Rainier; la, Ranerius, ''Raynerius'' (died 16 September 1225) was an Italian cleric who served as the vice-chancellor of the Roman church from 1216 until 1219 and the

Latin patriarch of Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

from 1219 until his death. Nothing much of Rainier's early life is known. He is described as coming from the castle called ''Castrum Vetus'' (Old Castle) in the county of

Todi Todi () is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) of the province of Perugia (region of Umbria) in central Italy. It is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the river Tiber, commanding distant views in every direction. I ...

in the papal document confirming him as patriarch. He probably received a formal education, most likely in law. He is described by

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...

as a "man of knowledge" (''virum scientia'') and a document of 1215 may indicate that he had a

university degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

. Before becoming vice-chancellor, Rainier was the prior of the

basilica of San Frediano The Basilica of San Frediano is a Romanesque church in Lucca, Italy, situated on the ''Piazza San Frediano''. History Fridianus (Frediano) was an Irish bishop of Lucca in the first half of the 6th century. He had a church built on this spot ...

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

, a community of

canons 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 ...

. He may have been a canon regular himself, but more likely the posting was a

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval chu ...

. He probably served in the Roman chancery for some time before his appointment as vice-chancellor. Possibly he met the future Honorius III when the latter was vice-chancellor in 1194–1197, since he became vice-chancellor in 1216 shortly after Honorius III's election as pope. A document of 1215 refers to an

apostolic notary A notarius is a public secretary who is appointed by competent authority to draw up official or authentic documents (compare English "notary"). In the Roman Catholic Church there have been apostolic notaries and even episcopal notaries. Documents ...

called Master Rainier, which may be the future patriarch. Rainier was consecrated patriarch of Antioch in November 1219. He replaced Peter of Capua, Honorius' previous nominee, who was being promoted to a

cardinalate The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...

. The pope informed the Antiochene chapter of the change in a letter of December. At Antioch, Rainier quarrelled with Prince

Bohemond IV Bohemond IV of Antioch, also known as Bohemond the One-Eyed (french: Bohémond le Borgne; 1175–1233), was Count of Tripoli from 1187 to 1233, and Prince of Antioch from 1201 to 1216 and from 1219 to 1233. He was the younger son of Bohemond III ...

, who was confiscating church properties to make up shortfalls of cash. Himself short of money, Rainier attempted to reignite Antioch's claim to the

archdiocese of Tyre The see of Tyre was one of the most ancient dioceses in Christianity. The existence of a Christian community there already in the time of Saint Paul is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Seated at Tyre, which was the capital of the Roman provi ...

, which responded by claiming jurisdiction over the church in the

County of Tripoli The County of Tripoli (1102–1289) was the last of the Crusader states. It was founded in the Levant in the modern-day region of Tripoli, northern Lebanon and parts of western Syria which supported an indigenous population of Christians, Druze ...

, which was under Antiochene control. Honorius quashed both claim and counterclaim as unprofitable when most of the territory in question was not even in Christian hands. Rainier's pontificate saw the reopening of the schism between

Latins The Latins were originally an Italic tribe in ancient central Italy from Latium. As Roman power and colonization spread Latin culture during the Roman Republic. Latins culturally "Romanized" or "Latinized" the rest of Italy, and the word Latin ...

and

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

in the church of Antioch. This was the result of a broken marriage alliance between Antioch and the

kingdom of Cilician Armenia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...

. Bohemond IV's son

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

had been married to Queen

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...

, but in 1224 he was imprisoned by

Constantine of Baberon Constantine of Baberon (died c. 1263) was a powerful Armenian noble of the Het‛umid family. He was the son of Vassag and the father of King Het‛um I, who ruled the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia from 1226 to 1270. Constantine played a pivotal rol ...

and the following year he died. Latin churchmen were expelled from Cilician Armenia, and the Orthodox refused to recognize the Latin patriarch. At some point Rainier was joined in Antioch by his nephew,

, who had probably served under him in the chancery. He experienced bouts of illness in Antioch, and in a letter credits Philip for taking care of him. In 1225, he returned to Italy, leaving Philip in control of the castle of

Cursat Koz Castle ( Turkish: ''Koz Kalesi''), or Kürşat Castle is a castle in the Altınözü district of the Hatay Province of Turkey, built on a small hill where the Kuseyr Creek starts. It was built by the Principality of Antioch out of ashlar. The ...

, where the patriarchal treasury was kept. He died while in Italy, for his death on 16 September is mentioned by Honorius in a letter dated 25 September and news could not have travelled so fast from Antioch to Rome.

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{refend 1225 deaths Latin Patriarchs of Antioch