Saint Paulinus II ( 726 – 11 January 802 or 804 AD) was a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

, and one of the most eminent

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

s of the

Carolingian Renaissance The Carolingian Renaissance was the first of three medieval renaissances, a period of cultural activity in the Carolingian Empire. It occurred from the late 8th century to the 9th century, taking inspiration from the State church of the Roman Emp ...

. From 787 to his death, he was the

Patriarch of Aquileia The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate (bishop), primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholicism, Independent Catholic Chur ...

. He participated in a number of

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

s which opposed

Spanish Adoptionism Spanish Adoptionism (or Adoptianism) was a Christian theological position which was articulated in Umayyad and Christian-held regions of the Iberian peninsula in the 8th- and 9th centuries. The issue seems to have begun with the claim of archbishop ...

and promoted both reforms and the adoption of the ''

Filioque ( ; ) is a Latin term ("and from the Son") added to the original Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (commonly known as the Nicene Creed), and which has been the subject of great controversy between Eastern and Western Christianity. It is a term ...

'' into the

Nicene Creed The original Nicene Creed (; grc-gre, Σύμβολον τῆς Νικαίας; la, Symbolum Nicaenum) was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The amended form is a ...

. In addition, Paulinus arranged for the peaceful

Christianisation Christianization (American and British English spelling differences#-ise.2C -ize .28-isation.2C -ization.29, or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of ...

of the Avars and the

alpine Slavs The settlement of the Eastern Alps region by early Slavs took place during the 6th to 8th centuries. It is part of the southward expansion of the early Slavs which would result in the characterization of the South Slavic group, and would ultimatel ...

in the territory of the Aquileian patriarchate. For this, he is also known as the

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

of the

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their n ...

Life

Early life

Paulinus was born at

Premariacco Premariacco ( fur, Premariâs) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about east of Udine. Premariacco borders the following municipalities: Bu ...

, near

Cividale Cividale del Friuli ( fur, Cividât (locally ); german: Östrich; sl, Čedad) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Udine, part of the Northern Italy, North-Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia ''regione''. The town lies above sea-level in the foo ...

(the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

''Forum Iulii'') in the

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giulia ...

region of north-eastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, during the latter days of Lombard rule. He received his education in the patriarchal school at Cividale and, after

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

to the priesthood, he became master of the same school. There he acquired a thorough

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

culture, both in pagan and Christian

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

. He also acquired a relatively deep knowledge of

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

, and an extensive Scriptural, theological, and

patristic Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

training.

Carolingian Renaissance

Paulinus' educational background prepared him to play a key part in the

, allowing him to capably assist in the promotion of

Christendom Christendom historically refers to the Christian states, Christian-majority countries and the countries in which Christianity dominates, prevails,SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom"/ref> or is culturally or historically intertwine ...

and the restoration of

Western Civilization Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

after centuries of unstable

barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...

rule. It was precisely because of his exceptional learning that Paulinus first came to the attention of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

in 774 when the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

conquered all of Lombard northern Italy for the

Carolingian Empire The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lom ...

. Moreover, because of his loyalty to Charlemagne during Duke Hrodgaud's rebellion in 776, Paulinus was rewarded with many favors, among them the gift of the property of Waldand, son of Mimo of Lavariano, by means of a diploma issued by Charlemagne from

Ivrea Ivrea (; pms, Ivrèja ; ; lat, Eporedia) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it stradd ...

. In the same year, Charlemagne also invited Paulinus to the

palace court The Marshalsea Court (or Court of the Marshalsea, also known as the Court of the Verge or the Court of the Marshal and Steward) was a court associated with the Royal Household in England. Associated with, but distinct from, the Marshalsea Court ...

to be royal "master of grammar (''grammaticus magister'')." It was at the itinerant palace school (''schola palatina'') that Paulinus would stay for about ten years and make the acquaintance of other leading scholars of the age, including

Peter of Pisa Peter of Pisa ( la, Petrus Pisanus; it, Pietro da Pisa; 744 – 799 AD), also known as Petrus Grammaticus, was an Italian grammarian, deacon and poet in the Early Middle Ages. In 776, after Charlemagne's conquest of the Lombard Kingdom, Peter was ...

Alcuin of York Alcuin of York (; la, Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus; 735 – 19 May 804) – also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin – was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student o ...

, Fardulf,

Arno of Salzburg Arno, Arn or Aquila (c. 750–821) was bishop of Salzburg, and afterwards its first archbishop. He preserved his voluminous correspondence from the scholar Alcuin of York. Early years He entered the church at an early age, and after passing s ...

, Albrico, Riculph, Raefgot, Rado,

Lullus Saint Lullus (Lull or Lul) (born about 710 AD in Wessex, died 16 October 786 in Hersfeld) was the first permanent archbishop of Mainz, succeeding Saint Boniface, and first abbot of the Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey. He is historiographically conside ...

, Bassinus, Fuldrad,

Eginard Einhard (also Eginhard or Einhart; la, E(g)inhardus; 775 – 14 March 840) was a Frankish scholar and courtier. Einhard was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne and his son Louis the Pious; his main work is a biography of Charlemagne, the ''Vita ...

, Adalard and

Adelbert Adelbert is a given name of German origin, which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adalbart and Adalberto. Related names include ...

. He formed an enduring friendships with Alcuin as attested to by numerous letters.

Patriarch of Aquileia

On the death of Patriarch Siguald in 787, Charles appointed Paulinus to be consecrated as the

. Paulinus returned from court to his episcopal see and took up residence at Cividale, also the seat of the Carolingian

count 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: ...

in charge of the

March of Friuli The March of Friuli was a Carolingian frontier march, established in 776 as the continuation of the Lombard Duchy of Friuli, established against the Slavs and Avars. It was ceded to the Duchy of Bavaria as the March of Verona in 952. Its territ ...

. (

Aquileia Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river N ...

itself had been reduced to a tiny village after its

destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...

in 452 by

Attila the Hun Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Ea ...

, although the patriarchal basilica remained there.) As patriarch, Paulinus was able to take a more active and prominent part in implementing societal reforms. In his relations with the churches of

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

, or with the nearby

Patriarch of Grado This is a list of the Patriarchs of Grado (north-eastern Italy).
''

Buja, and the hospitals of St. John at Cividale and St. Mary at

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

Synods

Paulinus was solicitous for the integrity of Catholic doctrine. In 792, he took part in the Council of

Ratisbon Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

, which condemned the heresy of

taught by Spanish bishops,

Elipandus Elipandus (717–805) was a Spanish theologian and the archbishop of Toledo from 782. He was condemned by the Catholic Church as an Adoptionist. Six letters written by Elipandus survive, including one to Migetius and another on behalf of the bi ...

of Toledo and

Felix of Urgel Felix (died 818) was a Christian bishop and theologian. He served as the bishop of Urgell (783–99) and advocated the christology known as Spanish Adoptionism because it originated in the lands of the former Visigothic Kingdom in Spain. He was con ...

. In 794, he took a leading part in the Frankish national council at Frankfort, where Adoptionism was again condemned, and composed a book against the heresy which was sent to Spain in the name of the assembled bishops. Departing Frankfort, Paulinus returned to his episcopal residence at Cividale. In 796 he accompanied Charlemagne's son Pepin in his military campaign against the nearby hostile Avars. In late summer of 796, after the Avars had been defeated, Paulinus presided over a

of bishops at Pepin's military camp on the banks of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

in which the bishops decided on a program of evangelization and catechesis for the recently subdued territories inhabited by the Avars and the

Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

. With the consent of Paulinus, the synod also assigned the patriarchate of Aquileia's northernmost territory to the bishop of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, headed by

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...

. The border between the dioceses was drawn on the

Drava The Drava or Drave''Utrata Fachwörterbuch ...

River. The agreement was confirmed in 811 by Charlemagne and lasted for almost a millennium, until the middle of the 18th century. At the advice of

, it was decided that the areas should be

Christianised Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

nonviolently. Nowadays, the

regard Paulinus as their apostle who peacefully brought them Christian religion, although the true missionary activity in the Aquileian sphere started only after his death. Returning from the synod, Paulinus once more opposed the Adoptionism at the Council of Cividale. The patriarch expounded the Western Catholic doctrine of the Holy Trinity, affirming the filioque, double-procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father "and the Son" (''filioque''). At this synod fourteen canons of ecclesiastical discipline, and on the sacrament of marriage, were framed and a copy of the Acts was sent to Charlemagne. [Paulinus was once thought to have assisted at a Council of Altinum, but the theologian Karl Josef von Hefele has provided evidence that such a council never occurred.]

''Missus dominicus''

Always protesting the immunity of the Church from secular obligations and interference in his correspondences with Charlemagne, Paulinus, nonetheless, served as one of Charlemagne's ''Missus dominicus, missi dominici'' at Pistoia, with Arno of Salzburg and ten other bishops, in 798. Afterwards he also traveled to Rome as legate to Pope Leo III. Much of the activity of Paulinus as patriarch can be gathered from the ''Sponsio Episcoporum ad S. Aquileiensem Sedem''. He died, revered as a saint by the Catholic Church.

Works

Among his works are: ''Libellus Sacrosyllabus contra Elipandum'', ''Liber Exhortationis'', ''Libri III contra Felicem'', and the protocol of the conference with Pepin and the bishops on the Danube, a work very important for the history of that expedition. Among his early works is a Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews which, however, remains in manuscript form. Paulinus was also a poet. Among his better known poetical productions are his ''Carmen de regula fidei''; a ''Versus de Lazaro''; a ''planctus'' or elegy inspired by the death of his friend, Duke Eric of Friuli who was killed in Siege of Trsat, 799; a rhythm on the destruction of Aquileia; and eight liturgical rhythms or hymns to be sung in his own church at Christmas, the Candlemas, Lent, Easter, the feast of Saint Mark, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul (known by incipit ''Felix per omnes festum mundi cardines''), and the feast of the dedication of his cathedral. Paulinus may be the author of the ''Carmen de conversione Saxonum''., p. 213. Letters written by and to Paulinus are preserved in the ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica'' and ''Patrologia Latina''.

Veneration

After several translation (relics), translations the relics of the patriarch were laid to rest under the altar of the crypt of the . The first appearance of the name St. Paulinus in the Liturgy occurs in the "Litaniae" of Charles the Bald of the 9th century. It appears also in the "Litaniae Carolinae," in the "Litaniae a S. Patribus constitutae," and finally in the manuscript "Litaniae of the Gertrudian" of the 10th century.

Feast day

In manuscripts prior to the ''Martyrology of Usuard'' his feast day is recorded on 11 January. In the calendars of saints of the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, used in the Church of Aquileia and

, his feast has a special rubric. Until the 16th century, the feast continued to be celebrated on 11 January, during the privileged Octave (liturgical), octave of the Epiphany (Christian), Epiphany. The Francesco Barbaro (Patriarch of Aquileia), patriarch Francesco Barbaro at the beginning of the 17th century translated the feast to 9 February. The Church of Cividale keeps his feast on 2 March. According to the most recent (2004) edition of the Roman Martyrology, Paulinus' feast day is assigned to the date of his death, 11 January.

References

Sources

* * ''Martyrologium Romanum'', Editio Altera, (Citta del Vaticano: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004) 94. * History of the Christian Church, Volume IV: Mediaeval Christianit

* Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Saints''. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. . * Nicholas Everett, "Paulinus, the Carolingians and ''famosissima'' Aquileia", in ''Paulino d'Aquileia e il contributo italiano all'Europa carolingia'', ed. Paolo Chiesa (Udine, 2003), pp. 115–154 * Nicholas Everett, "Paulinus of Aquileia's ''Sponsio Episcoporum'': written oaths and clerical discipline in Carolingian Italy", in W. Robins (ed), ''Textual Cultures of Medieval Italy'' (University of Toronto Press, 2011), pp. 167–216 (includes new edition of Latin text with Eng. translation of the ''Sponsio''). * Carl Giannoni, Paulinus II, ''Patriarch von Aquileia'', (Wien: Verlag, 1896

* Dag Norberg, L'oeuvre poétique de Paulin d'Aquilée. Stockholm, 1979 (edition of all poetic texts) {{DEFAULTSORT:Paulinus 02 Of Aquileia 720s births 800s deaths People from Premariacco 8th-century philosophers Italian saints Italian male poets 8th-century Latin writers Medieval Latin poets Carolingian dynasty 8th-century Italian bishops 8th-century Christian saints 8th-century Christian theologians Patriarchs of Aquileia Medieval Italian theologians History of Christianity in Slovenia Linguists from Italy Medieval linguists 8th-century Italian writers 8th-century Frankish writers 8th-century poets