Saint Attala
Encyclopedia
Saint Attala was a disciple of Saint Columbanus
and his successor as abbot of Bobbio Abbey
.
which had just been founded by Columbanus. When Columbanus was expelled from Luxeuil by King Theodoric II
, Attala was to succeed him as abbot, but preferred to follow him into exile. They settled on the banks of the river Trebbia
, a little northeast of Genoa
, where they together founded the celebrated Bobbio Abbey.
After the death of Saint Columbanus in 615, Attala succeeded him as abbot of Bobbio. He and his monks suffered many hardships at the hands of the Arian
King Arioald
. As Abbot, Attala insisted on strict discipline and when a large number of his monks rebelled, declaring his discipline too rigorous, he permitted them to leave the monastery. When, however, some of these monks perished miserably, the others, considering their deaths a punishment from God, returned to the monastery.
Attala was buried in Bobbio where his liturgical feast is celebrated on 10 March.
Columbanus
Columbanus was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries on the European continent from around 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil and Bobbio , and stands as an exemplar of Irish missionary activity in early medieval Europe.He spread among the...
and his successor as abbot of Bobbio Abbey
Bobbio Abbey
Bobbio Abbey is a monastery founded by Irish Saint Columbanus in 614, around which later grew up the town of Bobbio, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is dedicated to Saint Columbanus...
.
Biography
Attala first became a monk at the abbey of Lérins, but, displeased with the loose discipline prevailing there, he instead entered Luxeuil AbbeyLuxeuil Abbey
Luxeuil Abbey was one of the oldest and best-known monasteries in Burgundy, located in the "département" of Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, France.-Columbanus:...
which had just been founded by Columbanus. When Columbanus was expelled from Luxeuil by King Theodoric II
Theodoric II
Theodoric II was King of Visigoths from 453 to 466.Theoderic II, son of Theodoric I, obtained the throne by killing his elder brother Thorismund...
, Attala was to succeed him as abbot, but preferred to follow him into exile. They settled on the banks of the river Trebbia
Trebbia
The Trebbia is a river predominantly of Liguria and Emilia Romagna in northern Italy. It is one of the four main right-bank tributaries of the river Po, the other three being the Tanaro, the Secchia and the Panaro...
, a little northeast of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, where they together founded the celebrated Bobbio Abbey.
After the death of Saint Columbanus in 615, Attala succeeded him as abbot of Bobbio. He and his monks suffered many hardships at the hands of the Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
King Arioald
Arioald
Arioald was the Lombard king of Italy from 626 to 636. Duke of Turin, he married the princess Gundeberga, daughter of King Agilulf and his queen Theodelinda. He was, unlike his father-in-law, an Arian who did not accept Catholicism....
. As Abbot, Attala insisted on strict discipline and when a large number of his monks rebelled, declaring his discipline too rigorous, he permitted them to leave the monastery. When, however, some of these monks perished miserably, the others, considering their deaths a punishment from God, returned to the monastery.
Attala was buried in Bobbio where his liturgical feast is celebrated on 10 March.