Ado (died 16 December 874) was a Frankish churchman and writer. He served as the archbishop of Vienne from 850 until his death and is venerated as a saint. His writings include

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...

and

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

Life

Ado belonged to a prominent noble family. He was sent while still a child for his education, first to Sigulf, abbot of Ferrières, and then to Marcward, abbot of Prüm. After the death of Marcward in 853, Ado went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

where he stayed for nearly five years, and then to

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, after which Remy,

archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (; ), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archbishops of Lyon are also called Primate o ...

, gave him the parish of Saint-Romain near Vienne. The following year he was elected archbishop of Vienne and dedicated in August or September 860, despite opposition from Girard,

Count of Paris Count of Paris () was a title for the local magnate of the district around Paris in Carolingian times. After Hugh Capet was elected King of the Franks in 987, the title merged into the crown and fell into disuse. However, it was later revived ...

, and his wife Bertha. Ado participated in the Council of Tousy, near

Toul Toul () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, Fra ...

in Lorraine, on 22 October 860, and held a in 870. After his death on 16 December 876, his body was buried in the Church of the Apostles in Vienne, now called St. Peter's Church, the usual place of burial of the archbishops of Vienne. His feast day is celebrated on 16 December. The Royal Library of Copenhagen preserves an unedited

martyrology A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...

which dates back to the 11th century and comes from the Abbey of Santa Maria, Serrateix, with information on Ado of Vienne, the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of th ...

and other abbots and monks of that time.

Works

Several of his letters are extant and reveal their writer as an energetic man of wide sympathies and considerable influence. Ado's principal works are a

, and a chronicle, ''Chronicon sive Breviarium chronicorum de sex mundi aetatibus de Adamo usque ad annum 869''. Ado's chronicle is based on that of

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

, with which he combines extracts from the ordinary sources, forming the whole into a consecutive narrative founded on the conception of the unity of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, which he traces in the succession of the emperors,

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

and his heirs following immediately after

Constantine VI Constantine VI (, 14 January 771 – before 805), sometimes called the Blind, was Byzantine emperor from 780 to 797. The only child of Emperor Leo IV, Constantine was named co-emperor with him at the age of five in 776 and succeeded him as sol ...

and Irene. "It is," says Wilhelm Wattenbach, "history from the point of view of authority and preconceived opinion, which exclude any independent judgment of events." Endnotes: * Wattenbach, W. ''Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen'', Vol. I. (Stuttgart and Berlin, 1904). Ado wrote also a book on the

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

s of Saint Bernard, archbishop of Vienne (9th century), published in the Bollandist ''

Acta Sanctorum ''Acta Sanctorum'' (''Acts of the Saints'') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, organised by the saints' feast days. The project was conceived and ...

''; a life or ''martyrium'' of Saint Desiderius, bishop of Vienne (d. 608); and a life of Saint Theuderius of Vienne, otherwise known as Theudericus of the Dauphinê, abbot of Saint-Chef near Vienne (563).Published in Mabillon, ''Acta Sanct.'' i, pp. 678-681, Migne, cxxiii, pp. 443-450, and revised in the Bollandist ''Acta Sanctorum'', 29 October, xii, pp. 840-843.

Notes

External links

Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ado Bishops in the Carolingian Empire 9th-century archbishops Archbishops of Vienne 874 deaths Year of birth unknown 9th-century writers in Latin Saints from the Carolingian Empire Historians from the Carolingian Empire 9th-century Lotharingian people