![Elia da Cortona](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Elia_da_Cortona.jpg)
Elias of Cortona was born, it is said, at Bevilia near
Assisi
Assisi (, also , ; from la, Asisium) is a town and ''comune'' of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio.
It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born aroun ...
, ca. 1180; he died at
Cortona
Cortona (, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo.
Toponymy
Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from Etruscan 𐌂𐌖𐌓 ...
, 22 April 1253. He was among the first to join
St. Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...
in his newly founded
Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...
. In 1221, Francis appointed Elias Vicar General.
Biography
Early life
According to
Salimbene di Adam
Salimbene di Adam, O.F.M., (or Salimbene of Parma) (9 October 1221 – 1290) was an Italian Franciscan friar, theologian, and chronicler who is a source for Italian history of the 13th century.
Life
He was born in Parma, the son of Guido di A ...
, who knew Elias well, his family name was Bonusbaro or Bonibarone, that his father was from the neighbourhood of Bologna, and his mother from Assisi. Before becoming a friar, Elias worked at his father's trade of mattress-making and also taught the children of Assisi to read the Psalter. Later on, according to
Thomas of Eccleston
Thomas of Eccleston was a thirteenth-century English Franciscan chronicler. He is known for ''De Adventu Fratrum Minorum in Angliam''. It runs from 1224, when Franciscan friars first came to England, under Agnellus of Pisa, to about 1258. He style ...
, Elias was a ''scriptor'', or notary, at Bologna, where no doubt he applied himself to study. He was not a cleric and never became a priest, but was a lay brother with significant organizational skills.
["Brother Elia of Cortona ", Basilica Papale e Sacro convent di San Francesco in Assisi]
/ref>
Elias appears to have been one of the earliest companions of Francis of Assisi. The time and place of his joining the saint are uncertain; it may have been at Cortona in 1211, as Luke Wadding
Luke Wadding, O.F.M. (16 October 158818 November 1657), was an Irish Franciscan friar and historian.
Life
Early life
Wadding was born on 16 October 1588 in Waterford to Walter Wadding of Waterford, a wealthy merchant, and his wife, Anastasia ...
says. It is certain, however, that he held a place of prominence among the friars from the first. After a short sojourn in Tuscany, Elias was sent in 1217 as head of a band of missionaries to the Near East, and two years later he became the first provincial of the then extensive province of Syria. It was in this capacity that he received Cæsar of Speyer into the order. Although it is unclear what the nature or extent of Elias's work in the East, it would seem that the three years he spent there made a deep impression upon him.[Robinson, Paschal. "Elias of Cortona." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 28 December 2019
Vicar general
On his return from Acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
in 1220, Francis brought Elias back with him. Francis had appointed Peter of Cataneo as vicar general, to handle the day-to-day administration of the order. When Peter died on 10 March 1221, Francis demonstrated his confidence in Elias by naming him to succeed Peter as vicar-general. Elias had held this office for five years when Francis died on 3 October 1226, and he then became charged with the responsibilities of the moment and superintending the temporary burial of the saint at San Giorgio.
A great patron of the Franciscans and their official Protector, Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
Ugolino had shortly before been elected as Pope, and taken the name of Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
. The new Pope immediately declared his intention to build a splendid church to house the body of the Little Poor Man he had known and venerated. The task was entrusted to Brother Elias. Elias at once began to lay plans for the erection of a great basilica at Assisi, to enshrine the remains of the ''Poverello''.[
Elias was a lay friar, and encouraged other laymen to enter the order. This brought opposition from many ordained friars and ministers provincial, who also opposed increased centralization of the Order. In order to build the basilica, he obtained a donation, with the authority of the pope, of the so-called Collis Inferni at the western extremity of the town, and proceeded to collect money in various ways to meet the expenses of the building. Elias thus also alienated the zealots in the order, who felt entirely with Francis upon the question of poverty, so that at the chapter held in May, 1227, Elias was rejected in spite of his prominence, and ]Giovanni Parenti
Giovanni Parenti, O.F.M. (died 1250) was an Italian Friar Minor and successor of St. Francis of Assisi as head of the Order. Parenti had a legal background. He served as Minister Provincial in Spain before being chosen Minister General in 1227. Pa ...
, Minister Provincial of Spain, was elected Minister General of the order.[
]
Minister general
Though Elias had tried for the office of Minister General at the General Chapter
A chapter ( la, capitulum or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings.
Name
The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the read ...
of 1230, it was only at the Chapter of 1232 that he was elected. Thus he became, after the founder, the second Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor
Minister General is the term used for the leader or Superior General of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi. He chose this word over "Super ...
. Almost immediately, his succession was a point of controversy and created a split within the Order. Some of his fiercest critics were the first companions of Saint Francis, such as the simple Brother Giles, brother Masseus, and Brother Leo
Brother Leo (died c. 1270) was the favorite disciple, secretary and confessor of St Francis of Assisi. The dates of his birth and of his becoming a Franciscan are not known; a native of Assisi, he was one of the small group of most trusted compa ...
, St. Francis' secretary and companion. All of these earlier followers opposed what they saw as an abandonment of St. Francis' beloved commitment to corporate poverty under Elias' initiative. An example of this was the magnificence of the new Basilica of St. Francis and Sacro Convento
The Sacro Convento is a Franciscan friary in Assisi, Umbria, Italy. The friary is connected as part of three buildings to the upper and lower church of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, which contains the body of Saint Francis. St. Franci ...
Elias was designing as the holy founder's resting place. Still, Elias attempted to uphold the rule of poverty for Francis's early followers, including St. Clare of Assisi, the first female follower of St. Francis, together with whom he had founded the female branch of the Franciscan Order.
During his administration, Elias worked strenuously to promote the growth of the Order. He dispatched friars to new lands. He authorized the building of large monastic-style residences in the cities, which were to serve as centers of study. This was a departure from the wandering tradition of the Order, with its small and scattered residences or hermitages. This development was to have two consequences. Firstly, it introduced large groups of the growing number of clergy in the Order. This became a source of friction with the local clergy of the cities, as the faithful sought the spiritual services of the friars in preference to their own parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
churches. Secondly, there grew a growing distinction between the friars who lived in established communities (convents, thus termed the ''Conventuals'') as opposed to the "Spirituals" who strove to follow Francis' original lifestyle.
About 1238, Pope Gregory sent Elias as an ambassador to the excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
Frederick II; apparently, as a result, Elias became a supporter of the Emperor. A General Chapter of the Order was held in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1239. From Friar Thomas of Eccleston
Thomas of Eccleston was a thirteenth-century English Franciscan chronicler. He is known for ''De Adventu Fratrum Minorum in Angliam''. It runs from 1224, when Franciscan friars first came to England, under Agnellus of Pisa, to about 1258. He style ...
's account of this Chapter, it appears that one of the chief spokesmen against Elias was Friar Haymo of Faversham
Haymo of Faversham, O.F.M. ( ) was an English Franciscan scholar. His scholastic epithet was ' (Latin for "Most Aristotelian among the Aristotelians"), referring to his stature among the Scholastics during the Recovery of Aristotle amid the ...
. Elias was deposed from the office of Minister General by the Chapter.
After the deposition of Elias, Albert of Pisa
Albert of Pisa, O.Min. (died 23 January 1240), was an Italian Franciscan friar. He served as minister provincial for Germany, Hungary, and England.
Life
Albert of Pisa, was born in Tuscany. According to tradition, Agnellus of Pisa and Albert w ...
, Minister Provincial of England, was elected as Minister General. Elias went to Cortona, where he visited a house of Poor Clares
The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...
without permission. Albert was prepared to absolve him, but Elias went instead to the Ghibelline
The Guelphs and Ghibellines (, , ; it, guelfi e ghibellini ) were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in the Italian city-states of Central Italy and Northern Italy.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, rival ...
city of Arezzo, and Gregory excommunicated him.
Albert died during the first year of his Generalate, and Haymo was then elected to that office in 1240.
In 1240, Elias definitively embraced the Emperor in his strife with Rome and joined the Emperor's army, riding on a magnificent charger at the siege of Faenza
The siege of Faenza occurred from August 1240 to April 14, 1241, during the course of the wars of the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. In this military confrontation, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II aggressively laid siege to the town of Fa ...
and at that of Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...
. As a consequence of his behaviour, Elias himself received excommunication from Pope Gregory and was expelled from the Order.[
Attribution to him of some alchemistic manuscripts is often questioned.
Shortly before his death, Elias was reconciled with both the ]Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
and, through the mediation of St. Clare, with the Franciscan Order.[
In April 2016, Ave Maria Press published the first-ever popular history about the life of Elias of Cortona, ''The Enthusiast: How the Best Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started''.]
Notes
*
External links
"Elias of Cortona; Elias Bonusbaro; Elias Bonibarone"
''New Catholic Dictionary'', 1910
*
{{Authority control
1180s births
1253 deaths
People from Assisi
Italian Friars Minor
Ministers General of the Order of Friars Minor
People temporarily excommunicated by the Catholic Church