Jonas (c. 760–843) was Bishop of Orléans and played a major political role during the reign of Emperor

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

. Jonas was born in

Aquitaine Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...

. Probably a cleric by the 780s, he served at the court of Louis the Pious, who ruled as King of Aquitaine during the reign of his father,

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. In 817, Louis established his son Pippin as King of Aquitaine. Jonas served as an adviser to Pippin. The following year, Jonas was appointed Bishop of Orléans. Jonas was a trusted servant of Emperor Louis, and a committed supporter of the Emperor in his conflicts with his sons. He also wrote to refute some of the iconoclastic teachings of Claudius of Turin at the request of the emperor. At the ecclesiastical council held in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 825, Jonas presented the position of the Frankish clergy on

Iconoclasm Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

to Pope Eugenius II. He later wrote the treatise ''De cultu imaginum'' on the question. At a council in 829, again at Paris, he was a supporter of the rights of the Emperor over the clergy. He participated in councils at

Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

in 833,

Thionville Thionville (; ; ) is a city in the northeastern French Departments of France, department of Moselle (department), Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle (river), Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz. History Thionvi ...

in 835, and

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

in 836.

Works

Jonas's writings included: * ''De cultu imaginum'' - work to refute some of the iconoclastic teachings of Claudius of Turin, * ''De institutione laicali'' - an early example of mirror-of-princes writing, written for Matfrid,

Count of Orléans Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, * ''De institutione regia'' - another mirror work, was written for Pippin of Aquitaine. * Epistola concilii Aquisgranensis ad Pippinum regem directa - letter about church property, * Vita et Translatio s. Hucberti episcopi Leodiensis - life of saint Hubert of Liege.

References

* Riché, Pierre, ''Dictionnaire des Francs: Les Carolingiens.'' Bartillat, 1997.

Bibliography

*Karl Amelung, Leben und Schriften des Bischofs Jonas von Orleans, 1888, Dresden, B. G. Teubner Verlag

External links

Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonas of Orleans 760s births 841 deaths Bishops in the Carolingian Empire Bishops of Orléans Saints from the Carolingian Empire 9th-century writers in Latin Writers from the Carolingian Empire

Works

References

Further reading

Bibliography

External links