Did St. Peter Damian Die in 1073? A New Perspective on His Final Days
By John Howe
Analecta Bollandiana, Vol. 128:1 (2010)
Abstract: The commonly accepted assertion that S. Peter Damian died February 22, 1072, lacks decisive evidence. Changing his obituary to the year 1073 helps to explain his possible presence at a placitum held July 7, 1072, and at a dedication of the church October 21, 1072. This move also helps to clarify the chronology of the arrival of the Archbishop of Ravenna Guibert of Ostia and Cardinal Gerald. Such a change sheds new light on the church reformers operating in early 1070.
Should the Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina change St. Peter Damian’s obituary from Petrus Damianus S. R. E. Card. ep. Ostiensis, t 1072′ to Petrus Damianus S. R. E. Card. ep. Ostiensis, t 1073? Although today the BHL exists in an electronic fonn where dates can be silently modified and whole new fields of information introduced, this proposal for change deserves a formal discussion inasmuch as it contradicts the universally accepted 1072 death date enshrined in hundreds of thousands of library catalogues, printed works, and electronic media sites. Is a difference of one year worth debating? The problem would certainly have been relished by the early Bollandists who strove to present the earthly histories of the saints as accurately as possible in the Acta Sanctorum. Yet there is more at issue than an improved chronology. Given the interconnectedness of historical events, a change in even an apparently trivial historical detail may result in new understandings and perspectives, as I hope to demonstrate here.
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St. Peter Damian, one of the towering figures of the eleventh century, needs no introduction. He had few equals as a promoter and theorist of monastic refonn. He was cardinal bishop of Ostia, dean of the College of Cardinals, and a major leader of the Roman refonn movement. He wrote prolifically and took care to ensure that his writings were preserved. Because scholars have meticulously plotted his itineraries and dated his letters, his career ought to hold few surprises.
The historical narrative of Peter Damian’s final years has been shaped by the belief that he died in early 1072. His chronic ill health, scholars assume, must have gotten worse as he reached his mid sixties . He had shed his episcopal duties. He had largely withdrawn from curial business. His last known international errand was a trip to Frankfurt in 1069 to reconcile the nineteen-year-old Henry IV with his wife, Bertha of Turin. His letters, most of which were public documents prompted by public events, became fewer after his retirement in the 1070s. Peter confided to his brother Damian that ” … I carefully watch the day of my death coming ever closer … For while I count the long years, and notice that my hair is turning white, and become aware that in whatever group of people I find myself, almost all are younger than I am, I put aside all my concerns and think only of death …”
By John Howe
Analecta Bollandiana, Vol. 128:1 (2010)
Abstract: The commonly accepted assertion that S. Peter Damian died February 22, 1072, lacks decisive evidence. Changing his obituary to the year 1073 helps to explain his possible presence at a placitum held July 7, 1072, and at a dedication of the church October 21, 1072. This move also helps to clarify the chronology of the arrival of the Archbishop of Ravenna Guibert of Ostia and Cardinal Gerald. Such a change sheds new light on the church reformers operating in early 1070.
Should the Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina change St. Peter Damian’s obituary from Petrus Damianus S. R. E. Card. ep. Ostiensis, t 1072′ to Petrus Damianus S. R. E. Card. ep. Ostiensis, t 1073? Although today the BHL exists in an electronic fonn where dates can be silently modified and whole new fields of information introduced, this proposal for change deserves a formal discussion inasmuch as it contradicts the universally accepted 1072 death date enshrined in hundreds of thousands of library catalogues, printed works, and electronic media sites. Is a difference of one year worth debating? The problem would certainly have been relished by the early Bollandists who strove to present the earthly histories of the saints as accurately as possible in the Acta Sanctorum. Yet there is more at issue than an improved chronology. Given the interconnectedness of historical events, a change in even an apparently trivial historical detail may result in new understandings and perspectives, as I hope to demonstrate here.
St. Peter Damian, one of the towering figures of the eleventh century, needs no introduction. He had few equals as a promoter and theorist of monastic refonn. He was cardinal bishop of Ostia, dean of the College of Cardinals, and a major leader of the Roman refonn movement. He wrote prolifically and took care to ensure that his writings were preserved. Because scholars have meticulously plotted his itineraries and dated his letters, his career ought to hold few surprises.
The historical narrative of Peter Damian’s final years has been shaped by the belief that he died in early 1072. His chronic ill health, scholars assume, must have gotten worse as he reached his mid sixties . He had shed his episcopal duties. He had largely withdrawn from curial business. His last known international errand was a trip to Frankfurt in 1069 to reconcile the nineteen-year-old Henry IV with his wife, Bertha of Turin. His letters, most of which were public documents prompted by public events, became fewer after his retirement in the 1070s. Peter confided to his brother Damian that ” … I carefully watch the day of my death coming ever closer … For while I count the long years, and notice that my hair is turning white, and become aware that in whatever group of people I find myself, almost all are younger than I am, I put aside all my concerns and think only of death …”
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