Vitas Patrum Emeritensium
Encyclopedia
The Vitas Patrum Emeritensium is an early Medieval
Latin
hagiographical
work written by an otherwise unknown Paul the Deacon of Mérida
. The work narrates the lives of the five bishops who held the see of Merida
in the second half of the 6th-century and the first half of the 7th-century, which were Paul, Fidelis, Masona
, Innocentius and Renovatius, with particular space being given to the life of Masona.
The date of composition is debated, but is generally thought to have been made in the 7th-century, even if scholars such as Francis Clark that it could be as late as the 9th-century. But this regards the bulk of the text and not the preface and the first three chapters that were added much later. First printed in 1633 in Madrid
, only half a dozen manuscripts survive plus some fragments.
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
hagiographical
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
work written by an otherwise unknown Paul the Deacon of Mérida
Merida
Places of the world named Mérida or Merida include:*Mérida, Spain, capital city of the Spanish Community of Extremadura*Mérida, Yucatán, capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán*Merida, Leyte, a municipality in Leyte province in the Philippines...
. The work narrates the lives of the five bishops who held the see of Merida
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz
The diocese of Badajoz was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Spain, created in 1255. In 1994 it became the Archdiocese of Mérida-Badajoz.-History:...
in the second half of the 6th-century and the first half of the 7th-century, which were Paul, Fidelis, Masona
Masona
Masona or Mausona was the Bishop of Mérida and metropolitan of the province of Lusitania from about 570 until his death...
, Innocentius and Renovatius, with particular space being given to the life of Masona.
The date of composition is debated, but is generally thought to have been made in the 7th-century, even if scholars such as Francis Clark that it could be as late as the 9th-century. But this regards the bulk of the text and not the preface and the first three chapters that were added much later. First printed in 1633 in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, only half a dozen manuscripts survive plus some fragments.