Theodulf of Orléans (ca. 750-60 to 18 December 821), was the Bishop of Orléans (ca. 798 to 818) during the reign of
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
and
Louis the PiousLouis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
. He was a key member of the
Carolingian RenaissanceThe Carolingian Renaissance was a period of intellectual and cultural revival occurring in the late eighth and ninth centuries, with the peak of the activities occurring during the reigns of the Carolingian rulers Charlemagne and Louis the Pious. During this period there was an increase of...
and an important figure during the many reforms of the church under Charlemagne, as well as (almost certainly) the author of the
Libri CaroliniThe Libri Carolini , Opus Caroli regis contra synodum , also called Charlemagne's Books or simply the Carolines, are the work in four books composed on the command of Charlemagne, around 790, to refute the supposed conclusions of the Byzantine Second Council of Nicaea , particularly as...
, "much the fullest statement of the Western attitude to representational art that has been left to us by the Middle Ages".
Theodulf of Orléans (ca. 750-60 to 18 December 821), was the Bishop of Orléans (ca. 798 to 818) during the reign of
CharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe...
and
Louis the PiousLouis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
. He was a key member of the
Carolingian RenaissanceThe Carolingian Renaissance was a period of intellectual and cultural revival occurring in the late eighth and ninth centuries, with the peak of the activities occurring during the reigns of the Carolingian rulers Charlemagne and Louis the Pious. During this period there was an increase of...
and an important figure during the many reforms of the church under Charlemagne, as well as (almost certainly) the author of the
Libri CaroliniThe Libri Carolini , Opus Caroli regis contra synodum , also called Charlemagne's Books or simply the Carolines, are the work in four books composed on the command of Charlemagne, around 790, to refute the supposed conclusions of the Byzantine Second Council of Nicaea , particularly as...
, "much the fullest statement of the Western attitude to representational art that has been left to us by the Middle Ages". He is mainly remembered for this and the survival of the private oratory or chapel made for his villa at
Germigny-des-PrésGermigny-des-Prés is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.The oratory at Germigny-des-Prés was built by Bishop Theodulf of Orléans in 806 as part of his palace complex within the Gallo-Roman villa in Germaniacus...
, with a
mosaicMosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
probably from about 806.
Life
Theodulf was born in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
between 750 and 760, and was of Visigothic descent. He fled Spain because of the Moorish occupation of the region and traveled to the South-Western province of Gaul called
AquitaineAquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 26 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. In the Middle Ages it was a kingdom and later a duchy, with boundaries considerably larger...
, where he received an education. He went on to join the monastery near Maguelonne in Southern Gaul led by the abbot
Benedict of AnianeSaint Benedict of Aniane , born Witiza and called the Second Benedict, was a Benedictine monk and monastic reformer, who left a large imprint on the religious practice of the Carolingian Empire...
. During his trip to Rome in 786, Theodulf was inspired by the centres of learning there, and sent letters to a large number of abbots and bishops of the Frankish empire, encouraging them to establish public schools.
Charlemagne recognized Theodulf’s importance within his court and simultaneously named him Bishop of Orléans (ca. 798) and abbot of many monasteries, most notably the
BenedictineBenedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey of
Fleury-sur-LoireFleury-sur-Loire is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-Demographics:At the 1999 census, the population was 263. On 1 January 2007, the estimate was 240.-References:*...
. He then went on to establish public schools outside the monastic areas which he oversaw, following through on this idea that had impressed him so much during his trip to Rome. Theodulf quickly became one of Charlemagne’s favoured theologians alongside
AlcuinAlcuin of York or Ealhwine, nicknamed Albinus or Flaccus was a scholar, ecclesiastic, poet and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Ecgbert at York...
of Northumbria and was deeply involved in many facets of Charlemagne’s desire to reform the church.
He was involved in editing numerous translated texts that Charlemagne believed to be inaccurate and translating sacred texts directly from the classical Greek and Hebrew languages. Charlemagne died in 814 and was succeeded by his son Louis the Pious.
Louis’ nephew, King
Bernard of ItalyBernard was the King of Italy from 810 to 818. He plotted against his uncle, Emperor Louis the Pious, when the latter's Ordinatio Imperii made Bernard a vassal of his cousin Lothair...
sought independence from the Frankish empire and raised his army against the latter. Bernard was talked into surrendering, but was punished by Louis severely, sentencing him to have his sight removed. The procedure of blinding Bernard went wrong and he died as a result of the operation. Louis believed that numerous people in his court were conspiring against him with Bernard, and Theodulf was one of many who were accused of treason. He was forced to abandon his position of Bishop of Orléans in 817 and was exiled to a monastery in
AngersAngers is a city in the Maine-et-Loire department in north-western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
in 818 where he spent the next two years of his life. After he was released in 820, he tried to reclaim his bishopric in Orléans but was never able to reach the city because it is believed that he was poisoned during the trip. Theodulf of Orléans died on January 18, 821 and his body was brought back to
AngersAngers is a city in the Maine-et-Loire department in north-western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
where it was buried.
Villa at Germingny-des-Prés
The oratory at Germigny-des-Prés (Loiret, Orléanais) was built by Bishop Theodulf in 806 as part of his Gallo-Roman villa in Germaniacus. Theodulf was also abbot of the neighboring monastery of
Saint-Benoît-sur-LoireSaint-Benoît-sur-Loire is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.This town hosts the Abbaye de Fleury, also known as the Abbaye de Saint Benoît . Founded around 630, it is one of the oldest abbeys of the Benedictine rule...
. His complex at Germigny-des-Prés was in a general sense modelled on Charlemagne's palace complex at
AachenAachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the medieval Kings of Germany...
; all except the oratory was destroyed by the
NormansThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
(then just emerging from the
VikingA Viking is one of the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far...
s) within a century of construction. The villa had
frescoFresco is any of several related painting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco , which has Latin origins...
s of the Seven liberal arts, the Four Seasons, and the
Mappa MundiMappa mundi is a general term used to describe Medieval European maps of the world. These maps ranged in size and complexity from simple schematic maps an inch or less across, to elaborate wall maps, the largest of which was 11 ft. in diameter...
, and the
mosaicMosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
in the oratory is virtually the only
CarolingianCarolingian art comes from the Frankish Empire in the period of roughly 120 years from about AD 780 to 900 — during the reign of Charlemagne and his immediate heirs — popularly known as the Carolingian Renaissance. The art was produced by and for the court circle and a group of...
mosaic to survive, though over-restored in the 1860s, when the oratory was given what is generally agreed to have been a disastrous over-restoration and reconstruction. The subject of the mosaic, the
Ark of the CovenantThe Ark of the Covenant is a container described in the Bible as containing the Tablets of Stone on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments as well as Aaron's rod and manna. According to the Pentateuch, the Ark was built at the command of God, in accord with Moses' prophetic vision on Mount Sinai...
with attendant angels, is otherwise only found in early Jewish bibles (usually as the sole illustration), and probably relates to the
Libri Carolini, where the Ark, with its golden cherubim, is mentioned as a significant proof of divine approval of religious images.
Capitularies
As Bishop of Orléans (798-818), Theodulf wrote two important capitularies.
1.
Capitula ad presbyteros parochiae
The first capitulary was a reminder to the priests of his diocese of the importance of manual labour, studying, prayer and chastity.
2.
Capitula altera Theodulpho episcopo Aurelianensi adscripta
The second capitulary focused on his code of penance where he lists the consequences of murder, adultery, fornication, incest, thievery, usury and other infractions.
It is divided in ten main parts:
- De ammonitione sacerdotum
- De adulteriis et incestis et fornicationibus
- De confessionibus laicorum
- De homicido
- De mulierum delictis
- De furto et falso testimonio
- De inrationabili fornicatione
- De adultero presbytero publice et occulte
- De usurariis
- De inquisition octo vitiorium ad confessionem
Libri Carolini
Theodulf was also almost certainly responsible for composing the
Libri CaroliniThe Libri Carolini , Opus Caroli regis contra synodum , also called Charlemagne's Books or simply the Carolines, are the work in four books composed on the command of Charlemagne, around 790, to refute the supposed conclusions of the Byzantine Second Council of Nicaea , particularly as...
(ca. 793) which served as a rebuttal to a faulty translation of the Second Nicene Council of 787 which was mistakenly interpreted as saying that the worship of images was now acceptable in the church. It therefore suggested that an end was to be put to the iconoclastic period which had led to the destruction of many sacred images in the church, especially in Constantinople. This translation made its way from Rome to the court of Charlemagne where it infuriated the Frankish emperor and his loyal theologians, including Theodulf. Theodulf was ordered to write the
Libri Carolini under Charlemagne's name in a way that portrayed him as the sole representative of the Western world and defender of the church against idolatry.
Hospitality
Theodulf brought fresh ideas and an open mind to the period known as the Carolingian Renaissance. He believed in always keeping the door open and never refusing pilgrims, travelers or the poor if they needed a meal or a place to stay for the night. He believed that you had to offer the less fortunate a seat at your dinner table if you one day wished to have a seat at the banquet of God. These ideas were highly influenced by his readings of Augustine. He often referred to himself as the poor traveler or stranger, being born in Spain and of Visigothic descent, and being accepted with open arms by the royal court of Charlemagne.
Literature and the Liberal Arts
Theodulf was an avid reader of Christian literature and some of his favorite writers are listed in one of his letters to the Pope Leo III which include mentions of texts by Gregory the Great, Augustine, Jerome and Isidore. He also mentions in his letters that he enjoyed reading pagan literature including poems by Virgil and Ovid which he thought may seem filled with heresy at first, but underneath the surface had useful morals which could be applied to Christian morality. He was also very fond of the Seven Liberal Arts and they were depicted in fresco in his dining room so that his spirit and body could be fed simultaneously.
Education
Theodulf was a pioneer in the realm of public education during the Carolingian Renaissance in the Frankish empire under the reign of Charlemagne. He believed that everybody had the right to an education, and that money should not be a factor which restricts people from learning. He was in part responsible for the boom in public schools which were built beside monastic lands or adjacent to the local churches.