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DURANDUS


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DURANDUS


Marmoutier at the age of nineteen and devoted him- self especially to the study of diplomatics. In April, 1709, he joined his confrere Edmond Martene, who was making a literary tour through France with the pur- pose of collecting material for a new edition of "Gallia Christiana" (q. v.). After searching the archives of more than eight hundred abbeys and one hundred cathedral churches, they returned in 1713 to the mon- astery of St-Germain-des-Pr^s, laden with all kinds of valuable historical documents, many of which were included in "Gallia Christiana", while the others were published in a separate work, entitled "Thesaurus novus Anecdotorum" (5 vols, folio, Paris, 1717). In 1718 the two Maurists started on a new literary tour through Germany and the Netherlands to collect ma- terial for Bouquet's "Rerum Gallicarum et Franci- carum Scriptores". Besides collecting valuable ma- terial for Bouquet's work they gathered an immense mass of other historical documents which they pub- lished in a large work entitled "Veterum scriptorum et monumentorum historicorum, dogmaticorum et moralium amplissima collectio" (9 vols, fol., Paris, 1724-33). They also jointly published in French a learned account of their journeys: " Voyage litteraire de deux Religieux B^nedictins de la Congregation de St. Maur" (2 vols., Paris, 1717 and 1724). In ad- dition to the works which Durand published jointly with Martene, he also collaborated with Dantine and Clemencet in a French work on diplomatics, entitled "L'.Art de verifier les dates", continued Constant's "Collection of Papal Letters", assisted Sabatier with the edition of the "Itala", and contributed to many other Maurist publications. In 1734 he was banished from the monastery of St-Germain-des-Pres as a Jan- senist "Appellant", at the instance of Cardinal de Bissy. He was sent to the monastery of St-Eloi in Noyon. After two years he was permitted to repair to the monastery of Blancs-manteaux in Paris; where he spent the remainder of his life in literary pursuits.

Tassin, Histoire litteraire de la congregation de St-Maur (Brussels, 1770), 550-567; Berliere, Nouvcau supplement i I'histoirc litteraire de ta cong. de St- Mattr (Paris. 1908), I, 196- 7; Ger. tr. (Frankfort, 1774), II, 263 sqq.; Herbst in Theol. Quartalsehr. (Tubingen, 1S33), 239 sqq.; de L.ama. Bibl. des ecriv. de la cong. de St-Maur (Munich and Paris, 1882), 147 and 161. MiCHAEL Ott.

Durandus (Dur.\nti, Durantis), Williaji, can- onist and one of the most important medieval liturgi- cal writers; b. about 1237 at Puimisson in the Diocese of Beziers, Provence, d. at Rome, 1 Nov., 1296. He was called "Speculator" from the title of one of his works, "Speculum Judiciale". He studied law at Bologna under Bernard of Parma and then taught it at Modena. Clement IV (Guy Foulques, 1265-1268, also a Provencjal) summoned Durandus to Rome, or- dained him subdeacon, and gave him titular canonries at Beauvais and Chartres. He was then attached to the papal curia as AiuUior generalis causarum sacri palalii. He accompanied Gregory X (1271-1276) to the Second Council of Lyons (1274) and, as the pope's secretary, drew up its decrees. In 1279 he was made dean of Chartres, but did not reside there. At about the same time he went to Romagna as papal governor and succeeded in subduing a rebellion under Guy of Montefeltro. He destroyed Guy's fortress della Ripa and founded in its place the town of Urbania. In 1286 he was elected bishop by the chapter of Mende (Mimatum) in the province of Narbonne, but did not go into residence till 1291. Meanwhile his diocese was administered by his nephew, William Durandus the younger. In 1295 he was again in Italy (under Boniface VIII, 1294-1.303) as governor of Romagna and Ancona, where the Ghibellines were again in re- bellion. He refused the pope's offer to make him Archbishop of Ravenna, came to Rome, and died there. There is no reason to suppose that Durandus belonged to any religious order, though he has been


claimed by both the Dominicans and the Austin Canons. He is buried at Rome in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, where a long epitaph tells the story of hia life and gives a list of his works.

Of these works the most famous is the "Rationale divinorum officiorum" (first ed. by Fust and Schoef- fer at Mainz. 1459, and reprinted frequently, at Ulm by John Zainer, 1473; latest ed. at Naples, 1839). It was written in 1286. Its eight books contain a de- tailed account of the laws, ceremonies, customs, and mystical interpretation of the Roman Rite. Book I treats of the church, altar, pictures, bells, churchyard, etc.; II of the ministers; III of vestments; IV of the Mass; V of the canonical hours; VI of the Proprium Temporis; VII oi the Proprium Sanctorum; and VIII of the astronomical calendar, manner of finding Easter, Epacts, etc. Durandus's "Rationale" is the most complete medieval treatise of its kind; it is still the standard authority for the ritual of the thirteenth century and for the symbolism of rites and vestments. The -allegorical explanation of vestments, for instance, as signifying virtues or the garments worn by Christ in His Passion, is taken from its third book. Other works are "Speculum Legatorum", afterwards en- larged into "Speculum Judiciale" (four books), a treatise on the canonical rights of legates and the forms of canonical processes (first ed. at Strasburg in 1473; Frankfort, 1668); "Breviarium, sive Reper- torium juris canonici" (Rome, 1474), "Breviarium glossarum et text uum juris canonici" (Paris, 1519), both commentaries on the decretals, arranged in the same order; and "Commentarius in canones Concilii Lugdunensis II" (Fano, 1569, with a life of the author by Simon Majolus), a semi-official exposition of the canons of the Second Council of Lyons. Durandus's epitaph also mentions a "Pontificale", which is now lost. For works wrongly attributed to him see Schulte (op. cit. infra.), II, 155-156.

S.vRTi, De Claris archigymnasii Bononiensis prnfcssoribus a sa^c. XI. nsg. sac. XIV. (Bologna, 1769), 386, §99; Hurter, Norm-nelalor (Innsbrucli, 1899), IV, 352-356; Schulte, Gesch. dcr Quel. u. Lit. des can. Rechtes (Stuttgart, 1875), II, §35, pp. 144-156; Ra'ionel, ou Manuel aes divins offices, de Guillaume Durand, tr. by Bahthelemv (with an historical notice of the author), 5 volumes (Paris, 1854); Neale and Webb, The Sym- bolism of Churches and Church Ornaments, a tr. by Green of the first book of the Rationale divinorum officiorum (Leeds, IS-IS)- Adrian Fortescue.

Durandus, William, the Younger, d. 1328, can- onist, nephew of the famous ritualist and canonist of the same name (with whom he is often confounded). He was at first archdeacon of Mende, Languedoc, under his uncle and was appointed bishop of that see by Boniface VIII, in 1296, after the uncle's death. He was present at the Council of Vienne in 1311-1312. The pope (John XXII, 1316-1334) and the King of France (Charles IV, 1316-1328) sent him on an em- bassy to the Sultan Orkhan (1326-1360) at Brusa, to obtain more favourable conditions for the Latins in Syria. He died on the way back, in Cyprus (1328). He wrote, by command of Clement V (1305-1314), a work: "Tractatus de modo concilii generalis cele- brandi et de corruptehs in ecclesia reformandis", in three books. It is a treatise on the canonical process of summoning and holding general councils, gathered from approved sources with many quotations and il- lustrations from the Fathers and from church history, together with attacks on various abuses and corrup- tions that were common in the fourteenth century among ecclesiastical persons. The first edition was printed at Lyons in 1531, then again at Paris by Philip Probus, a canonist of Bourges, in 1545, and dedicated to Pope Paul III (1534-1549) as a help towards the Council of Trent. Other editions, Paris, 1671, etc.

Sartj, De Claris archigj/mna.^ii BononicTisis profcssoribus a sire. XI. usq. siTc. XIV. (Bologna, 1769). 395 seq.: Hurter, Nomenrlator (Innsbruck, 1899), IV, 432, note; Schulte, Gesch. dcr Quellcn und Lilt, des can. Rechtes (Stuttgart, 1875), II, §51, 195-196.

Adrian Fortbscub.