Review article
Aegidius of Viterbo
Juraj Batelja
; Zagrebačka nadbiskupija, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
Aegidius Antonini, in literature mainly referred to as Aegidius of Viterbo, was hermit priest of the Order of St. Augustine. He held the highest posts in his Order. He was bishop of Viterbo, title archbishop of Constantinople, and cardinal; in 1530, he was elected archbishop of Zadar. All of these facts represent a challenge to scientific research, especially on the occasions of the 500th anniversary of the opening of the Fifth Lateran Council – at which he, upon the order of Pope Julius II, held the introductory speech, and the 520th anniversary of Aegidius’s death; in particular so because he is considered to have been one of “the most intelligent and the most learned” archbishops of Zadar. A brief survey of Aegidius’s work leads us into the history of the Catholic Church – to the times when orders felt the need for inner spiritual rebirth (in which respect Aegidius took the initiative in the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine), and to the difficult period of the history of the Church, which made its inner spiritual rebirth a topic of the Fifth Lateran Council (1512–1517). Having been entrenched in the classic philosophical thought and deep in theology, Aegidius left a significant mark in the science of theology, which was, however, also present in his diplomatic activity, especially in mediating between the Pope and state leaders regarding the organisation of battles against the Turks. In his capacity as general, Aegidius endeavoured to protect the priests and monasteries of his Order in the Croatian territory. By examining the archives and studying the available literature, we have managed to get an insight into the details and specific features of Aegidius’s life and work. Due to incomplete documents regarding his early education in Istria and the election to the post of archbishop of Zadar, we do not dispose of all the data. However, it is clear that thanks to his election as archbishop of Zadar, the reputation of the Archdiocese of Zadar rose significantly.
Keywords
Aegidius Antonini; hermits of St. Augustine; Augustinians in Croatia; Fifth Lateran Council; battles against Turks; archbishop of Zadar
Hrčak ID:
112403
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2013.
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