Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 791
Presbyter John, monk in Bierzo (Iberian Peninsula) and a former disciple of Valerius, is killed before the altar in his church by a peasant. "Replicatio sermonum", 2nd half of the 7th century.
Valerius relates how he was robbed by his former fellow monk, presbyter Saturninus (see [790]).
 
14. [...] Post haec adhuc metum doloris consuetaeque tribulationis meae ille supra dictus Johannes meus discipulus, illius quoque magister primus a quodam iniquissimo rustico, ab ipso invido persequente diabolo praecipiter impulso in praedictio suo monasterio ante sanctum altarium in oratione prostratum, est impiissime et crudeliter capite truncatus.
 
(ed. C.M. Aherne 1949: 145)
Valerius relates how he was robbed by his former fellow monk, presbyter Saturninus (see [790]).
 
14. [...] After these events, while I was still under the weight of my sorrow and usual trouble, the afore-named John, my disciple [see [782]], also the teacher of that other person [Saturninus, see [783]],  was wickedly and impiously decapitated before the holy altar, where he was prostrated in prayer in the aforesaid monastery [at the feet of the mountain, see [782]], by a certain very evil rustic violently impelled by the devil himself.
 
(ed. C.M. Aherne 1949: 144)

Discussion:

On John and his monastic status see more in [782] and [783].

Place of event:

Region
  • Iberian Peninsula
City
  • Bierzo

About the source:

Author: Valerius of Bierzo
Title: Replicatio sermonum, Further account
Origin: Bierzo (Iberian Peninsula)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
"Replicatio sermonum" is the second part of the autobiographical trilogy written by the eremitical monk from the region of Bierzo (Iberian Peninsula) Valerius.  He relates the sufferings, attacks of the devil and conflicts he was engaged in during the time of his monastic life. The exact dates of Valerius life as well as dates of composition of his works cannot be establish, it can only be said that he lived and worked roughly in the 2nd half of the 7th c. Apart from the autobiographical writings he composed six short works: De vana saeculi sapientia, Vita et epistola beatissimae Egeriae, De genere monachorum, Dicta beatum Valeri ad beatum Donadeum scripta, De Bonello monacho, De caeleste revelatione. On Valerius of Bierzo see Aherne 1949, Collins 1986, Díaz y Díaz 2006, Martín 2011.
Edition:
Edition and translation:
Valerius of Bierzo, Ordo querimoniae, [in:]  C.M. Aherne, Valerio of Bierzo, an Ascetic of the Late Visigothic Period. A Dissertation, Washington D.C. 1949, 68-109
Bibliography:
J.L. Avello Álvarez, "Los suevos y visigodos en la provincia de León", Memorias de historia antigua 11-12 (1990), 295-316.
R. Collins, "The Autobiographical Works of Valerius of Bierzo their structure and purpose”, [in :] Antigüedad y cristianismo: Monografías históricas sobre la Antigüedad tardía, 1986, 425-442.
M.C. Díaz y Díaz, Valerio Del Bierzo: su persona, su obra, León 2006.
M. Gómez Moreno, Catálogo monumental de España. Provincia de León (1906-1908), v. 1, Madrid 1925.
J.C. Martín, "¿Valerio en Compludo? Examen crítico de los opúsculos autobiográficos (CPL 1282-1284) y las Visiones del más allá (CPL 1277-1279) de Valerio del Bierzo”, Veleia 23 (2006), 327-338.

Categories:

Education - Monastic education
Monastic or common life - Hermit
Relation with - Peasant
Conflict - Violence
Devotion - Private devotional practice
Pastoral activity - Teaching
Pastoral activity - Spiritual direction
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: M. Szada, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER791, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=791