Geoffroy du Breuil of Vigeois was a 12th-century

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and ...

r, trained at the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey of Saint-Martial The Abbey of Saint Martial (french: Abbaye Saint-Martial, Limoges; Limousin: ''Abadiá de Sent Marçau de Limòtges'') was a monastery in Limoges, France, founded in 848 and dissolved in 1791. The buildings were razed at the beginning of the 19t ...

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

, the site of a great early library. Geoffroy became abbot at

Vigeois Vigeois (; oc, Visoas) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Vigeois station has rail connections to Brive-la-Gaillarde, Uzerche and Limoges. Population Notable residents *Henri Cueco, painter. See also *Communes of ...

(1170–1184) where he composed his ''Chroniques'' which trace in detail some great local families, often Geoffroy's forebears and kin, while relating events happening from 994 to 1184: the fiery convulsive sickness, (actually

ergotism Ergotism (pron. ) is the effect of long-term ergot poisoning, traditionally due to the ingestion of the alkaloids produced by the '' Claviceps purpurea'' fungus—from the Latin "club" or clavus "nail" and for "head", i.e. the purple club-he ...

from a fungus or

ergot Ergot ( ) or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus ''Claviceps''. The most prominent member of this group is '' Claviceps purpurea'' ("rye ergot fungus"). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that c ...

of wheat), the preparations for the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...

, reports of combats in the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, the spread of

Cathar Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

beliefs (writing in 1181, he was the first to use the term ''Albigensians''), all the while unconsciously revealing the preoccupations and manners of the times.

Bibliography

*Geoffrey of Vigeois. "Chronica Gaufredi coenobitae monasterii D. Martialis Lemovicensis, ac prioris Vosiensis coenobii." In: * ''La chronique de Geoffroi de Breuil, prieur de Vigeois'', éd. Pierre Botineau et Jean-Loup Lemaître, trad. Bernadette Barrière, mise en forme et annotations, Stéphane Lafaye, Jean-Marie Allard, Jean-François Boyer, Robert Chanaud, Catherine Faure, Luc Ferrand, Évelyne Proust, Christian Rémy et Étienne Rouziès, Paris, éditions de Boccard, 2021 (Société de l’Histoire de France).

External links

History of the Romanesque Abbey of Vigeois (French)His chronicle, in Latin, on Gallica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breuil, Geoffroy du French Benedictines French chroniclers French abbots 12th-century French historians 12th-century French Roman Catholic priests Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown French male writers 12th-century Latin writers