Aegidius Gelenius
Encyclopedia
Aegidius Gelenius was one of the most respected Cologne
historians of his time. He had also at his disposal some Roman age sources that are not in existence today.
He developed a late hatching system
but it did not gain popularity.
in 1614 and he spent about five years in the Collegium Germanicum in Rome
doing philosophical, ecclesiastical, dogmatical and "archaeological" studies. He was consecrated in 1616 in the Lateran
church and was awarded a bachelor
’s degree in theology
from the Perugia
University. In 1621, he became the canon
of the St. Andreas Closter in Cologne and was promoted to the Cologne
department of theology in 1623 where he obtained a licentiate
degree in theology. Between 1625 and 1631, he served in St. Christoph church. In 1645, the prince
Wolfgang Wilhelm requested him to take up the office of the visitator for the ecclesial institutions of the Duchy of Berg with a brief to improve their efficiencies. In 1647 he was elected as the scholaster of the St. Andreas cloister
, became the supervisor
of the Cologne archbishopry in 1650, appointed the auditor of the Cologne Nunciature in 1653, and before his death in 1656 he was consecrated as auxiliary bishop
of Osnabrück
.
who began to put together some valuable historical sources
about the history
of the Cologne archbishop
ry in his bid to write a comprehensive book but could not complete as he met with a premature death. But his brother Aegidius promised to complete his work when he was on the deathbed and accordingly Aegidius left his job and began to concentrate only on the work that his departed brother began.
After spending almost 15 years ”day in day out”, he put together a 30-volume historic work from original sources. Each volume deals with a distinguished topic like temples, archives, medals, paintings, the university etc. But even after his resignation from the St. Christoph church, Gelenius could not work quiet properly, as he was in high demand from many quarters. He had been getting frequent requests from different aristocrats to elevate the Catholic religion. He wrote the biographies of the dukes von Geldern
and von Cleve
and the count von der Mark, the "Limburg Chronicle
", the story of Jacob of Baden
, and the chronicle of the Counts of Thüringia, etc. He named these collections as Farrago diplomatum et notationum pro historia. However, on the occasion of the 1744th inventory, three volumes (12, 19, and 23) were missing or were under the ownership of other institutions already, and of these, the volume No. 12 contained the manuscript De magnitudine Coloniae.
he published it the next year. Albeit his work reflecting the view of his age and embraces too broad a topic, without doubt, it still is a valuable work because of its objective criticism of the subject matter as also being a voluminous work incorporating all available historical sources.
Gelenius was influenced by Petra Sancta
; they met several times in Cologne
. Gelenius also studied the coat of arms
and antiquities of the Rhenish nobility in the territory neighboring the Low Countries
. He put together a Rhenish armorial book arranged according to the charge
s. Philipp Jacob Spener repeatedly quotes from Gelenius in his 1690 work titled Insignium Theoria. However, Gelenius's hatching system
is identical only at two points with Petra Sancta, but totally the same as the one of Christophe Butkens
.
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
historians of his time. He had also at his disposal some Roman age sources that are not in existence today.
He developed a late hatching system
Hatching system
The system of heraldry has two main methods to designate the tinctures of arms in uncolored illustrations: hatching and tricking. Hatching, i.e. patterns of lines and dots, is the most common method to designate colours on uncoloured surfaces, like engravings, seals and coins.The present day...
but it did not gain popularity.
Life
Gelenius began his studies at the Jesuits in MainzMainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
in 1614 and he spent about five years in the Collegium Germanicum in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
doing philosophical, ecclesiastical, dogmatical and "archaeological" studies. He was consecrated in 1616 in the Lateran
Lateran
Lateran and Laterano are the shared names of several architectural projects throughout Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the former Roman Empire...
church and was awarded a bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
’s degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from the Perugia
Perugia
Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
University. In 1621, he became the canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of the St. Andreas Closter in Cologne and was promoted to the Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
department of theology in 1623 where he obtained a licentiate
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
degree in theology. Between 1625 and 1631, he served in St. Christoph church. In 1645, the prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
Wolfgang Wilhelm requested him to take up the office of the visitator for the ecclesial institutions of the Duchy of Berg with a brief to improve their efficiencies. In 1647 he was elected as the scholaster of the St. Andreas cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
, became the supervisor
Supervisor
A supervisor, foreperson, team leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area coordinator is a manager in a position of trust in business...
of the Cologne archbishopry in 1650, appointed the auditor of the Cologne Nunciature in 1653, and before his death in 1656 he was consecrated as auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
.
Works
His brother Johannes (1585-1631) was also a renowned ecclesiastical personality besides being an outstanding Cologne historianHistorian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who began to put together some valuable historical sources
Source text
A source text is a text from which information or ideas are derived. In translation, a source text is the original text that is to be translated into another language.-Description:...
about the history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
of the Cologne archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
ry in his bid to write a comprehensive book but could not complete as he met with a premature death. But his brother Aegidius promised to complete his work when he was on the deathbed and accordingly Aegidius left his job and began to concentrate only on the work that his departed brother began.
After spending almost 15 years ”day in day out”, he put together a 30-volume historic work from original sources. Each volume deals with a distinguished topic like temples, archives, medals, paintings, the university etc. But even after his resignation from the St. Christoph church, Gelenius could not work quiet properly, as he was in high demand from many quarters. He had been getting frequent requests from different aristocrats to elevate the Catholic religion. He wrote the biographies of the dukes von Geldern
Geldern
Geldern ) is a city in the northwest of the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the district of Cleves, which is part of the Düsseldorfadministrative region.-Location:...
and von Cleve
Cleve
-Surname:* Astrid Cleve , Swedish biologist, geologist, chemist and researcher, first woman in Sweden to obtain a doctorate in science* Bastian Clevé , German film director...
and the count von der Mark, the "Limburg Chronicle
Limburg Chronicle
Limburg Chronicle, or Festi Limpurgenses, the name of a German chronicle written most probably by Tileman Elhen von Wolfhagen after 1402. It is a source for the history of the Rhineland between 1336 and 1398, but is perhaps more valuable for the information about German manners and customs, and the...
", the story of Jacob of Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, and the chronicle of the Counts of Thüringia, etc. He named these collections as Farrago diplomatum et notationum pro historia. However, on the occasion of the 1744th inventory, three volumes (12, 19, and 23) were missing or were under the ownership of other institutions already, and of these, the volume No. 12 contained the manuscript De magnitudine Coloniae.
Gelenius in heraldry
His main work was De admiranda sacra et civili magnitudine Coloniae... published in 1645. Today this is the only source of information on some events because documents have been lost. In 1644, he sought permission from the city council to publish this work and upon receiving permission from the censureCensure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spiritual penalty imposed by a church, and a negative judgment pronounced on a theological proposition.-Politics:...
he published it the next year. Albeit his work reflecting the view of his age and embraces too broad a topic, without doubt, it still is a valuable work because of its objective criticism of the subject matter as also being a voluminous work incorporating all available historical sources.
Gelenius was influenced by Petra Sancta
Silvester Petra Sancta
Silvester Petra Sancta was an Italian Jesuit priest, and heraldist. His name is also spelt as Sylvester Petra Sancta, Petrasancta, in Italian Padre Silvestro da Pietrasanta. Pseudonym: Coelius Servilius...
; they met several times in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. Gelenius also studied the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
and antiquities of the Rhenish nobility in the territory neighboring the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. He put together a Rhenish armorial book arranged according to the charge
Charge (heraldry)
In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon . This may be a geometric design or a symbolic representation of a person, animal, plant, object or other device...
s. Philipp Jacob Spener repeatedly quotes from Gelenius in his 1690 work titled Insignium Theoria. However, Gelenius's hatching system
Hatching system
The system of heraldry has two main methods to designate the tinctures of arms in uncolored illustrations: hatching and tricking. Hatching, i.e. patterns of lines and dots, is the most common method to designate colours on uncoloured surfaces, like engravings, seals and coins.The present day...
is identical only at two points with Petra Sancta, but totally the same as the one of Christophe Butkens
Christophe Butkens
Christophe Butkens was a Cistercian abbot from Antwerp, historian and genealogist.Butkens developed his own hatching system but it was used by him in an inconsequent way which led to the misunderstandings and the resultant sudden disappearance of this method...
.