Presbyter Venantius Fortunatus described to Gregory of Tours various miracles performed through the intercession of Saint Martin in his native North Italy, above all at Ravenna, in the middle of the 6th century. Account of Gregory of Tours, "The Miracles of the Bishop Martin", Tours (Gaul), AD 573/594.
Intended for scholary use. For credentials see Bibliography
I 13-16.
Presbyter Venantius Fortunatus described to Gregory of Tours various miracles performed through the intercession of Saint Martin in his native North Italy, above all at Ravenna.
(ed. de Nie 2015: 470-476, summarised by J. Szafranowski)
Discussion:
Venantius Fortunatus, born probably in 530s in Duplavis near Treviso, studied in Ravenna for some time at the beginning of the second half of the 6th century. Ca 566 (before the invasion of Longobards in 568), Venantius moved to Metz.
Place of event:
Region
Italy north of Rome with Corsica and Sardinia
City
Ravenna
About the source:
Author: Gregory of Tours Title: The Miracles of the Bishop Martin, De virtutibus beati Martini episcopis Origin: Tours (Gaul) Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
Bishop Gregory of Tours (Gaul) began to collect the miracles connected to Martin, his predecessor in bishopric, at the very beginning of his episcopacy. Martin`s power is usually revealed at his tomb in Tours, and Gregory owed his high rank among Gallic bishops largely to his position as the custodian of Saint Martin`s sanctuary. Additionally, Gregory presents the recording of Martin`s miraculous activity as fulfilment of a vow; this vow was the result of no fewer than three visions in which he received the divine commandment to do so, and the promise he had made to his mother. Eventually, Gregory composed four books collecting Martin`s miracles. By cross-reference with other works by Gregory, Raymond Van Dam claimed that the first book – which gathers only the miracles that took place before Gregory`s episcopacy – was completed by 576, the second book was finished by 581, and the third by 588; the fourth book seems to continue up until Gregory`s own death in 594 (Van Dam 1993: 142-146, 199).
Recently, Giselle de Nie prepared a new edition of "The Miracles", which is based on the earlier editions by Ruinart, Bordier, and Krusch. She also normalised the spelling and punctuation, and provided a new translation "that stays as close as possible to the author`s train of thought" (de Nie 2015: xxv).
Edition:
Gregory of Tours, Lives and Miracles, ed. and trans. G. de Nie, Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library 39, Cambridge, MA and London 2015, pp. 421-855.
Translation:
Gregory of Tours, The Miracles of the Bishop St. Martin, trans. R. Van Dam, in: R. Van Dam, Saints and their Miracles in Late Antique Gaul, Princeton 1993, pp. 199-303.
Please quote this record referring to
its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
J. Szafranowski, Presbyters
in the Late Antique West, ER1997, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1997
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