Thomas of Celano
Thomas von Celano (Italian: Tommaso da Celano ; * around 1190 in Celano in Abruzzo ; † 1260 in Tagliacozzo ) was a Franciscan and chronicler .
Life
Thomas was born around 1190 in Celano in Abruzzo. Nothing is known about his youth. After the return of Francis of Assisi from Spain in 1215, Thomas is said to have joined him and entered his order, although it is not clear whether Thomas was already a priest at that time .
From 1222 he was involved in the expansion of the order to Germany under the leadership of Caesarius von Speyer ; Simon von Collazzone († 1250) , who was venerated as a blessed , also belonged to the group of missionaries . In 1223 Thomas von Celano was appointed curator for the Franciscan branches in the cities of Mainz , Worms , Cologne and Speyer and appointed vicar .
On July 16, 1228 he was present for the canonization of Francis in Assisi, of which he reported in great detail. At that time he was supported by Pope Gregory IX. commissioned to write the legend of Francis of Assisi ( Vita prima S. Francisci ). This work contains the entire life story of Francis of Assisi, with Thomas von Celano expanding the facts with numerous theological interpretations.
In 1244 he was commissioned by the General Chapter of the Order in Genoa to complete an addition to the life of Francis of Assisi ( Vita secunda S. Francisci ). This second biography was completed in 1246/1247 and contains the same events as the first vita, but from a later perspective and with the inclusion of new sources, such as the legend of the three companions and other accounts of the brothers who still knew Francis. Between 1247 and 1257, Thomas finally wrote the third book, the Tractatus de miraculis S. Francisci , in which he systematically reported on the miracles of Francis.
After the canonization of Clare of Assisi in 1255, Thomas von Celano wrote a legend about her life ( Legenda S. Clarae Virginis ).
Thomas von Celano is also considered to be the author of the liturgical sequences Sanctitatis nova signa and Fregit victor , but his authorship is controversial. The sequence Dies irae is also mostly ascribed to him, but the existence of a codex with the text of the sequence from the end of the 12th century makes this assignment very doubtful.
Thomas von Celano spent his twilight years as chaplain of the Poor Clares of the monastery of S. Giovanni di Val dei Varri near his birthplace, in Tagliacozzo, where he died in 1260.
Works
- Legenda ad Usum chori (around 1230)
-
S. Francisci Assisensis vita et miracula
- Vita prima S. Francisci (1228/1229)
- Vita secunda S. Francisci (1246/1247)
- Tractatus de miraculis S. Francisci (between 1247 and 1257)
- Legenda S. Clarae Virginis (1255)
literature
- Erich Wenneker : Thomas von Celano. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 11, Bautz, Herzberg 1996, ISBN 3-88309-064-6 , Sp. 1379-1382.
Web links
- Literature by and about Thomas von Celano in the catalog of the German National Library
- Publications about Thomas von Celano in the Opac der Regesta Imperii
- Tommaso da Celano. In: Enciclopedie on line. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
- Thomas von Celano in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thomas of Celano |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tommaso da Celano |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Chronicler of the Franciscan Order |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1190 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Celano |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1260 |
| Place of death | Tagliacozzo |