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Short Name: | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus |
Full Name: | Fortunatus, Venantius Honorius Clementianus, ca. 540-ca. 600 |
Birth Year: | 540 |
Death Year: | 600 |
Venantius Honorius Clematianus Fortunatus (b. Cenada, near Treviso, Italy, c. 530; d. Poitiers, France, 609) was educated at Ravenna and Milan and was converted to the Christian faith at an early age. Legend has it that while a student at Ravenna he contracted a disease of the eye and became nearly blind. But he was miraculously healed after anointing his eyes with oil from a lamp burning before the altar of St. Martin of Tours. In gratitude Fortunatus made a pilgrimage to that saint's shrine in Tours and spent the rest of his life in Gaul (France), at first traveling and composing love songs. He developed a platonic affection for Queen Rhadegonda, joined her Abbey of St. Croix in Poitiers, and became its bishop in 599. His Hymns far all the Festivals of the Christian Year is lost, but some of his best hymns on his favorite topic, the cross of Jesus, are still respected today, in part because of their erotic mysticism.
Bert Polman
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Fortunatus, Venantius Honorius Clementianus, was born at Ceneda, near Treviso, about 530. At an early age he was converted to Christianity at Aquileia. Whilst a student at Ravenna he became almost blind, and recovered his sight, as he believed miraculously, by anointing his eyes with some oil taken from a lamp that burned before the altar of St. Martin of Tours, in a church in that town. His recovery induced him to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Martin, at Tours, in 565, and that pilgrimage resulted in his spending the rest of his life in Gaul. At Poitiers he formed a romantic, though purely platonic, attachment for Queen Rhadegunda, the daughter of Bertharius, king of the Thuringians, and the wife, though separated from him, of Lothair I., or Clotaire, king of Neustria. The reader is referred for further particulars of this part of the life of Fortunatus to Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography, vol. ii. p. 552. It is sufficient to say here that under the influence of Rhadegunda, who at that time lived at Poitiers, where she had founded the convent of St. Croix, Fortunatus was ordained, and ultimately, after the death of Rhadegunda in 597, became bishop of Poitiers shortly before his own death in 609.
The writings, chiefly poetical, of Fortunatus, which are still extant, are very numerous and various in kind; including the liveliest Vers de Societé and the grandest hymns; while much that he is known to have written, including a volume of Hymns for all the Festivals of the Christian Year, is lost. Of what remains may be mentioned, The Life of St. Martin of Tours, his Patron Saint, in four books, containing 2245 hexameter lines. A complete list of his works will be found in the article mentioned above.
His contributions to hymnology must have been very considerable, as the name of his lost volume implies, but what remains to us of that character, as being certainly his work, does not comprise at most more than nine or ten compositions, and of some of these even his authorship is more than doubtful. His best known hymn is the famous "Vexilla Regis prodeunt," so familiar to us in our Church Hymnals in some English form or other, especially, perhaps, in Dr. Neale's translation, "The Royal Banners forward go." The next most important composition claimed for him is "Pange, lingua, gloriosi praelium certaminis," but there would seem to be little doubt according to Sirmond (Notis ad Epist. Sidon. Apollin. Lib. iii., Ep. 4), that it was more probably written by Claudianus Mamertus. Besides these, which are on the Passion, there are four hymns by Fortunatus for Christmas, one of which is given by Daniel, "Agnoscat omne saeculum," one for Lent, and one for Easter. Of "Lustra sex qui jam peregit," of which an imitation in English by Bishop. Mant, "See the destined day arise," is well-known, the authorship is by some attributed to Fortunatus, and by some to St. Ambrose.
The general character of the poetry of Venantius Fortunatus is by no means high, being distinguished neither for its classical, nor, with very rare exceptions, for its moral correctness. He represents the "last expiring effort of the Latin muse in Gaul," to retain something of the "old classical culture amid the advancing tide of barbarism." Whether we look at his style, or even his grammar and quantities, we find but too much that is open to criticism, whilst he often offends against good taste in the sentiments he enunciates. Occasionally, as we see in the "Vexilla Regis," he rises to a rugged grandeur in which he has few rivals, and some of his poems are by no means devoid of simplicity and pathos. But these are the exceptions and not the rule in his writings, and we know not how far he may have owed even these to the womanly instincts and gentler, purer influence of Rhadegunda. Thierry, in his Récits des Temps Mérovingiens, Récit 5, gives a lively sketch of Fortunatus, as in Archbishop Trench's words (Sacred Latin Poetry, 1874,p. 132), "A clever, frivolous, self-indulgent and vain character," an exaggerated character, probably, because one can hardly identify the author of "Vexilla Regis," in such a mere man of the world, or look at the writer of "Crux benedicta nitet, Dominus qua carne pependit" q.v., as being wholly devoid of the highest aspirations after things divine. A quarto edition of his Works was published in Rome in 1786. [Rev. Digby S. Wrangham, M.A.]
- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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Fortunatus, V. H. C., p. 384, i. The best edition of his poems is F. Leo's edition of his Opera Poetica, Berlin, 1881 (Monumenta Germaniae, vol. iv.).
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)
Texts by Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (73)![]() | As | Authority Languages | Instances |
---|---|---|---|
Abroad the regal banners fly | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | English | 5 |
All the fair beauty of earth (Composite translation) | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 12 |
All the fair beauty of earth (Lutheran Book of Worship) | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus (Author) | English | 7 |
As royal banners are unfurled | Venantius Fortunatus (530-609) (Author) | 3 | |
Behold, o man, behold the glorious wood | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 2 | |
Behold the royal cross on high | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 3 | |
Behold the royal ensigns fly | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 5 | |
Bright and in likeness of fire | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
Canta lengua el gran misterio | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus (Author) | Spanish | 3 |
Christ, who was nailed to the cross | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
Crux fidelis, inter omnes | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | 4 | |
El que murió en cruenta cruz | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus (Author) | Spanish | 5 |
Faithful cross, above all others | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus (540-600?) (Author) | 2 | |
Faithful cross, O tree all beauteous | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 3 | |
Forth comes the standard of the King | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 7 | |
Forth flames the standard of our King | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | 3 | |
Full thirty years were freely spent | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 2 | |
Hail, day of days, in peals of praise | Venantius Forunatus (Author) | English | 1 |
Hail! festal day, to endless ages known | Venantius Fortunatus, c. 530-609 (Author) | English | 11 |
Hallow we with praise the day | Venantius Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
He who was nailed to the cross | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | English | 5 |
Hoje nos lembramos da ressurreição | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | Portuguese | 2 |
La real bandera al frente va | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, h. 540-h. 600 (Author) | Spanish | 2 |
Lo, in the likeness of fire | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 3 |
Lo, the fair beauty of earth | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 16 |
Lo, the fair beauty of earth (New English Hymnal) | Venantius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | English | 5 |
Lo, the fair beauty of earth, from the death of the winter arising | Bishop Venantius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | English | 4 |
Lord Jesus! when we stand afar | A. Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
O come, Creator Spirit, come And make within our souls thy home | V. H. Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
O faithful cross, O noblest tree | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 5 | |
O glorious Maid, exalted far | Venantius Fortunatus, 530-600 (Author) | English | 3 |
O Mary, mother full of grace | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 2 | |
¡Oh cruz fiel y venerable! | Venantius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | Spanish | 3 |
¡Oh feliz mañana, Bienvendia sé! | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | Spanish | 2 |
Pange, lingua, gloriosi, proelium certaminis | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (c. 530-609) (Author) | Latin | 7 |
Praise the Savior Now and ever (Nelson) | V. H. C. Fortunatus, 530?-609 (Author) | English | 16 |
Praise the Savior, now and ever (Service Book and Hymnal) | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | English | 2 |
Rise from the grave now, O Lord | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
See how the grace of the world | Venantius Honorious Fortunatus, c. 530-609 (Author) | English | 3 |
See the destined day arise! | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 20 |
See, through his holy hands | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 4 | |
Sing, my tongue, how glorious battle | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 7 |
Sing, my tongue, the ageless story | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 3 | |
Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle, Sing the ending of the fray (Dearmer) | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus (Author) | English | 13 |
Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle, Sing the last the dread affray (Neale) | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | English | 42 |
Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle, Right has triumphed over wrong | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | English | 2 |
Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory, Tell His triumph far and wide | Venantius Honorius fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | English | 27 |
Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle, Waged in blood on Calvary | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
Sing, my tongue, the hymn of glory | Venantius Fortunatus, c.530-609 (Author) | 4 | |
Sing, my tongue, the song of triumph | Venantius Fortunatus, c.530-609 (Author) | English | 7 |
Sing, O my tongue, devoutly sing | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | 5 | |
Sing the battle sharp and glorious | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 1 |
Sing the cross, the conflict telling | Fortunatus (Author) | English | 1 |
Sing the song of triumph, of Savior crucified | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, ca. 530-609 (Author) | English | 2 |
So holy is this day of days | Venantius Clements Fortunatus (Author) | 2 | |
The blessed cross shines now to us where once the Savior bled | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | 2 | |
The flaming banners of our King | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | English | 5 |
The God whom earth and sea and sky | Fortunatus (Author (attributed to)) | English | 24 |
The Head that once was crowned with thorns | Venantius Fortunatus (Author) | English | 1 |
The Lord, whom earth and sea and sky | Venantius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | 2 | |
The royal banner floats on high | Fortunatus (Author) | English | 2 |
The royal banner is unfurled | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | English | 14 |
The royal banners forward fly | Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers (@530-569) (Author) | English | 2 |
The Royal Banners forward go | V. Fortunatus (Author) | English | 104 |
The royal standard forward goes | Fortunatus, d. 569 (Author) | English | 4 |
The thirsty years have all been passed | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | 2 | |
The Word whom earth and sea and sky | Venantius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author (attributed to)) | English | 1 |
Thirty years among us dwelling | Bishop Venantius Fortunatus, 530-609 (Author) | English | 5 |
This is the house of God, a place of peace and refreshing | Venantius Honorius Fortunatus, c.540-c.609 (Author) | English | 1 |
Upp, min tunga, att lofsjunga | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | Swedish | 7 |
Ved la belleza sin par | Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (Author) | Spanish | 3 |
Vexilla regis prodeunt | Venantius H. Fortunatus (Author) | Latin | 16 |
Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say | Venantius Fortunatus, c. 530-609 (Author) | English | 217 |