Rosendo de Celanova

Statue of San Rosendo at the Monastery of San Salvador de Celanova

Rosendo de Celanova (born November 26, 907 , † March 1, 977 ) was a Galician nobleman and church leader. He was canonized by the Catholic Church under the name of San Rosendo . Other names by which he is known are Rosendo Gutérrez , Rudesindus Guterri ( Latin ) and Holy Rudesind . He was bishop of Mondoñedo and Iria Flavia and a person of great political influence in Galicia in the 10th century.

Religious and cultural influence

Rosendo founded the Caaveiro Monastery in 934 and the Celanova Monastery in 936 . The latter in particular provided decisive impulses for religious life and was the driving force behind religious renewal.

His influence contributed to the fact that a pre-Romanesque architectural style prevailed in Galicia. Examples are the chapel of San Miguel de Celanova and the ruins of San Martiño de Pazó. Count Froila Gutiérrez, better known as San Froilán , had this church built in the Mozarabic style.

Life

In the early 10th century Galicia was a Christian power center on the Iberian peninsula, which was dominated by the Muslim al-Andalus . Alfons III of Asturias , following Germanic custom, divided his kingdom in 910 under his three sons García I of León , Ordoño II of León and Fruela II . After the death of his brothers, Fruela reunited the territories under his rule at the court of León .

With the Reconquista , the Christian center of power shifted away from Galicia. Internal power struggles followed at the court of León, which plunged Galicia into feudal anarchy and a power vacuum. These circumstances determined Rosendo's lifetime. The era of turmoil began with the death of Alfonso III. of Asturias in 910 and lasted until the death of Bermudo III. at the Battle of Tamaron in 1037.

As an element of their power politics, the monarchs appointed members of aristocratic families as bishops of the Galician dioceses, in order to secure the loyalty of the nobility and the Catholic Church at the same time. The church offices were passed on within the noble families. Rosendo was also given the office of Bishop of Mondoñedo by his uncle Savarico; and he himself later passed it on to his nephew.

In 955 he was appointed King Ordoño III. as governor over the territories from Riocaldo on the southern border of Galicia to Santa Maria Ortiguera on the Cantabrian coast.

In 970 Rosendo took over the bishopric from Iria Flavia . His predecessor Sisnando Menéndez was killed in the battle of Fornelos against Vikings in 968 . Rosendo held the bishopric of Iria Flavia until the Council of León in 974. He spent the last years of his life in seclusion in the Celanova Monastery.

Relics

A miter , a crosier , some combs and a ring are attributed to him. The latter, however, comes from Roman times; an image of the god Jupiter is engraved in the stone . However, it is possible that Rosendo thought the engraving was a representation of the God of Christianity.

literature

• Manuel Carriedo Tejedo: La familia de San Rosendo . In: Estudios Mindonienses. Anuario de estudios Histórico-Teológicos de la Diócesis de Mondoñedo-Ferrol . tape 23 . Cabildo de la Catedral de Mondoñedo; Centro de Estudios de la Diócesis de Mondoñedo-Ferrol; Fundación Caixa Galicia, 2007, ISSN  0213-4357 , p. 103–123 ( mondonedoferrol.org [PDF; accessed November 1, 2014]).

• Francisco Carvalho Correia: Algumas notas sobre S. Rosendo . In: Estudios Mindonienses. Anuario de estudios Histórico-Teológicos de la Diócesis de Mondoñedo-Ferrol . tape 23 . Cabildo de la Catedral de Mondoñedo; Centro de Estudios de la Diócesis de Mondoñedo-Ferrol; Fundación Caixa Galicia, 2007, ISSN  0213-4357 , p. 13–47 ( mondonedoferrol.org [PDF; accessed November 1, 2014]).

Web links

• San Rosendo, Obispo y Abad (Spanish)
• San Rosendo: Nuestro Patrono ( Memento of June 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} biography at terradecelanova.com, accessed on November 1, 2014