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Saint Venantius Fortunatus | |
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 Venantius Fortunatus Reading His Poems toRadegonda VI byLawrence Alma-Tadema (1862). | |
| Church Father,Bishop of Poitiers | |
| Born | c. 530 Venetia,Kingdom of the Ostrogoths |
| Died | c. 600 or 609 Pictavium,Kingdom of the Franks |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 14 December |
Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (c. 530 – c. 600/609 AD;French:Venance Fortunat), known asSaint Venantius Fortunatus (/vəˈnænʃəsˌfɔːrtjəˈneɪtəs/,Latin:[weːˈnantɪ.ʊsfɔrtuːˈnaːtʊs]), was a Latin poet andhymnographer in theMerovingian Court, and abishop of theEarly Church who has been venerated since the Middle Ages.[1]
Venantius Fortunatus was born between 530 and 540 atDuplavis (or Duplavilis), nearTreviso inVeneto, Italy.[2] He grew up during theRoman reconquest of Italy, but there is controversy concerning as to where Fortunatus spent his childhood. Some historians, such asD. Tardi, suggest that Fortunatus' family moved toAquileia because of the turbulent political situation in Treviso after the death ofKing Theoderic. This theory is suggested because there is evidence of Fortunatus speaking warmly about one of the bishops there, BishopPaul of Aquileia. Other scholars, such asJudith George, suggest that his family never moved to Aquileia, pointing out that the poet speaks more of Duplavis than any other place regarding his childhood.[3] Sometime in the 550s or 60s, he travelled toRavenna to study. While there, he was given aclassical education, in the Roman style. His later work shows familiarity with not only classical Latin poets such asVirgil,Horace,Ovid,Statius, andMartial, but alsoChristian poets, includingArator,Claudian, andCoelius Sedulius, and bears their influence. In addition, Fortunatus likely had some knowledge of the Greek language and the classical Greek writers and philosophers, as he makes reference to them and Greek words at times throughout his poetry and prose.
Fortunatus eventually moved toMetz in the spring of 566, probably with the specific intention of becoming a poet at the Merovingian Court. It was there his successful career really began. To reach Metz, he took a winding route, passing through four modern countries: Italy, Austria, Germany and France. Fortunatus himself explains two entirely different reasons for this route. Describing the first reason, he "portrays himself in the guise of a wandering minstrel, his journey just one in a series of adventures."[4] The second reason is more religious, explaining in hisVita S. Martini that he took this route to worship at the shrine of St Martin in Tours, visiting other shrines as he went.[5]
Fortunatus' arrival in Metz coincides with the marriage ofKing Sigibert andQueen Brunhild, and at the ceremony he performed a celebration poem for the entire court. After this incident, Fortunatus had many noble patrons, as well as bishops, who wished him to write poetry for them. About a year after he arrived in Metz, Fortunatus travelled to the court ofKing Charibert, Sigibert's brother, in Paris, and stayed there until Charibert's death in 567 or 568. Due to danger presented byKing Chilperic, brother of Sigibert and Charibert, Fortunatus had to move south toTours, returning to Sigibert's lands. From there, he ventured toPoitiers where he metRadegund. They became close friends, and Fortunatus wrote many poems in her honour and in support of her political campaigns. Fortunatus had made another great friendship in Tours and Poitiers: withGregory of Tours, who was installed as Bishop of Tours in 573, from whom Fortunatus also received patronage. In 580, Fortunatus wrote a poem defending Gregory against treasonous charges placed upon him at Chilperic's court. After the death of Sigibert, and that of Chilperic, Fortunatus moved toChildebert's court in Poitiers. Childebert was Sigibert's son. Sometime around 576, he was ordained into the church.[6] He stayed there until around the year 599-600, when he was appointed Bishop of Poitiers, to replace Plato, Bishop of Poitiers. Fortunatus died in the early 7th century. He was called a saint after his death, but was never formally canonized.[7]
Fortunatus is best known for two poems that have become part of theliturgy of theCatholic Church, thePange lingua gloriosi proelium certaminis ("Sing, O tongue, of the glorious struggle"), a hymn that later inspired StThomas Aquinas'sPange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium. He also wroteVexilla Regis prodeunt ("The royal banners forward go"), which is sung atVespers duringHoly Week. This poem was written in honour of a large piece of theTrue Cross, which explains its association also with the feast of theExaltation of the Holy Cross. The relic had been sent from theByzantine EmperorJustin II to QueenRadegund of theFranks, who after the death of her husbandChlotar I had founded amonastery inPoitiers. The Municipal Library in Poitiers houses an 11th-century manuscript on the life of Radegunde, copied from a 6th-century account by Fortunatus.
Venantius Fortunatus wrote eleven surviving books of poetry in Latin in a diverse group of genres includingepitaphs,panegyrics, georgics, consolations, and religious poems. A major genre of Fortunatus' poetry is the panegyric. He wrote four major panegyrics to four Merovingian Kings: Sigibert and Brunhild,[8] Charibert,[9] Chilperic[10] and Childebert II and Brunhild.[11] The first was also his debut into the Merovingian Court in Gaul, at Metz, in honour of the marriage of Sigibert and Brunhild. It is a fanciful poem, telling the story of how the bride and groom were brought together by Cupid, recalling the style of the classical Latin poets. The second, for Charibert, celebrates his rule, and gives the impression that this Frankish king was descended from and had succeeded the Roman kings in an unbroken line and hence served to support the legitimacy of his rule.[12] The third, addressed to King Chilperic, is full of controversy. Chilperic was known as a headstrong and hot-tempered ruler, however in this panegyric, Fortunatus depicts him as being gracious, compassionate and merciful, never making judgements too quickly, and even praises the king's poetry. The poem was given on the occasion of the trial for treason of Gregory of Tours, Fortunatus' patron and friend. Some scholars have suggested that Fortunatus is simply trying to appease a new patron (Chilperic) because of Gregory's uncertain future. However, other scholars, such as Brennan and George, disagree, postulating that Fortunatus was evoking more of a correctional and moralistic poem towards Chilperic, reminding him how the ideal king ruled, and gently suggesting that he act in that way as well. Thus, the poem becomes a plea for his friend Gregory of Tours, while avoiding an open disagreement with the king.[13]
Fortunatus wrote panegyrics and other types of poems, including praise, eulogies, personal poems to bishops and friends alike,[14] consolations and poems in support of political issues, particularly those presented by his friends Gregory of Tours and Radegunde. His eleven books of poetry contain his surviving poems, all ordered chronologically and by importance of subject. For instance, a poem aboutGod will come before the panegyric to a king, which will come before a eulogy to a bishop. This collection of poems is the main primary source for writing about his life.
His verse is important in the development of laterLatin literature, largely because he wrote at a time when Latinprosody was moving away from the quantitative verse ofclassical Latin and towards the accentual meters ofmedieval Latin. His style sometimes suggests the influence ofHiberno-Latin, in learnedGreek coinages that occasionally appear in his poems.
Fortunatus' other major work wasVita S. Martini[15] It is a long narrative poem, reminiscent of the classical epics of Greek and Roman cultures but replete with Christian references and allusions, depicting the life of Saint Martin.[16]He also wrote a versehagiography of his patron Queen Radegund (continued by the nunBaudovinia).
His hymns are used extensively in theHymnal 1982 of theEpiscopal Church. One of his hymns was set to music by the modern composerRandall Giles. Another hymn as translated from the Latin (Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say) celebrates Easter with music by SirArthur Sullivan.
In his time, Fortunatus filled a great social desire forLatin poetry. He was one of the most prominent poets at this point, and had many contracts, commissions and correspondences with kings, bishops and noblemen and women from the time he arrived in Gaul until his death. He used his poetry to advance in society, to promote political ideas he supported, usually conceived of by Radegunde or by Gregory, and to pass on personal thoughts and communications. He was a master wordsmith and because of his promotion of the church, as well as the Roman tendencies of the Frankish royalty, he remained in favour with most of his acquaintances throughout his lifetime.
From the point of view of the present day, Fortunatus provides another window into the world of the Merovingian court.[17] For much of this period, the only reliable source on the subject is Gregory of Tours' history, but as it is well known that Gregory had his own political and personal agendas, the objectivity of his accounts can sometimes come into question.[18] While Fortunatus tends to embellish or even mock the happenings and truth of the situations he writes about, there is an element of inferred truth, whether it is his classical embellishments on the marriage panegyric for Sigibert, or his recalling the traits of the ideal ruler to correct a bad king. With this, he supplies an alternate view of everything going on at court, a view which at times differs from Gregory's account.
His works have been set to music in settings which themselves have become prominent artworks.Anton Bruckner composeda motet based onVexilla Regis, andKnut Nystedt a choral setting ofO Crux Splendidior.
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