Theodosius of Oria
 | This articlemay requirecopy editingfor grammar.(January 2024) |
Saint Theodosius of Oria | |
|---|---|
 Painting by Samuele Tatulli depicting the arrival inOstuniof the relics ofSaint Barsanuphius.The three characters in the foreground are (from left to right) the saint, Bishop Theodosius, and the personifieddiocese of Oria. | |
| Bishop of Brindisi and Oria | |
| Died | late 9th century |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Majorshrine | Oria |
| Feast | August 30 |
| Patronage | Oria |
Theodosius of Oria(Italian:Teodosio di Oria) was a 9th-centurybishopandpapal legate.He is venerated as a saint by theCatholic Churchon August 30.
Biography
[edit]Theodosius is thought to have been educated inOriaby Eastern hermits and monks and may have been a young courtier at the Imperial Court ofConstantinople.It has been suggested that he was Roman or Neapolitan due to his name.[1]Oria was at the time an important stronghold of theByzantine Empire,as it protected thehinterlandofOtranto,which was the only Byzantine port in Italy at that time.[2]Due to its relative security, thebishopric of Brindisiwas moved to Oria around the Arab conquest of Brindisi in 838.[1]Though the town of Oria was under Byzantine rule, the bishopric followed theLatin rite.
At some point, Theodosius became bishop of Brindisi and Oria, possibly appointed by the pope after the end of the Muslim occupation.[1]Theodosius acted as a mediator in the conflicts between the Byzantines and theLombardsand between the Eastern and Western churches. He was sent in 884 asapocrisiariusbyPope Hadrian IIIto Constantinople to convey a synodal letter topatriarch Photiusabout faith and thefilioque.Theodosius seems to have come back while Hadrian was still alive, with many riches and likely a communication from emperorBasil I,for which he was thanked byPope Stephen V.[3][4]As a reward, he received some relics ofChrysanthus and Dariafor whom he erected a church that might have been the predecessor of the currentcathedral.[1]
In 887, he convened a localsynodin which he reminded, among other things, his priests to remain celibate, possibly in contrast to the Greek priests in neighboring regions.[5]The acts of the synod show, in general, that the local clergy remained Latin and Roman.[4]
Around the same time, he deposited the relics ofSt Barsanuphius,a Gazan hermit, in a chapel he built close to theporta Hebraica.There is a didactic inscription in the crypt of the church ofSan Francesco da Paolathat mentions the event, which was later built on top of the chapel.[6]
His pastoral and building activity were not only concentrated in Oria; he was also successful in obtaining the relics of SaintLeucius of Brindisi,the founder of the diocese of Brindisi, back fromBeneventoas a gift from its bishop. Theodosius built abasilicadedicated to the relics of these saints, which was located above the originalmartyrium.The basilica was demolished in the 18th century.[1]
Chronicle of Ahimaaz
[edit]Ahimaaz ben Paltielwrote in theChronicle of Ahimaazthat Theodosius wagered one of his ancestors about when the new moon would appear and claimed that although Theodosius had calculated the date correctly, God intervened to have Ahimaaz's ancestor win.[6]
Veneration
[edit]Theodosius was considered a patron of his city for his diplomatic and building activity, and his deeds were perpetuated in local history and tradition, similar to other bishops at the time such asDonatus of Zadar.[1]Theodosius is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church on August 30.[7]
References
[edit]- ^abcdefPreradovic´, Dubraka (2021). "Donato di Zara, Teodosio di Oria ele traslazioni delle reliquie nelle città bizantine dell'Adriaticonel IX secolo".Bisanzio sulle due sponde del Canale d'Otranto[Byzantium on both banks of the Otranto Canal]. Spoleto: Fondazione Centro italiano di studi sull'alto Medioevo. pp. 100–111.ISBN978-88-6809-355-6.Retrieved20 January2024.
- ^Vera von Falkenhausen(14 October 2011). "The Jews in Byzantine Southern Italy". In Stroumsa, Guy G.; Irshai, Oded; Talgam, Rina; Bonfil, Robert (eds.).Jews in Byzantium: Dialectics of Minority and Majority Cultures.BRILL. pp. 283–284.ISBN978-90-04-21644-0.Retrieved20 January2024.
- ^McCormick, Michael (2001).Origins of the European Economy: Communications and Commerce AD 300-900.Cambridge University Press. p. 959.ISBN978-0-521-66102-7.Retrieved20 January2024.
- ^abDvornik, Francis (1948).The Photian Schism.CUP Archive. pp. 228–230.Retrieved20 January2024.
- ^Vera von Falkenhausen(1 February 2021). "Greek and Latin in Byzantine Italy". In Cosentino, Salvatore (ed.).A Companion to Byzantine Italy.BRILL. p. 561.ISBN978-90-04-30770-4.Retrieved20 January2024.
- ^abSafran, Linda (18 April 2014).The Medieval Salento: Art and Identity in Southern Italy.University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 162, 182, 295.ISBN978-0-8122-4554-7.Retrieved20 January2024.
- ^Nicolella, Damiano."San Teodosio di Oria".Santiebeati.it.Retrieved20 January2024.