Emerico di Quart
Encyclopedia
Éméric de Quart born in the latter part of the thirteenth century at the castle of Quart
in the Aosta Valley, was Bishop of Aosta from 1302 until his death on 1 September 1313.
He is more frequently named in ancient documents as Eymericus than Emericus or even Aimericus.
, Éméric, after having made theological studies, chose to live apart from his noble family in a contemplative and ascetic way. After some years, however, he decided to reach the regular canonics of the Cathedral in Aosta
. During this period Éméric was appreciated as a very worth and pious priest, a friend of poor people.
In October 1301 he was appointed new augustan bishop by all the canonics of Aosta including the ones of Saint Peter and Ursus capitol and in January 1302 he was consecrated bishop in Biella
by Aimo of Challant, bishop
of Vercelli
.
All his biographers agree about his worthy life, his attention to pour people, his humbility and devotion, but also his strongness in protecting the rights of the wick from the arrogance of the wealthier.
Éméric regularly convoked the Synod
of his diocesis (we better know the one of 1307), promoting the sainctity of the clergy and the laities with rigorous rules especially in items such as fastings and religious feasts. In 1311 he established the feast of the Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary as a day of obligation.
He died in 1 September 1313 in Aosta and was buried in the chapel of Aosta Cathedral dedicated to Holy Mary's Conception.
In particular it was a common point in all the ancient biographies that Éméric was a canon
in Saint Orso
collegiate; but the historian Pierre Aimé Frutaz noticed that no clergyman called Emericus was mentioned in documents relating to the Collegiate, on the contrary a prebendarius called Emericus figured in Cathedral's papers.
The most ancient sources are very short summaries about the date of his death and his pious donations contained in aostan necrologies. Then, almost suddenly,a picture appears in Aosta in 1498 showing Éméric as a blessed, invoked to cure many diseas.
The first complete biography of Éméric was written more than three hundred years after his death, approximately in 1650 by a notary named Jean Claude Mochet. A more historically correct biography was made in 1875 by bishop Joseph Auguste Duc (and another in 1908 in his monumental History of the Church in Aosta Valley) who was the same who collected almost all the ancient documents relating to Éméric' espiscopacy.
He is venerated as a Blessed
in the Catholic Church, his long-standing cultus having been confirmed by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.
Quart, Italy
Quart is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy....
in the Aosta Valley, was Bishop of Aosta from 1302 until his death on 1 September 1313.
He is more frequently named in ancient documents as Eymericus than Emericus or even Aimericus.
Life
Born in one of the most powerful families of Aosta Valley, the Lords of QuartQuart
The quart is a unit of volume equal to a quarter of a gallon, two pints, or four cups. Since gallons of various sizes have historically been in use, quarts of various sizes have also existed; see gallon for further discussion. Three of these kinds of quarts remain in current use, all approximately...
, Éméric, after having made theological studies, chose to live apart from his noble family in a contemplative and ascetic way. After some years, however, he decided to reach the regular canonics of the Cathedral in Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...
. During this period Éméric was appreciated as a very worth and pious priest, a friend of poor people.
In October 1301 he was appointed new augustan bishop by all the canonics of Aosta including the ones of Saint Peter and Ursus capitol and in January 1302 he was consecrated bishop in Biella
Biella
Biella is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with some 45,800 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 80 km west-northwest of Milan.It lies in the foothills of the Alps,...
by Aimo of Challant, bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Vercelli
Vercelli
Vercelli is a city and comune of about 47,000 inhabitants in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, around the year 600 BC.The city is situated on the river Sesia in the plain of the river...
.
All his biographers agree about his worthy life, his attention to pour people, his humbility and devotion, but also his strongness in protecting the rights of the wick from the arrogance of the wealthier.
Éméric regularly convoked the Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of his diocesis (we better know the one of 1307), promoting the sainctity of the clergy and the laities with rigorous rules especially in items such as fastings and religious feasts. In 1311 he established the feast of the Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary as a day of obligation.
He died in 1 September 1313 in Aosta and was buried in the chapel of Aosta Cathedral dedicated to Holy Mary's Conception.
Historical debate
Even if the majority of historians didn't pay particular attention about Éméric,some traditional convinctions about his life were challenged by more critical scholars.In particular it was a common point in all the ancient biographies that Éméric was a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
in Saint Orso
Sant'Orso
Sant'Orso, or Saint-Ours, is a collegiate church in Aosta, northern Italy dedicated to Saint Ursus of Aosta. The original church had a single hall, delimited by a semicircular apse. It was entirely rubuilt during the 9th century, during the Carolingian age. Later, bishop Anselm of Aosta further...
collegiate; but the historian Pierre Aimé Frutaz noticed that no clergyman called Emericus was mentioned in documents relating to the Collegiate, on the contrary a prebendarius called Emericus figured in Cathedral's papers.
Sources
We know very little about Éméric in particular about the period that precede his appointment as bishop and we don't have any text personally written by him.The most ancient sources are very short summaries about the date of his death and his pious donations contained in aostan necrologies. Then, almost suddenly,a picture appears in Aosta in 1498 showing Éméric as a blessed, invoked to cure many diseas.
The first complete biography of Éméric was written more than three hundred years after his death, approximately in 1650 by a notary named Jean Claude Mochet. A more historically correct biography was made in 1875 by bishop Joseph Auguste Duc (and another in 1908 in his monumental History of the Church in Aosta Valley) who was the same who collected almost all the ancient documents relating to Éméric' espiscopacy.
Worship
Emericus' worship seems to be very ancient: in fact we have a very significant proof of the veneration tributed to him in past times that is an illuminated picture dating 1498 where a Dominican friar is painted in act of veneration of Emericus having a halo.He is venerated as a Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
in the Catholic Church, his long-standing cultus having been confirmed by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.