Ludovico Barbo,

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(1381–1443), also referred to as Luigi Barbo, was a significant figure in the movement to reform monastic life in northern Italy during the 15th century. Originally a canon of the community which became the

Canons Regular of San Giorgio in Alga The Canons Regular of San Giorgio in Alga (''Congregatio Canonicorum Sancti Georgii in Alga Venetiarum'') were a congregation of canons regular which was influential in the reform movement of monastic life in northern Italy during the 15th and 16th ...

, he died a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

Catholic encyclopedia
/ref> and Bishop of Treviso (1437–1443). ''(in Latin)''

Biography

A young nobleman (born into the

Barbo family The House of Barbo (later Barbo zu / von Waxenstein ) is an Carniolan noble family of Italian people, Italian origin, active mostly in the territory of present-day Slovenia and in Istria. History The Barbo family originated in Veneto, later m ...

) of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

, in 1397 Barbo received as a

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

the position of commendatory prior of a monastery of Augustinian friars on the isolated island of

San Giorgio in Alga San Giorgio in Alga (English: "St. George in the seaweed") is an island of the Venetian lagoon, northern Italy, lying between the Giudecca and Fusina (a ''frazione'' of Venice on the coast, near Marghera). History After a Benedictine monastery ...

. During that period he was influenced by the preaching of an itinerant

canon regular Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a ...

, Bernardo of Rome, who was promoting the new form of spirituality known as the '' Devotio Moderna'', which had developed in the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

. Through his brother, Francesco, he was made aware of two cousins, Antonio Correr and Gabriele Condulmer (later to become Pope Eugene IV), also disciples of Bartolomeo, who were following a way of life patterned on that of the

Brothers of the Common Life The Brethren of the Common Life (Latin: Fratres Vitae Communis, FVC) was a Roman Catholic pietist religious community founded in the Netherlands in the 14th century by Gerard Groote, formerly a successful and worldly educator who had had a religio ...

. Inspired by their manner of life, in 1404 he gave the nearly derelict monastery to them, and soon both he and his brother joined the community, which also counted the later saint,

Lawrence Giustiniani Lawrence Justinian ( it, Lorenzo Giustiniani, 1 July 1381 – 8 January 1456) was a Venetian Catholic priest and bishop who became the first Patriarch of Venice. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. Biography Lawrence Justinian wa ...

. On 30 November of that year, the new monastery had grown to 17 members, all members of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, and received the formal approval of Pope Boniface IX. Though primarily following the life of an

enclosed religious order Enclosed religious orders or ''cloistered clergy'' are religious orders whose members strictly separate themselves from the affairs of the external world. In the Catholic Church, enclosure is regulated by the code of canon law, either the La ...

, the canons of the monastery successfully observed the life of the cloister without professing

religious vows Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices, and views. In the Buddhism tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of re ...

and also served in a limited form of

Christian ministry In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...

to the people of the Republic. The success of the community led to the adoption of its format by communities of canons around the region, leading to the formation of a new

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

of canons, presided over by San Giorgio. Along with Giustiniani, who had become the head of the

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...

of St. Augustine in

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a th ...

, Barbo was tasked to reform the clergy and monastic institutions in Italy. Both men saw methodical prayer and Christian meditation as essential tools for reform. As part of this program, in 1408 Pope Gregory XII appointed him the abbot of the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

Abbey of Santa Giustina in

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, where he became a Benedictine monk, and with the help of three canons from San Giorgio di Alga worked to reform the life of the monastic community. Despite his relatively young age of 27, Barbo was successful in his efforts, and the abbey flourished to such a degree that it too became the center of a congregation of monasteries following its form of life. One of Barbo's reforms was to allow his monks to sleep in separate cells, a reform that is regarded as an important step towards enhancing spirituality by providing them with more solitude. Many of the reforms which Barbo instituted were quickly adopted in other monasteries. At the time of his death he had reformed 16 monasteries, including the one at the

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls The Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls ( it, Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura), commonly known as Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, is one of Rome's four major papal basilicas, along with the basilicas of Saint John in the ...

in Rome.

References

External links

* Ildefonso Tassi
Ludovico Barbo
1952, (Italian). {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbo, Ludovico 1381 births 1443 deaths 15th-century Venetian people Augustinian canons Italian Benedictines Benedictine abbots Ludovico Ludovico 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Eugene IV Benedictine bishops Republic of Venice clergy

Biography

See also

References

External links