Vallumbrosan Order

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The name is derived from the motherhouse, Vallombrosa (LatinVallis umbrosa, shady valley), situated 20 miles from Florence on the northwest slope of Monte Secchieta in the Pratomagno chain, 3140 feet above the sea.

The founder

St. John Gualbert, son of the noble Florentine Gualbert Visdomini, was born in 985 (or 995), and died at Passignano, 12 July, 1073, on which day hisfeast is kept; he wascanonized in 1193. One of his relatives having beenmurdered, it became hisduty to avenge the deceased. He met the murderer in a narrow lane and was about to slay him, but when the man threw himself upon the ground with arms outstretched in the form of a cross, he pardoned him for thelove ofChrist. On his way home, he entered theBenedictine Church atSan Miniato topray, and the figure on the crucifix bowed its head to him in recognition of his generosity. This story forms the subject of Burne-Jones's picture "The Merciful Knight", and has been adapted by Shorthouse in "John Inglesant". John Gualbert became aBenedictine atSan Miniato, but left thatmonastery to lead a more perfect life. His attraction was for the cenobitic noteremitic life, so after staying for some time with themonks at Camaldoli, he settled at Vallombrosa, where he founded hismonastery.Mabillon places the foundation a little before 1038. Here it is said he and his first companions lived for some years ashermits, but this is rejected by Martène as inconsistent with his reason for leaving Camaldoli. Thechronology of the early days of Vallombrosa has been much disputed. The dates given for the founder's conversion vary between 1004 and 1039, and a recent Vallumbrosan writer places his arrival at Vallombrosa as early as 1008. We reach surer ground with theconsecration of the church by Bl. Rotho,Bishop ofPaderborn, in 1038, and the donation by Itta,Abbess of the neighbouringmonastery of Sant' Ellero, of the site of the new foundation in 1039. Theabbess retained the privilege of nominating the superiors, but this right was granted to themonks by Victor II, who confirmed the order in 1056. Two centuries later, in the time ofAlexander IV, thenunnery was united to Vallombrosa in spite of the protests of thenuns.

The holy lives of the firstmonks at Vallombrosa attracted considerable attention and brought many requests for new foundations, but there were fewpostulants, since few could endure the extraordinary austerity of the life. Thus only one othermonastery, that of San Salvi atFlorence, was founded during this period. But when the founder had mitigated his rule somewhat, three moremonasteries were founded and three others reformed and united to the order during his lifetime. In the struggle of thepopes againstsimony the early Vallumbrosans took a considerable part, of which the most famous incident is the ordeal by fire undertaken successfully bySt. Peter Igneus in 1068 (see Delarc, op. cit.). Shortly before this themonastery of S. Salvi had been burned and themonks ill-treated by the anti-reform party. These events still further increased the repute of Vallombrosa.

Development of the order

After the founder's death the order spread rapidly. ABull ofUrban II in 1090, which takes Vallombrosa under the protection of theHoly See, enumerates fifteenmonasteries besides the motherhouse. Twelve more are mentioned in aBull of Paschal II in 1115, and twenty-four others in those of Anastasius IV (1153) andAdrian IV (1156). By the time ofInnocent III they numbered over sixty. All were situated inItaly, except twomonasteries inSardinia. About 1087 Bl. Andrew of Vallombrosa (d. 1112) founded themonastery of Cornilly in theDiocese of Orléans, and in 1093 the Abbey of Chezal-Benoît, which became later the head of a considerableBenedictine congregation. There is no ground for the legend given by some writers of the order of a great Vallumbrosan Congregation inFrance with anabbey nearParis, founded by St. Louis. The Vallumbrosan Congregation was reformed in the middle of the fifteenth century by CassineseBenedictines, and again by Bl. John Leonardi at the beginning of the seventeenth century. In 1485 certainabbeys with that of San Salvi at Florence at their head, which had formed a separate congregation, were reunited to the motherhouse byInnocent VIII. At the beginning of the sixteenth century an attempt was made by Abbot-General Milanesi to found a house of studies onuniversity lines at Vallombrosa; but in 1527 themonastery was burned by the troops ofCharles V. It was rebuilt by Abbot Nicolini in 1637, and in 1634 an observatory was established. From 1662-80 the order was united to theSylvestrines. In 1808Napoleon's troops plundered Vallombrosa, and themonastery lay deserted till 1815. It was finally suppressed by the Italian Government in 1866. A fewmonks remain to look after the church and meteorological station, but theabbey buildings have become aschool of forestry founded in 1870 on the German model, the only one of its kind inItaly. Vallombrosa is also a health resort.

The decline of the order may be ascribed to the hard fate of the motherhouse, tocommendams, and to the perpetualwars which ravagedItaly. Practically all the survivingmonasteries were suppressed during the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The present Vallumbrosanmonasteries, besides Vallombrosa itself, are: Passignano, where St. John Gualbert is buried; S. Trinità atFlorence, where the abbot-general resides; Sta Prassede, inRome; Galloro in theDiocese of Albano, with the sanctuary of Bl. Benedict Ricasoli (d. 1107); and the celebrated sanctuary of Montessoro in theDiocese of Leghorn. The modernmonastery of Signol near Loriol, Drôme,France, was suppressed by the Ferrylaws in 1880. The present abbot-general is Fedele Tarani. Themonks now number about 100. The shield of the order shows the founder's arm in a tawny-coloured cowl grasping a golden crutch-shapedcrozier on a blue ground. The services rendered by the order have been mostly in the field of asceticism. Besides the Vallumbrosansaints alluded to in other parts of this article there may also be mentioned: Bl. Veridiana,anchoress (1208-42); Bl. Giovanni Dalle Celle (feast, 10 March); thelay brother Melior (1 Aug.). By the middle of the seventeenth century the order had supplied twelvecardinals and more than 30bishops. F. E. Hugford (1696-1771), born at Florence ofEnglishparents, is well known as one of the chief promoters of the art ofscagliola (imitation of marble in plaster). Abbot-General Tamburini's works on canon law are well known.Galileo was for a time anovice at Vallombrosa and received part of hiseducation there.

Rule

St. John adoptedthe Rule of St. Benedict but added greatly to its austerity and penitential character. Hisidea was to unite the ascetic advantages of theeremitic life to a life in community, while avoiding the dangers of the former. Severe scourging was inflicted for any breach of rule, silence was perpetual, poverty most severely enforced. The rule of enclosure was so strict that themonks might not go out even on an errand of mercy. The main point of divergence lay in the prohibition of the manual work, which is prescribed by St. Benedict. St. John's choirmonks were to be pure contemplatives and to this end he introduced the system of lay-brothers who were to attend to the secular business. He was among the first to systematize this institution, and it is probable that it was largely popularized by the Vallumbrosans. The termconversi (lay brothers) occurs for the first time in Abbot Andrew of Strumi's Life of St. John, written at the beginning of the twelfth century. The Vallumbrosans do not, strictly speaking, form a separate order, but aBenedictine congregation, though they are not united to the confederated congregations of the Black Monks. The oldest extantmanuscript of the customs of Vallombrosa shows a close relationship with those of Cluny. The Vallumbrosans should be regarded only asBenedictines who followed the customs observed at that time by theBlack Benedictines throughoutEurope. "Horror ofsimony was a special bond between them and Cluny, and it was only special circumstances which caused them later to be looked upon as a peculiar institute within theBenedictine order" (Albers, op. cit.infra). The habit, originally grey, then tawny coloured, is now that of the Black Monks. Theabbots were originally elected for life but are now elected at the general chapter, held every four years. TheAbbot of Vallombrosa, the superior of the whole order, had formerly a seat in the Florentine Senate and bore the additional title of Count of Monte Verde and Gualdo.

Nuns

Shortly after the founder's death we find attached to themonastery of Vallombrosa lay sisters who, under the charge of an agedlay brother, lived in a separate house and performed various householdduties. This institute survived for less than a century, but when they ceased to be attached to themonasteries ofmonks, these sisters probably continued to lead a conventual life. Bl.Bertha (d. 1163) entered the Vallumbrosan Order at Florence and reformed theconvent of Cavriglia in 1153. St. Umiltà is usually regarded as the foundress of the Vallumbrosan Nuns. She was born atFaenza about 1226, was married, but with the consent of her husband, who became amonk, entered amonastery of canonesses and afterwards became ananchoress in a cell attached to the Vallumbrosan church ofFaenza, where she lived for twelve years. At the request of the abbot-general she then founded amonastery outsideFaenza and became itsabbess. In 1282 she founded a secondconvent atFlorence, where she died in 1310. She left a number of mystical writings. In 1524 thenuns obtained the Abbey of S. Salvi, Florence. There are still Vallumbrosannunneries atFaenza and S. Gimignano, besides two at Florence. Therelics of Bl. Umiltà and her disciple Bl. Margherita arevenerated at theconvent ofSpirito Santo at Varlungo. The habit is similar to that of theBenedictine Nuns.

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