authentic history 4 there is no evidence to support the later stories of his missionary activity and zeal for church building and for ecclesiastical music 5 Benno died of natural causes on June 16 1106 7 Veneration edit nbsp St Benno depicted with a fish in hand two keys between its gills stained glass from the Church of Saint Benno in Munich Benno did much for his diocese both by ecclesiastical reforms on the Hildebrandine model and by material developments 8 Benno enjoyed veneration in his native Saxony throughout the later Middle Ages 4 Adrian VI issued the bull of canonization in 1523 9 10 Although Benno s sainthood had little to do with Luther s call for reform once canonized he became a symbol for both sides of the reforming debate Luther reviled him in early tracts against the cult of the saints 11 Catholic reformers turned him into a model of orthodoxy and after Protestant mobs desecrated Benno s tomb in Meissen in 1539 12 the Wittelsbach dynasty ultimately made him patron saint of Munich and Old Bavaria 4 For his part the English Protestant John Foxe eagerly repeated the charges which Benno who opposed Gregory VII 13 made against Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy 14 such as necromancy torture of a former friend upon a bed of nails commissioning an attempted assassination executions without trials unjust excommunication doubting the Real Presence in the Eucharist and even burning it 15 Benno s feast day is 16 June He is the patron saint of anglers and weavers His iconographic figures include a fish with keys in its mouth and a book The reason for the fish is a legend that upon the excommunication of Henry IV the bishop told his canons to throw the keys to the cathedral into the Elbe later a fisherman found the keys in a fish and brought them to the bishop 4 16 See also editPortals nbsp Biography nbsp Catholicism nbsp Saints nbsp Germany Catholic Church in Germany List of Catholic saints Saint Benno patron saint archiveNotes edit a b Finucane Ronald C Contested Canonizations The Last Medieval Saints 1482 1523 CUA Press 2011 ISBN 9780813218755 id I3ZMCAAAQBAJ amp pg PT91 amp lpg PT91 amp dq saint benno amp source bl amp ots IIs8iCCBYH amp sig wn2yeCq1rFD8BIfUC11FRZz6S2s amp hl en amp sa X amp ved 0ahUKEwi25Lm5kvTNAhUDph4KHcHJDkc4FBDoAQgbMAA v onepage amp q saint 20benno amp f false Collins David J Reforming Saints Saints Lives and Their Authors in Germany 1470 1530 Oxford University Press 2008 ISBN 9780190450144 Kirsch 1907 forBultenburg a b c d e f Kirsch 1907 a b c d e Haugic 1908 p 54 Lins Joseph Meissen The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 10 New York Robert Appleton Company 1911 14 July 2016 Saint Benno of Meissen SQPN 2009 06 16 Retrieved 8 January 2012 Chisholm 1911 p 743 Cornelison SallyJ 2017 Art and the Relic Cult of St Antoninus in Renaissance Florence Routledge p 24 ISBN 978 1 351 57565 2 Kirsch 1907 cites Bull Excelsus Dominus in Bullarium Romanum Turin ed VI 18 sqq Kirsch 1907 cites Luther Wider den neuen Abgott and alten Teufel der zu Meissen soli erhoben werden Raguin Virginia Chieffo Art Piety and Destruction in the Christian West Routledge 2017 p 36 ISBN 9781351575447 The Acts and Monuments Online www dhi ac uk Retrieved 2020 12 24 Parish Helen L 2005 Monks Miracles and Magic Reformation Representations of the Medieval Church Psychology Press ISBN 978 0 415 31689 7 Foxe amp Townsend 1837 p 121 Thurston amp Attwater 1963 p 556 References editChisholm Hugh ed 1911 Benno Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 3 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 743 Foxe John Townsend George 1837 The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe With a Preliminary Dissertation by the Rev George Townsend R B Seeley and W Burnside sold by L amp G Seeley p 121 Kirsch Johann Peter 1907 St Benno In Herbermann Charles ed Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 2 New York Robert Appleton Company Thurston Herbert Attwater Donald eds 1963 Butler s Lives of the Saints Vol II New York P J Kennedy p 556 Attribution nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Haugic A 1908 Benno In Jackson Samuel Macauley ed New Schaff Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge Vol 2 third ed London and New York Funk and Wagnalls p 54 Further reading editCollins David J 2001 Bursfelders Humanists and the Rhetoric of Sainthood The Late Medieval vitae of Saint Benno Revue Benedictine 111 3 4 508 556 doi 10 1484 J RB 5 100714 Collins David J 2008 Reforming Saints Saints Lives and Their Authors in Germany 1470 1530 Oxford Oxford University Press pp 3 6 28 39 45 46 ISBN 978 0 19 532953 7 Soergel Philip M 1993 Wondrous in his Saints Berkeley University of California Press pp 181 191 Volkmar Christoph 2002 Die Heiligenerhebung Bennos von Meissen 1523 24 Spatmittelalterliche Frommigkeit landesherrliche Kirchenpolitik und reformatorische Kritik im albertinischen Sachsen in der fruhen Reformationszeit Reformationsgeschichtliche Studien und Texte 146 in German Munster a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Benno Saint Benno at the Christian Iconography web site Christoph Volkmar Benno In Institut fur Sachsische Geschichte und Volkskunde Hrsg Sachsische Biografie Benno of Meissen in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints Bishop Benno on the home page of the Archdioces of Munich and Freising Bishop Benno on the home page of the Catholic Church of Meissen Bishop Benno on the home page of the Bishopric of Dresden Meissen Archived 2015 09 23 at the Wayback Machine Preceded byKraft of Meissen Bishop of Meissen1066 1106 Succeeded byHerwig of Meissen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Benno of Meissen amp oldid 1190369269, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
