Caesaria the Younger or Caesaria II (died ) was the abbess of Saint-Jean d'Arles from around 525 until her death.

Life

Caesaria was a relative of Bishop

Caesarius of Arles Caesarius of Arles ( la, Caesarius Arelatensis; 468/470 27 August 542 AD), sometimes called "of Chalon" (''Cabillonensis'' or ''Cabellinensis'') from his birthplace Chalon-sur-Saône, was the foremost ecclesiastic of his generation in Merovingian ...

, probably a niece. She succeeded the bishop's sister, Caesaria the Elder, as abbess around 525. She was appointed by Caesarius, who issued a revised rule for the convent on 22 June 534 granting the nuns the right to elect their abbess in the future. Around the same time, he made his last will and testament, in which he bequeathed Caesaria a cloak which she had previously made for him. Sometime after Caesarius's death in 542, Caesaria commissioned

Cyprian of Toulon Saint Cyprian of Toulon (''Cyprianus Tolonensis'') (476 – October 3, 546) was bishop of Toulon during the 6th century. Life Born at Marseilles, he was the favorite pupil of St. Caesarius of Arles by whom he was trained. Caesarius ordained h ...

to write his biography. She may have intended it to counter the influence of a new monastery founded by

Aurelian of Arles Aurelianus (523 – 551) was Archbishop of Arles from 546 to 551. His predecessors were Auxanius (bishop form 542–546) and Caesarius of Arles (d. 542). His father Sacerdos (d. 552) was an Archbishop of Lyon. His cousin Nicetius (d. 573) succeed ...

in 547. Cyprian describes her abbacy thus: "Her work with her companions is so outstanding that in the midst of psalms and fasts, vigils and readings, the virgins of Christ beautifully copy out the holy books, with their mother herself as teacher." Sometime between 552 and 557, she sent a copy of Caesarius's rule for nuns, the '' Regula virginum'', to Queen

Radegund Radegund ( la, Radegundis; also spelled ''Rhadegund, Radegonde, or Radigund''; 520 – 13 August 587) was a Thuringian princess and Frankish queen, who founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross at Poitiers. She is the patron saint of several churches ...

, who used it for her own foundation of

Holy Cross Abbey Holy Cross Abbey ''(Mainistir na Croise Naofa)'' was a Cistercian monastery in Holycross near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir. It takes its name from a relic of the True Cross or Holy Rood. History A supposed fra ...

in Poitiers. Caesaria died around 560 and was succeeded as abbess by Liliola. In a poem addressed to Radegund after Caesaria's death,

Venantius Fortunatus Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus ( 530 600/609 AD; french: Venance Fortunat), known as Saint Venantius Fortunatus (, ), was a Latin poet and hymnographer in the Merovingian Court, and a bishop of the Early Church who has been venerate ...

expresses that wish that "renowned Caesaria and the other Caesaria rise up in this place oly Crossso that through you their former honour may be renewed."

Letter

A letter by Caesaria addressed to Radegund and Richild is preserved in a single tenth- or eleventh-century manuscript, Codex Trecensis 1248, alongside two biographies of Radegund. It was sent along with the ''Regular virginum'' in response to a request from Radegund, whose letter is not preserved.. This would put the letter between 552 and 557 per , but , date it to around 550. The identity of Richild is uncertain, but it may be the birth name of Radegund's spiritual daughter, Agnes. Caesaria's letter has been translated into English. The tone of the letter is "episcopal" and unemotional. Caesaria was probably elderly at the time of writing. She quotes extensively from a letter of Caesarius to Caesaria the Elder containing the same ideas eventually put into the rule. She also quotes extensively from the Bible, especially

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

and the

Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

. Her letter is the most densely scriptural of all letters surviving from

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

Gaul. This level of scriptural quotation is mainly associated with bishops. Caesaria's advice to Radegund is mostly conventional. She insists that nuns be literate and advises Radegund against excessive asceticism. In line with her use of the Bible, she recommends regularly reading the Gospels and memorizing the Psalms. Although Caesaria's letter is a valuable survival for its "articulate, intelligent, strong" voice, the extensive quotation of scripture "to the modern mind ... appear overdone to the point where they weaken the overall effect rather than enhance it."

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * *{{cite book , first=V. Alice , last=Tyrrell , title=Merovingian Letters and Letter Writers , publisher=Brepols , year=2019 560s deaths People from Arles 6th-century Gallo-Roman people Roman Catholic abbesses Women letter writers Latin letter writers 6th-century nuns