Oveco (Bishop of Oviedo)
Encyclopedia
Oveco was the Bishop of Oviedo from 913/4, whose episcopate lasted almost half a century. Despite his longevity he is a relatively obscure figure. His origins lie in the same landed and wealthy aristocratic family as those of the Count Piniolo (Piñolo) who founded the monastery of San Juan Bautista de Corias
. While the city of Oviedo
and its diocese were overshadowed at the time of Oveco's election, at the height of his career, during the turbulent reign of Ramiro II
, he was the senior bishop of the realm and his city was labelled the sedem regum ("seat of kings").
there were two Ovecos who were bishops of Oviedo between 913 and 961. These years in the history of the diocese of Oviedo are extremely obscure and must be reconstructed primarily from documentary evidence extracted with care from amongst the forgeries of Bishop Pelagius
. Posada partitioned the documentary references to Oveco into an Oveco I (until 920, when he died according to Risco) and an Oveco II (926–61). Part of the confusion is due the probable presence in Oviedo since at the latest 899 of an auxiliary bishop
named Hermenegild and counted by Posada as Bishop Hermenegild II (915–22) based on a document of 921. Posada also placed a certain Flacinus II in 923–25.
Though Oveco signed a document of 27 June 912 as Oveco Ovetensis sedis episcopus ("Oveco, bishop of the see of Oviedo"), his predecessor, Flacinus
, was still bishop in October that year and it is probable that the copyist of the document dated it early by a year. Oveco appears in several charter
s of Ordoño II that are clearly dated incorrectly, but the authenticity of these (in spite of their dating clauses) is not established. A charter of 1 December 914 conserved in the Cathedral of Mondoñedo is the earliest attestation of Oveco as bishop with a certain date. On 29 January 915 Oveco attended a council of bishops held in Zamora
. The council discussed the refoundation of the dioceses of Tuy and Lamego and the return of certain properties which had been held by the other bishops for sustenance during the period when their cities were under the control of the Emirate of Córdoba but which in fact pertained to the Diocese of Iria Flavia.
, and their brother, the infante Gonzalo, a younger son of Alfonso III who had entered the church and was an archdeacon under Oveco at Oviedo. In a royal charter of 1 August 922 Oveco is listed first among the bishops, probably by then the senior member of the Asturian episcopate. When Ordoño was succeeded by his brother Fruela, who had already been ruling Asturias, in 924 the royal court was moved from León back to Oviedo. In a royal charter of 17 September 924 Oveco calls himself sedis Regis Ovetensis ("of the royal see of Oviedo"). In a later diploma of that same year Oveco goes further and calls himself Obecco Dei gratia eps ("Oveco, by the grace of God bishop") for the first time.
Towards the end of 927 a church council was held under the joint presidency of Alfonso IV
, son of Ordoño II and successor of Fruela II, and his elder brother Sancho
, then ruling Galicia
, to address the disorganisation of the monastery of Santa María de Loyo. Oveco is listed second among the assembled at the end of the minutes (dated 23 December). He is recorded as Sancti Saluatoris ouetensis eps (bishop of San Salvador de Oviedo). The record of Oveco in subsequent years is complicated by the fact that León also had at that time a bishop named Oveco (928–50). In many cases it is impossible to determine to which "Bishop Oveco" a given charter refers. In 933 both Ovecos, of Oviedo and León, signed documents of Ramiro II and his queen, Urraca Sánchez. During Ramiro's reign Oveco of Oviedo usually signed first among bishops.
On 13 September 936, Froila Gutiérrez and his wife donated a parcel of land to his brother Rudesind
for the construction of a monastery, later known as Celanova. A bishop Oveco witnessed the donation, but whether the bishop of Oviedo or León is unknown. The bishop of Oviedo later witnessed a donation of Ilduara, Rudesind's mother, to Celanova on 27 February 938. Oveco's star continued to rise under Ramiro II. On 26 September 942 Rudesind named a certain Frankila abbot of Celanova and donated numerous goods to the monastery. This donation was undersigned by the king first, Rudesind second, and Oveco third, who is qualified as gerens pastorali cura Ouetencis ecclesia et regia sedem ("bearing pastoral care of the royal see and church of Oviedo"). The dating clause refers to the year as anno feliciter decimo in sedem regum Ouetho ("happily the tenth year [of Ramiro's reign] in the royal seat of Oviedo"), indicating the high place of Oviedo in the kingdom under Ramiro II. Despite this, the capital was still León, where Oveco confirmed a charter of Ramiro's on 25 May 948, the last date he appears in a document of this king.
places his death in 962, though Antonio Palomeque Torres believes that 957 or 958 was more likely.
San Juan Bautista de Corias
San Juan Bautista de Corias is a former Benedictine monastery in Corias on the right bank of the Narcea dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was founded in 1032 on his own land by Count Piñolo Jiménez and his wife Aldonza Muñoz, wealthy Leonese aristocrats...
. While the city of Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
and its diocese were overshadowed at the time of Oveco's election, at the height of his career, during the turbulent reign of Ramiro II
Ramiro II of León
Ramiro II , son of Ordoño II, was King of León from 931 until his death. Initially titular king only of a lesser part of Asturias, he gained the crown of León after his brother Alfonso IV abdicated in 931...
, he was the senior bishop of the realm and his city was labelled the sedem regum ("seat of kings").
Early episcopate ("Oveco I")
According to a theory advanced by Carlos González de Posada (1745–1831) and Manuel RiscoManuel Risco
Juan Manuel Martínez Ugarte , known as Manuel Risco or Padre Risco, was a Spanish historian. Born at Haro, he took the Augustinian habit at the Convento de Nuestra Señora del Risco in the Diocese of Ávila...
there were two Ovecos who were bishops of Oviedo between 913 and 961. These years in the history of the diocese of Oviedo are extremely obscure and must be reconstructed primarily from documentary evidence extracted with care from amongst the forgeries of Bishop Pelagius
Pelagius of Oviedo
Pelagius of Oviedo was a medieval ecclesiastic, historian, and forger who served the Diocese of Oviedo as an auxiliary bishop from 1098 and as bishop from 1102 until his deposition in 1130 and again from 1142 to 1143. He was an active and independent-minded prelate, who zealously defended the...
. Posada partitioned the documentary references to Oveco into an Oveco I (until 920, when he died according to Risco) and an Oveco II (926–61). Part of the confusion is due the probable presence in Oviedo since at the latest 899 of an auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
named Hermenegild and counted by Posada as Bishop Hermenegild II (915–22) based on a document of 921. Posada also placed a certain Flacinus II in 923–25.
Though Oveco signed a document of 27 June 912 as Oveco Ovetensis sedis episcopus ("Oveco, bishop of the see of Oviedo"), his predecessor, Flacinus
Flacinus
Flacinus, Flacino, or Flagino was the Bishop of Oviedo between 909 and 912, possibly from as early as 907 until as late as 914. His predecessor was Gomelo II and he first appears in a document of the latter's episcopate, on 20 January 905, signing as both a presbyter and a primicerius...
, was still bishop in October that year and it is probable that the copyist of the document dated it early by a year. Oveco appears in several charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
s of Ordoño II that are clearly dated incorrectly, but the authenticity of these (in spite of their dating clauses) is not established. A charter of 1 December 914 conserved in the Cathedral of Mondoñedo is the earliest attestation of Oveco as bishop with a certain date. On 29 January 915 Oveco attended a council of bishops held in Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
. The council discussed the refoundation of the dioceses of Tuy and Lamego and the return of certain properties which had been held by the other bishops for sustenance during the period when their cities were under the control of the Emirate of Córdoba but which in fact pertained to the Diocese of Iria Flavia.
Senior bishop of the realm (922–951)
Oveco witnessed several charters of Ordoño II during the years 916 and 917, some of them of dubious authenticity. One such, a charter relating to the dedication of a church in León and Ordoño's coronation there (9 January 916), has raised questions because of the lapse in time between Ordoño's succession (914) and his supposed coronation. While Oveco does not appear in any royal charters of 918 or 919, his importance is illustrated by his place among the signatories of Ordoño's concessions to Santos Cosme y Damián dated 12 April 920. He signs immediately after Ordoño, his brother Fruela IIFruela II of León
Fruela II was the King of Asturias from the death of his father, Alfonso III of Asturias, in 910 to his own death. When his father died, the kingdom was divided, with the third son, Fruela, taking the original portion ; the second, Ordoño, taking Galicia; and the eldest, García, taking León...
, and their brother, the infante Gonzalo, a younger son of Alfonso III who had entered the church and was an archdeacon under Oveco at Oviedo. In a royal charter of 1 August 922 Oveco is listed first among the bishops, probably by then the senior member of the Asturian episcopate. When Ordoño was succeeded by his brother Fruela, who had already been ruling Asturias, in 924 the royal court was moved from León back to Oviedo. In a royal charter of 17 September 924 Oveco calls himself sedis Regis Ovetensis ("of the royal see of Oviedo"). In a later diploma of that same year Oveco goes further and calls himself Obecco Dei gratia eps ("Oveco, by the grace of God bishop") for the first time.
Towards the end of 927 a church council was held under the joint presidency of Alfonso IV
Alfonso IV of León
Alfonso IV , called the Monk, was King of León from 925 and King of Galicia from 929, until he abdicated in 931....
, son of Ordoño II and successor of Fruela II, and his elder brother Sancho
Sancho I Ordóñez
Sancho I Ordóñez was king of Galicia from 926 and until his death, in 929. He was the eldest son of king Ordoño II, and as his father did before him, he acquired the rights to Galicia when he and his brothers divided the kingdom among themselves....
, then ruling Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Suebic king Hermeric in the year 409, the Galician capital was established in Braga, being the first kingdom which...
, to address the disorganisation of the monastery of Santa María de Loyo. Oveco is listed second among the assembled at the end of the minutes (dated 23 December). He is recorded as Sancti Saluatoris ouetensis eps (bishop of San Salvador de Oviedo). The record of Oveco in subsequent years is complicated by the fact that León also had at that time a bishop named Oveco (928–50). In many cases it is impossible to determine to which "Bishop Oveco" a given charter refers. In 933 both Ovecos, of Oviedo and León, signed documents of Ramiro II and his queen, Urraca Sánchez. During Ramiro's reign Oveco of Oviedo usually signed first among bishops.
On 13 September 936, Froila Gutiérrez and his wife donated a parcel of land to his brother Rudesind
Rudesind
Saint Rudesind was a Galician bishop and abbot. He was born into the nobility; his father was Count Gutierre Menéndez , brother-in-law to Ordoño II and supporter of Alfonso III of León, and his mother was St. Ilduaria Eriz . Rudesind was related to the abbess Saint Senorina...
for the construction of a monastery, later known as Celanova. A bishop Oveco witnessed the donation, but whether the bishop of Oviedo or León is unknown. The bishop of Oviedo later witnessed a donation of Ilduara, Rudesind's mother, to Celanova on 27 February 938. Oveco's star continued to rise under Ramiro II. On 26 September 942 Rudesind named a certain Frankila abbot of Celanova and donated numerous goods to the monastery. This donation was undersigned by the king first, Rudesind second, and Oveco third, who is qualified as gerens pastorali cura Ouetencis ecclesia et regia sedem ("bearing pastoral care of the royal see and church of Oviedo"). The dating clause refers to the year as anno feliciter decimo in sedem regum Ouetho ("happily the tenth year [of Ramiro's reign] in the royal seat of Oviedo"), indicating the high place of Oviedo in the kingdom under Ramiro II. Despite this, the capital was still León, where Oveco confirmed a charter of Ramiro's on 25 May 948, the last date he appears in a document of this king.
Declining health and death
In 951 Oveco appears in two charters of Ordoño III, Ramiro's successor. After that he only appears twice in the documents (in 953 and 957), perhaps due to advanced age, though he may have ruled his see for a decade more. The Spanish historian Manuel RiscoManuel Risco
Juan Manuel Martínez Ugarte , known as Manuel Risco or Padre Risco, was a Spanish historian. Born at Haro, he took the Augustinian habit at the Convento de Nuestra Señora del Risco in the Diocese of Ávila...
places his death in 962, though Antonio Palomeque Torres believes that 957 or 958 was more likely.