Ursinus the Abbot (seventh century) was an

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of Saint-Martin at

Ligugé Ligugé () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. It is located on the River Clain, south of Poitiers. It is known for its historic monastery, Ligugé Abbey. Twin towns – sister cities Li ...

, and presumed biographer of Saint

Leodegar Leodegar of Poitiers (; ; 615 – October 2, 679 AD) was a martyred Burgundian Bishop of Autun. He was the son of Saint Sigrada and the brother of Saint Warinus. Leodegar was an opponent of Ebroin, the Frankish Mayor of the Palace of Neustria, ...

. He began his career as a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

in the monastery of Saint-Maixent at

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...

. Ursinus later became the abbot of the monastery of Saint-Martin, where he spent the rest of his days. During his tenure he built a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

, which became a place of honor to such a degree that in 782 it received the relics of sainted Leodegar. Ursinus also commissioned the monk Defensor to compile the

florilegium In medieval Latin, a ' (plural ') was a compilation of excerpts or sententia from other writings and is an offshoot of the commonplacing tradition. The word is from the Latin '' flos'' (flower) and '' legere'' (to gather): literally a gathering ...

'' Liber scintillarum'' from the

patristic Patristics, also known as Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings and teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st to 8th centuries CE. Scholars analyze texts from both orthodox and heretical authors. Patristics em ...

writings in the abbey's collection. An Ursinus wrote the ''Vita sancti Leodegarii''. Later authors tell this story: In 684, bishop Ansoald of Poitiers requested of the new abbot Andulf (684–96) that his monks provide him with a beatific Life of Bishop Leodegar of Autun, martyred three years prior at Sarcing in Artois; and Andulf delegated this task to Ursinus. This ''Life'' (or ''Passion'') does not survive, but historian Bruno Krusch claimed to have reconstructed it as the basis of several versions from the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

era. Historian Paul Fouracre initially questioned this account, but by 1996 he had accepted it.''Late Merovingian France. History and Hagiography 640-720'' Manchester, 1996 Ursinus's tombstone, in the

Latin language Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, reads:

Notes

Sources

*''Defensoris Liber Scintillarum'', ed. H. Rochais,

Corpus Christianorum The Corpus Christianorum (CC) is a major publishing undertaking of the Belgian publisher Brepols Publishers devoted to patristic and medieval Latin texts. The principal series are the ''Series Graeca'' (CCSG), ''Series Latina'' (CCSL), and the ' ...

Series Latina (Turnhout, 1954). {{Authority control French abbots 7th-century Christian abbots 7th-century Frankish writers 7th-century writers in Latin