1 From Fr. Gerardo Cioffari, o.p. director 16 April, 2014 St Nicholas News CRUSADERS, PILGRIMS, CHURCHES AND THE ROYAL COUPLE ALBERT II AND PAOLA Alberto) A paper sent free to the St Nicholas’ friends all around the world, by Fr Gerardo Cioffari, o.p., director of the St Nicholas Research Center in Bari ([email protected]) 64 ST. NICHOLAS IN BELGIUM A LIST OF ST NICHOLAS CHURCHES Not. Romualdus seal Basilica’s Archives a. 1107 St Nicholas’ cult in Belgium is very ancient. Certainly it dates back to before his relics’ translation to Bari. Although the first place (judging on the basis of the number of parish churches) belongs to St Martin, Nicholas is very much present both in the Wallon (French) and in the Flemish (Dutch) areas. My contact with Belgium started with a visit to the Bollandists of Bruxelles, followed by a visit to Sint-Niklaas, where very active is the Sint-Nicolaasgenootschap and, finally, when I was asked to guide the Royal couple Albert II and Paola who came to Bari and visited our Basilica May 15 th 1998. Fr. Gerardo (left) and Fr. Giovanni (right), then rector of the Basilica of St Nicholas in Bari at the arrival of the Belgian Royal couple, Albert II and Paola.
Transcript
1
..LL
From Fr. Gerardo Cioffari, o.p. director of the Centro Studi Nicolaiani
22 October 16, 2
16 April, 2014
St Nicholas News
22
CRUSADERS, PILGRIMS, CHURCHES AND THE ROYAL COUPLE ALBERT II AND PAOLA
64 ST. NICHOLAS IN BELGIUM A LIST OF ST NICHOLAS CHURCHES
Not. Romualdus seal
Basilica’s Archives a. 1107
St Nicholas’ cult in Belgium is very ancient. Certainly it dates back to before his relics’ translation to Bari. Although the first place (judging on the basis of the number of parish churches) belongs to St Martin, Nicholas is very much present both in the Wallon (French) and in the Flemish (Dutch) areas.
My contact with Belgium started with a visit to the Bollandists of Bruxelles, followed by a visit to Sint-Niklaas, where very active is the Sint-Nicolaasgenootschap and, finally, when I was asked to guide the Royal couple Albert II and Paola who came to Bari and visited our Basilica May 15th 1998.
Fr. Gerardo (left) and Fr. Giovanni (right), then rector of the Basilica of St Nicholas in
Bari at the arrival of the Belgian Royal couple, Albert II and Paola.
The origins of St Nicholas’ cult in Belgium, as documents stand now, are in the shadow. The widespread theory according to which the beginnings of his cult in the West date from after the translation to Bari is utterly wrong. John the Archdeacon, who wrote in 1087/1088 the History of the Translation, affirms that at his time St Nicholas had more churches than any other Saint in the West. Exaggerated as it could be this statement, there is no doubt that at the end of XIth century Nicholas was already among the most venerated Saints. Otherwise the Barians would have “stolen” not him, but another Saint.
The first News concerning St Nicholas in Belgium comes from a monk, Gilles of Orval, who in 1247-1251 wrote the Gesta episcoporum Leodiensium, Deeds of the Bishops of Liège. Because he was not a critical historian, the truth of what he says depends on the reliability of his source. At first sight, really, his news should be not even taken into account, because he writes 600 years after the supposed events. But, some circumstances do not allow to be so peremptory.
He speaks of Itta (Iduberga), wife of Pipin of Landen and mother of S. Gertrude of Nivelles, who, following a suggestion by St Amand, built the Nivelles monastery. Before her death in the monastery of Moustier sur Sambre, collected her thoughts in prayer
before the altar of St Nicholas, whom she loved with all her heart, and while in prayer she gave up the ghost in the hands of the angels (MGH SS, XXV, p. 31).
The witness about Itta and St Nicholas is too late in time. Not so with St Amand who spent some time in Belgium (Tournai, Gand, Liège, Maastricht), and about whom there are absolutely reliable documents. A Life of the VIII century (MGH, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum, V, pp. 428-449) speaks about three trips to Rome at the time of Pope Martin with whom he exchanged letters. These trips took place exactly while in Rome was compiled the Roman Passionarium, the book containing Lives of Saints, hoped for by Gregory the Great some 50 years before. About fifty Saints were added to the traditional Roman Saints, among them St Nicholas with his famous Praxis de stratelatis (See Albert Dufourcq, Le Passionnaire occidental au VIIe siècle, Paris-Rome 1906, pp. 27-65). Therefore it can be assumed that Amand introduced St Nicholas cult in Belgium, considering that the Saints’ deeds were very much preached in the mission lands. This however is only a clue. It cannot be overlooked, but by no means can be considered a documentary proof.
AT THE ORIGINS
OF ST NICHOLAS’
CULT
IN BELGIUM S. AMAND OF
MAASTRICHT ?
St. Itta of Nivelles (+657), the first
St Nicholas’ devotee in the West ?
3
The most outstanding figure who from Belgium went down to St Nicholas crypt in the Middle Age was the crusader Robert II of Flanders.
Son of Robert I and Gertrude of Holland, he was associated in the county in 1077. He governed the land while the father was doing a pilgrimage in Holy Land (1085-1091). In 1093 he became count of Flanders.
In 1096 he participated to the first Crusade following the same itinerary of Robert of Normandy and Etienne of Blois. Someone mistakenly affirmed that he went with Godefroid of Buillon (see Wikipedia). But there is no doubt that he joined the army of Hugh of Vermandois who arrived to Bari October 1096 (Fulcheri Carnotensis, Gesta peregrinantium Francorum, PL 155, col. 832; Runciman, Storia delle Crociate, Einaudi, 1993, pp. 145-146). It was a natural choice, because four years before his sister Adele, widow of St Canutus IV of Denmark, had married the duke of Apulia Roger Bursa.
All of them went down to the crypt to pray St Nicholas for the success of the Crusade. Some of them waited for the following springtime, but Robert of Flanders in December decided to leave Bari in spite of the harsh time and the risky crossing. His link with Apulia remained unchanged, as it is proved by his backing the lord of Bari and prince of Taranto Bohemund, whose
leadership was challenged by Raymond of Toulouse. Even when this latter offered him money, he did not betray his sister’s brother in law. Equally faithful to his oath, when he conquered Latakia he kept not the city for himself, but gave it back to the emperor Alexius Comnenus.
Back to Flanders at the end of 1099, he went on fighting against the emperors Henry IV and Henry V in order to keep the county for himself. He died in 1111, the same year in which died his relatives Roger of Apulia and Bohemund of Taranto.
His sister Adele (Alania) of Flanders governed Apulia after her husband’s death. She had three sons: Louis, who died when he was still a child (1094), Guiscard, who died in 1108, and William who succeeded to his father Roger. She was also very generous with the Cava monastery, probably to gain the support of the powerful monastery. She died in 1114.
NB. Like Robert II of Flanders with his
sister Adele-Alania, so related to Apulia
was Robert of Normandy too, who married
Sibilla, daughter of the count of
Conversano.
1096
ROBERT II
OF FLANDERS
IN THE CRYPT
OF ST NICHOLAS
4
The city of Gand has not only the most beautiful St Nicholas’ church in Belgium, but also a precious manuscript about St Nicholas’ translation to Bari. As it is well known, besides the Russian source (Слово о перенесении Свт Николая, prior to 1095), two are the main sources who relate the event in a very detailed way: Nicephorus and John Archdeacon who learned the facts in 1087 from the lips of the sailors who brought the relics to Bari. It should be noted however that John’s text arrived to us in a substantially homogeneous form, while Nicephorus text is preserved in manuscripts with very important additions or omissions (the 4 families are described as Vatican, Beneventan, Greek and Gand). The most original among them is the Gand manuscript (Cod. 289 già St-G. 662 Bibliothecae civitatis et Academiae Gandavensis), published by the Bollandists in Analecta Bollandiana, t. XVII, Bruxelles 1898, pp. 135-158 (Appendix ad Catalogum codd. Hagiographicorum Bibliothecae Civitatis et Academiae Gandavensis), with this preliminary remark:
Ut monuimus in describendo codice, eadem narratio legitur, sed fere aliis verbis, apud Nic. Carminium Falconium (pag. 131 sgg.). Emendamus simul textum codicis G 289 ope codicis eiusdem biblioth. 499, de quo cfr. Catal. nostrum ad hunc codicem, articulo 13°.
Who made this commentary should have been very sleepy, because Falconius’ text (1751, Vatican recension) is half of the Gand
text. The Gand text is far richer than the other Nicephorus’ texts too. In my resear-ches I qualified it as “French compiler”, others have preferred “Jerusalem Legend”, according to what details are underscored.
Naturally, the Gand code is not alone in relating this long version. Similar to it are: Paris. Lat. 5278, Paris. Lat. 5287 (XIII century), Paris. Lat. 803 (XIV c.), as well as the bollandian Bruxell. Lat. 7461 e 7487-91. The Gand code remains however the best known.
The Code’s main details absent in the other Nicephorus’ recensions are the following: 1.- The two priests join the Barians in Antiochia coming from Jerusalem; 2.- With Matthew, the French Alexander put his sword to the monk’s throat; 3.- The event is preceded by a vision of a monk to whom is revealed the arrival to Bari of a new “Katepan”; 4.- St Nicholas brings back to life a child whose image was near his tomb; 5.- The Saint raises from the dead a pilgrim killed by his companions; 6.- He brings back to life a devotee who, working at the construction of the Basilica, was killed by a workmate.
Besides these facts completely absent in other recensions, the French compiler of the Gand code relates far richer details in many other occasions: 1. Myra is taken away to the Christians by the Turks; 2.- Celebrations in Bari at the arrival of the relics; 3.- Armed clash between the people and the Archbishop; 4.- Excursus on Constantine at the Council of Nicea (325).
THE GANDAVENSIS CODEX
THE GAND
CODE ON THE
TRANSLATION OF ST NICHOLAS
TO BARI
St Nicholas’ Church in Gand
5
In the archives of Belgium are still preserved medieval documents about judicial pilgrimages: condemned persons, instead of being sentenced, in particular cases were given the possibility to live by making a pilgrimage to Compostella, Rome or Bari. If they came back to Flanders without the proof of having made the pilgrimage, they were beheaded anyway.
Among the first documents of this kind we could mention one of the year 1329. A condemned person left from the city of Belle (Bailleul) as pilgrim to the tomb of St Nicholas in Bari.
In 1349 the count Lodewijk te Brugge pronounced this sentence: zullen nemen palster ende scerpe, bin Sente Baefsdaghe
naest commende, ende caren … te Sente Niclaus ten eestersten Baren, ende danen bringhen goede lettren da zy haer peelgrimage wel ghedaen hebben. Another sentence in 1354 ordered that the condemned person once gone to Tsinte Niclaeus ten Oostren Baren should have been back to Gent within and not after August 29 of the year 1362. It is very likely that besides Bari, he had to reach several other shrines.
The Ieper Book of Court hearings relates the condemnation of Jan van Larke to make a pilgrimage first to Bari and afterwards to Compostella. When pronouncing the sentence against Jan Jhanszone van Zuidschote in 1378 the judge spoke of the pilgrimage to Bari as one of the most penalizing. In 1391 count Philipp enjoined to the condemned person three pilgrimages (S. Andrew in Schotland, S. Peter in Rome and Saint Nicholas du Bar). Another sentence in 1450 established that the felon from Gent should go to Te Sente Niclaeus ten Oestenvaeren in Poelien. Finally, the sentence against John of Dudseele (Bruges) September 19th 1422, who had engaged himself to make a pilgrimage to Bari, concluded with this warning: In case he shall remain in the crime, not having made the aforesaid pilgrimage, he shall be sentenced to death through beheading according to the condemnation received at the end of the trial and to the wisdom of the judges J. Boneem, Marteel Vranke, Van Moerkerke, Jan Robrecht, Hermier Astrate, Jan Onsin.
NB. I learned about this judicial literature from Yolande Lammerant (who gave me the French translation of some Flemish documents), who studied long time in the Archives of the Basilica on the Belgian pilgrimages to Bari.
For a thorough research on this subject see Lorenza Vantaggiato, Pellegrinaggi giudi-ziari. Dalla Fiandra a San Nicola di Bari, a Santiago di Compostella e ad altri santuari, Perugia 2010 (the photo on the left was given to me by Lorenza Vantaggiato).
FROM FLANDERS
CONDEMNED
TO DEATH
PILGRIMS TO
BARI
St Nicholas Chapter of Bari releases the certificate showing that John the Bastard, killer of the Alin brothers, has carried out the pilgrimage to the tomb of St Nicholas, imposed to him by the count of Flanders. Gand Archives. Kinderen Alyn’s Hospital.
6
Among the Belgian pilgrims coming through Bari have to be mentioned Anselm Adorno from Bruges (1470) and Georges Languerant from Mons (1486). This latter’s name arrived to us in different manners: Lengherand, Lengrant, Langer Haen.
Adorno, born in Bruges December 8th 1424, married Margherite van der Bank, with whom had 12 children. The following year was the winner of the “White Bear” tournament (1444). Afterwards he knew Philipp the Good, Mary Stuard and Charles the Temerarious, who called him for diplomatic missions. The most important of these missions, that brought him to Bari and Saint Nicholas, started February 19th 1470. From France he went to Rome, then to Genoa and from there to Northern Africa. From Alexandria he went to Malta, Candia, then Egypt and Jerusalem (September 11). As it can be noticed, it was not a normal trip, but it was very irregular and followed the instructions of Charles the Temerarious. On the way back he went through Beyrouth, then to Cyprus, Rhodes, Greece and Apulia. In Bruges he was elected burgomaster, but January 23 1483 he fell into an ambush and killed by the opponents of Mary Stuard, whom he served.
His son related his extraordinary travel: Itinerarium Anselmi Adournes militis in Asiam et Africam descriptum a filio
eiusdem Johanne de Brugis, per annum 1470.
Basilica’s description by Adorno, who visited exactly December 6th 1470, is very interesting in order to know the way the canons of that time explained the history of our church. They spoke of the canonical seat that Charles the Great (mistake for Charles II Anjou) had reserved for himself, as well as of the manna to anoint and to bless the faithful, and of the oxes that by their stop indicated the place where to build the church.
Georges Languerant, born in the first half of the XVth century, held several public charges. He was magistrate, then councilor of the ordinary council and first “clerc du grand baillage” of the Hainaut, a region where he held the office of general collector (1479-1481). He was podesta of Havre, then mayor of Mons (1477-1488). From his wife Adrienne Ansseau, he had two daughters.
February the 9th 1486 he left Mons on a horse and together with four pilgrims went through Champagne, Burgundy, Geneva lake, Saint Bernard Mountain, Piemonte and finally Venice. After six days in Rome he was back to Venice, from where he set off again to the Holy Land (through Ragusa, Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus). On the way back, from Damietta he stopped in Bari, leaving a very interesting description of the Basilica.
ANSELM
ADORNO
and
GEORGES
LANGUERANT
BRUGES, the city of Anselmo Adorno.
Central painting of the Altarpiece of the year 1490. Groeninge-museum.
7
The Saint Nicholas Association was devised in the years 1987/88 by Lieven Dehandschutter, who wrote an open letter to the Council of the City of Sint Niklaas. Both the public Institutions and the people showed interest in giving more attention to the figure of the patron Saint and April the 4th 1989 the Saint Nicholas Society (SNG, Sint-Nicolaasgenootschap) was founded. In May the 10th the Society notified to the Press its aims and statutes, that provided for researches and initiatives inspired to St Nicholas legends and traditions. Within two years the Society had about sixty members.
In its vitality the Society went from folklore to excursions, from fun to culture. Every year is organized the “Christmas-Eve”, with literary and pleasant gastronomic evenings. In 1989 a member of the Society (Omer Franckaert) participated in the Symposium held in Mira/Demre (Turkey), while in 1992 was invited Fr Gerardo Cioffari, director of the St Nicholas Research Center in Bari.
Attention was paid to contacts abroad, especially with Holland, France and Italy. Herman Cole and Anita Merckx were sent to St Nicolas de Port and to Bari. Geert Vandenhende published the documentation of the first five years (1989-1994).
Various contests and games involved the children, with whom St Nicholas has
a special relationship. St Martin and Nicholas’ folklore in Flanders was a new path to follow. From Bari arrived Nino Lavermicocca (he died one month ago) particularly interested in St Nicholas’ folklore, and Fr Giovanni Distante, then rector of the Barian Basilica.
In 1999 the Dutch members detached from the mother Genootschap giving birth to a sister St Nicholas Dutch Association. Other initiatives were: “Who” (to the search of the Saint), “Christmas eve” (literature, theatre and amusement), “The path of St Nicho-las”, with pleasant and instructive ex-cursions both in Belgium and abroad. Among the initiatives worthy to be mentioned “Visiting Father Christ-mas” with works by Ward Nijs (2003) and excursions on the Schelda river.
Recently the SNG visited the Confraternité Saint Nicolas of Liège directed by our friend Marcel Janssens, who in Bari is at home. Dulcis in fundo (At dessert time): the president and founder of the Society, Lieven Dehandschutter, in 2013 was elected mayor of the Sint Niklaas City. His place was taken by the vice- president Geert Vandenhende. Honorary presidents are the same Lieven on the lay-side, and the Dean (Archpriest) on the Church side. The society edits in Flemish the news Tijdingen van het Sint-Nicolaasgenootschap. I do not understand Flemish-Dutch language, but I thank my friend Luc Vermeulen, for keeping me informed about everything.
8
The term “Bollandists” refers to a group of Jesuits who live in Bruxelles and that (from the half of XVII century) are engaged in editing hagiographical writings with a critical methodology. The first idea came to Heribert Rosweyde (+ 1629), but the activity was institutionalized by Jean Bolland (+ 1665), who in 1643 in Antwerpen initiated the publication of the Acta Sanctorum, a great collection (64 volumes), ordained according to the months of the year. Day after day the most ancient sources about the life of the Saints of that day are brought to light. Besides the Belgian one, there are also other editions (Venice, Paris).
With their huge work the Bollandists gave an answer to the Protestant milieus, and at the same time counterbalanced the devotionistic excesses in the Catholic Church (role of the Saints and absurd authentication of strange relics by some bishops).
The big volumes of the Acta Sancto-rum stop at the 10th of November. Therefore St Nicholas (6 of December) has not been dealt with. However, researchers on St Nicholas can find precious material in their Catalogues of Hagiographical codes of various Libraries of Belgium, France and Italy. Very useful are also the systematic lists of the BHG = Bibliotheca Hagiogra-phica Graeca, and BHL = Biblio-theca Hagiographica Latina, where you can find original texts, apocriphal
writings and legends. In 1882, the Bollandists started the publication of the Analecta Bollandiana, an hagiogra-phical review with the same critical methodology.
About St Nicholas, the Bollandists previous to 1913 referred to the Acta Primigenia, 1751, by N. C. Falcone, the archbishop of Santa Severina (Calabria) who, drawing attention to the Life of Nicholas of Sion, first denied the existence of our St Nicholas. Since 1913 they referred to the Hagios Nikolaos by Gustav Anrich, who, although denying the authenticity of St Nicholas major texts, inclined to believe in his existence, only doubting about the time when he lived. The Bollandist Hyppolite Dele-haye, occupied in other researches, fell into line with Anrich, declaring: “Nihil novimus”, We know nothing about St Nicholas’ deeds (Propylaeum ad Acta Sanctorum
Decembris, Bruxellis 1940, pp. 568-569). A judgement that influenced Vatican’s decision to declassify St Nicholas (1969). However when I spoke with Francis Halkin in Bruxelles he paid attention to my researches. If a remark could be moved to the ancient Bollandists is their acritical alignment with Anrich in dating the Praxis de stratelatis to the VI, and not to the IV-V century. They did not react even to the widespread glaring mistake according to which the name of St Nicholas was interpolated in the Nicean lists from the Saint’s Lives (IX century), while all scholars (Schwartz, Honigmann, Bene-ševič) state that his name was inserted in two lists dated before the year 713.
THE
BOLLANDISTS
OF
BRUXELLES
St Nicholas’
church
in
Bruxelles
9
Around the year 1000 the Church of Liège was among the most active in Northern Europe. The bishop Notger (982-1008), who accompanied the Em-press Teophano (990), built the chapel of St. Nicholas « ante scholas » (Kurth G., Notger de Liège, Paris 1905, pp. 166, 191).
There is no reason to be surprised, if we remember that around the year 1010 a Calendar (Ms Bruxell. 9932, f. 26 r), already marked in red the feast day of our Saint. Therefore could be reliable the statement of Gilles of Orval (1251) according to which it was in Liège that was built the first St Nicholas’ church of Lotharingia, as well John Ultramosanus’ (+1399), according to whom bishop Reginard built St Nicholas « aux Mouches », after St Nicholas intervention that saved the city from an epidemy of flies.
Ch. W. Jones writes that in the surroundings of Liège there were altars, oratories and relics in nearby abbeys before the Translation (SN of Myra, Bari and Manhattan. Biography of a Legend, 141-142).
SN aux Mouches was restructured in 1633, but, after the French Revolution, in 1803 was unchurched and given over to various destinations. When king William in 1816 authorized the construction of the Sainte Croix, the little church became a Vicariate. Today is a civil building, but is preserved a previous design by J. J. Van den Berg (Bibliothèque ULg ms 1169B)
In the course of history Liège had five St Nicholas’ churches :
1. S. Nicolas aux Mouches (1030 ? SN le Petit) ; 2. S. Nicolas au Pont (en Outremeuse, documented since 1159 ; demolished in 1805, substituted by the church of the Recollets monastery); 3. S. Nicolas au Trez (rue du Vertbois) ; 4. S. Nicolas en Glain ; 5. Chapelle annexed to the St Lambert Cathedral.
LIÈGE
CRADLE OF
ST NICHOLAS
CULT
IN BELGIUM
Liège. Marcel Janssens, during a ceremony of the Confraternité Saint Nicolas , of which is the great master.
St Nicholas church in Liège
10
The Belgian Royal couple Albert II and Paola (Ruffo of Calabria) came to visit our St Nicholas Basilica in Bari the morning May 14 1998.
They met in Rome while were participating at the papal crowning of John XXIII, and the following year they got married. They became King and Queen of Belgium August 9, 1993, after Baldwin’s death. July the 3rd 2013 they abdicated in favor of the son Philippe and his wife Mathilde.
At their arrival to Bari they found a beautiful weather with still in the air the joy of St Nicholas feast. At the news of their visit people rushed to the Basilica to see them. It was necessary to stop people in order to permit the diplomatic cars to enter the square. Albert and Paola waved slightly and smiled seeing such a warm welcome.
In the square were waiting for them the city authorities, as well as the archbishop of Bari, Mariano Magrassi, and the rector of the Basilica, father Giovanni Distante. After the greetings, while they moved toward the Basilica, fr Gerardo Cioffari started to explain the history of the church beginning from the times when the Basilica, before the arrival of St Nicholas’ relics, was the palace of the Imperial governor.
Once inside, the King and the Queen admired the powerful structures of the church, advancing toward the main altar under the Cyborium. Exchanging now and then some words with the archbishop, they went down to the crypt. Here fr Gerardo concluded his explanation, leaving to the Royal couple a little time for themselves in front of St Nicholas urn. A wild applause from the crowd greeted them when leaving the church and the square.
con una lunga ovazione.
A VISIT TO THE BASILICA
BY THE ROYAL COUPLE
ALBERT II AND PAOLA May 14 1998
Father Gerardo explains the Basilica to the King and the Queen of Belgium.
11
The following list is provisional. I did not yet have the time for checking through Internet about the existence of normal (not parish; little or abandoned) churches. This is a list that I prepared while in visit to the Bollandists some 20 years ago, with only an integration with the help of the Carol Myers’ StNicholascenter/Gazetteer.
I ask all the friends of Belgium, both from Wallonie and from Flanders, to inform me about possible mistakes or omissions. From the list should be excluded all the chapels inside a church, and included only separated churches, little or big they would be. The names followed by an abbreviation are parish churches.
