En savoir plus... Saint Odilon

Saint Odilo: biography

962: Birth of Odilo in a rich family of Auvergne, probably in the castle of Mercoeur, near Saint-cirgues, Haute-Loire.
990: He enters Cluny abbey.
993: He becomes coadjutor to Abbot Mayeul, before the end of his year of probation. (He is his auxiliary and has the right to succeed to him).
994: Death of Mayeul, Odilo becomes Vth Abbot of Cluny.
997: Odilo and William of Volpiano reform the Farfa abbey, in Sabina.
998: First Privilege of Examption (making the abbey independant from any diocese or bishop see: the only superior of the abbot is the Pope) accorded to Cluny by Pope Gregoire V.
999: Incorporation of Paray-le-Monial and Saint-Victor of Genova.
1000: Implantation of Cluny in the territory of the German empire.
1005: Donation of Bevaix to Cluny
1021: Council of Peace in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
1024: John XIX extends the privilege of 998 to "any clunisians, wherever they are"
1025: New extension of the Clunisian Exemption. Start of the conflict with the Bishop of Mâcon. Second conflict of Anse. Odilo founds the priories of Saint-Flour and Lavoûte-Chilhac.
1026: Introduction of the Clunisian Custom in Spain.
1027: Odilo is present at the coronation of Emperor Conrad II in Roma.
1030: Odilo makes writing the Clunisian Custom, and institutes the All Souls Day (November 2).
1031: Odilo declines the metropolitan see of Lyon.
1033: Biography of Mayeul by Odilo is complete.
1041: Council of Arles.
1047: Donation of the church of Carennac to Cluny. Odilo is responsible of the reformation of the Moissac abbey.
1049: Odilo died and is buried in Souvigny.

Odilo was born c. 962 in a noble family of Auvergne. He was first canon of Brioude, the most prestigious shrine of the area. Then Mayeul attracts him in cluny, and chooses him as coadjutor in 993. When Odilo was abbot, Cluny becomes powerful with its immunity, its Exemption Privilege and the liturgical customs and constitutes itself in an "ecclesia cluniacensis", a network of abbeys.

Probably in 1030, he established All Souls Day on 2 November and elaborates memory of the departeds' ideology, supported by the monk prayers.
During Mayeul and Odilo abbatiat, Cluny is established in Burgundy Auvergne, Provence and Italy. During Hughes of Semur abbatiat (1049-1109), the network extends in the Capetian estate (Saint-Martin-des-Champs in Paris), in England, German Empire and in Spain.

Abbot Odilo is also buried in Souvigny. A recent study has showed that Odilo's death was probably a choice and not a coincidence. Odilo wanted to die in Roma, as Mayeul would also like to, but according to his biographer Jotsald, he recuperate "contra spem" (against hope). Odilo comes back in Cluny in the late of May or at the beginning of June 1047, but he leaves again for a visiting tour of several monasteries, which leads him to Souvigny in the late 1048. He would die close to the relics of his predecessor.

Two narrations of his death are subsisting. The first one is a letter send by the monks of Souvigny to Albert, abbot of Saint-Denis. It is dated of June 1049, some month after the death of Odilo. It is a precise text, very realistic in its depictions of the abbot's agony who can only swallow wine and honey, in spite of the fact he brings up a big part, his difficulties to sing, his troubled behaviour. The second text, written by Jostald, was cut from all these details: it is destined to edify the faithful and to show what an abbot's death must be. In this version, Odilio pushes back the devil and sings better than ever. This must have been important in the propagation of Odilo's merits: Cluny has particular attitudes with the death, and the dead's memory is carefully preserved. A fortiori, the abbot's death must be a model.

Text originally from the exhibition book Des tombeaux, des reliques et des saints (2003).

Fouilles archéologiques : 2002 - 2007
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Bibliographie
En savoir plus

Traduction : Louis Fongarnand

Les 9 et 10 mai 2009 avait lieu l'ouverture de la première tranche des travaux de l'église avec l'inauguration de la restitution des tombeaux des saints abbés Mayeul et Odilon.

En savoir plus...

Statue de saint Odilon, église de Souvigny.


Saint Odilo: biography 962: Birth of Odilo in a rich family of Auvergne, probably in the castle of Mercoeur, near Saint-cirgues, Haute-Loire. 990: He enters Cluny abbey. 993: He becomes coadjutor to Abbot Mayeul, before the end of his year of probation. (He is his auxiliary and has the right to succeed to him). 994: Death of Mayeul, Odilo becomes Vth Abbot of Cluny. 997: Odilo and William of Volpiano reform the Farfa abbey, in Sabina. 998: First Privilege of Examption (making the abbey independant from any diocese or bishop see: the only superior of the abbot is the Pope) accorded to Cluny by Pope Gregoire V. 999: Incorporation of Paray-le-Monial and Saint-Victor of Genova. 1000: Implantation of Cluny in the territory of the German empire. 1005: Donation of Bevaix to Cluny 1021: Council of Peace in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs 1024: John XIX extends the privilege of 998 to "any clunisians, wherever they are" 1025: New extension of the Clunisian Exemption. Start of the conflict with the Bishop of Mâcon. Second conflict of Anse. Odilo founds the priories of Saint-Flour and Lavoûte-Chilhac. 1026: Introduction of the Clunisian Custom in Spain. 1027: Odilo is present at the coronation of Emperor Conrad II in Roma. 1030: Odilo makes writing the Clunisian Custom, and institutes the All Souls Day (November 2). 1031: Odilo declines the metropolitan see of Lyon. 1033: Biography of Mayeul by Odilo is complete. 1041: Council of Arles. 1047: Donation of the church of Carennac to Cluny. Odilo is responsible of the reformation of the Moissac abbey. 1049: Odilo died and is buried in Souvigny. Odilo was born c. 962 in a noble family of Auvergne. He was first canon of Brioude, the most prestigious shrine of the area. Then Mayeul attracts him in cluny, and chooses him as coadjutor in 993. When Odilo was abbot, Cluny becomes powerful with its immunity, its Exemption Privilege and the liturgical customs and constitutes itself in an "ecclesia cluniacensis", a network of abbeys. Probably in 1030, he established All Souls Day on 2 November and elaborates memory of the departeds' ideology, supported by the monk prayers. During Mayeul and Odilo abbatiat, Cluny is established in Burgundy Auvergne, Provence and Italy. During Hughes of Semur abbatiat (1049-1109), the network extends in the Capetian estate (Saint-Martin-des-Champs in Paris), in England, German Empire and in Spain.	Abbot Odilo is also buried in Souvigny. A recent study has showed that Odilo's death was probably a choice and not a coincidence. Odilo wanted to die in Roma, as Mayeul would also like to, but according to his biographer Jotsald, he recuperate "contra spem" (against hope). Odilo comes back in Cluny in the late of May or at the beginning of June 1047, but he leaves again for a visiting tour of several monasteries, which leads him to Souvigny in the late 1048. He would die close to the relics of his predecessor. Two narrations of his death are subsisting. The first one is a letter send by the monks of Souvigny to Albert, abbot of Saint-Denis. It is dated of June 1049, some month after the death of Odilo. It is a precise text, very realistic in its depictions of the abbot's agony who can only swallow wine and honey, in spite of the fact he brings up a big part, his difficulties to sing, his troubled behaviour. The second text, written by Jostald, was cut from all these details: it is destined to edify the faithful and to show what an abbot's death must be. In this version, Odilio pushes back the devil and sings better than ever. This must have been important in the propagation of Odilo's merits: Cluny has particular attitudes with the death, and the dead's memory is carefully preserved. A fortiori, the abbot's death must be a model. Text originally from the exhibition book Des tombeaux, des reliques et des saints (2003). Fouilles archéologiques : 2002 - 2007 En savoir plus Bibliographie En savoir plus Traduction : Louis Fongarnand

Les 9 et 10 mai 2009 avait lieu l'ouverture de la première tranche des travaux de l'église avec l'inauguration de la restitution des tombeaux des saints abbés Mayeul et Odilon. En savoir plus...


		Statue de saint Odilon, église de Souvigny.