ANSELM, Bishop of Lucca, Saint. - Nephew of the famous Anselm of Baggio, later Pope Alexander II. Born in 1036, died at Mantua on 10 March 1086. He was a canon of the cathedral of Milan and collaborated actively with his uncle in the work of reform of the Milanese Church, supporting the action of the Patarine party. And from his uncle, elevated to the pontificate, he received (8 Oct. 1073) the episcopate of Lucca. Having gone to Germany, he received investiture from Henry IV «per anulum et baculum», contrary to the principles that had been fiercely defended, against Henry IV himself, by Alexander II. For this reason, on returning to Rome, he was openly censured by the new pontiff Gregory VII, who nevertheless consecrated him bishop on 2 Oct. 1074. As legate in Germany for the question of investitures, he took part (1080) in the Council of Rome that condemned the antipope Guibert. He then attempted to introduce the principles of the reform into his diocese, but in vain; indeed, the partisans of Henry IV drove him out of Lucca. He found refuge with the Countess Matilda, who made him her own confessor and counsellor. Appointed apostolic vicar in Lombardy, he carried out a very notable political activity.
He was canonized by Victor III only a year after his death; feast on 18 March.
Among his writings we recall two books Contra Guibertum antipapam pro Gregorio VII (PL 149, 416-475); Collectanea ex variis auctoribus Ecclesiae facultates non esse in potestate regis aut caesaris (Bibliotheca patrum, 18, Lyon); four short works of meditation on the prayers, perhaps apocryphal: letters. But the work on which his fame chiefly rests is the one entitled Collectionis canonum libri XIII, not yet entirely published, despite the attempts already made over several centuries. The most recent initiative is that of the Academy of Berlin, through the work of M. F. Thaner (Innsbruck 1906 ff.).
Certainly composed in the second half of the 11th century, this celebrated collection also contains later documents, which can very well be explained by updatings by another hand. This does not critically prove that A. was merely its titular and not its true author. It is divided into 13 books and reports about 1200 canons from Roman law, from the acts of the Popes, from councils, etc., relating not only to law, but also to theology. It is important for the study of the sources of canon law, of theology, of apologetics and of the history of the Gregorian reform.