Catholic Italy, Its Institutions and Sanctuaries (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1860 Excerpt: ... feelings, their sense of the trascendant importance of eternal over transitory things; consequently, agreeing in a common object, they determined to abandon society, and journey to Grenoble, to place themselves under the protection of Hugo, the sainted Bishop of that diocese. The latter, it is said, had, about this time, seen in a dream a mansion built by divine hands in the midst of a wilderness, and it appeared that seven stars, interwoven like a crown, moved before bim as if to guide to that mysterious dwelling. Shortly afterwards the seven companions presented themselves prostrate before St. Hugo, whilst Bruno explained the motives of their journey and the resolve they had formed in common.--Such the more poetie and impressive version of the story; but the best attested is that Bruno was induced to quit the commerce of the world by disgust at the degenerate manners of the regular clergy, and in the indignant determination to protest, by the noblest eloquence, that of personal example, against the disorders of monastic communities--or else, that he was led to this resolution by his fear of being raised to the episcopal see of Rheims, after the deposition of the unworthy Prelate who had filled it, and whose vices Bruno had been among the most earnest in condemning. The miraculous legend, of significance so awful, has been rejected by highest authority, even at'Rome; originally inserted in the Breviary after the canonization of St. Bruno, it was struck out from the revised edition ordered by Urban VIIl(I) about a century later. (1) This legend, alter its rejection from the Breriary, became the subject of a singular controversy: a French Jesuit, Raynaud, wrote to defend it, but was answered by M. de Lannoy in a Latin treatise published 16M, showing that non...