JOHN OF BICLARO. - Of Gothic parents, but Catholic, born ca. 540 at Scallabis in Lusitania. He was exiled from Barcelona by Leovigild for his religion. In 586 he founded the monastery of Biclaro-Valclara, near Tarragona (or rather, near Bejar, according to the conjectures of Menéndez Pidal?). Elected bishop of Girona in 590, he took part in various councils.

His Cronica, written around 590, is the immediate continuation of that of Victor Tunonensis, and covers the years 567-87. Its value lies in being based on actual eyewitness testimony to the events and on other reliable information. His impartiality is famous, admirable if one considers the conflicting interests of that milieu. He gives just value to the point of view of the Goths in Spain, coloring his Historia with a national tone. He also wrote, according to what Isidore of Seville asserts, a Regula for monks. He died around 621.

Bibliography

BIBL.: S. Isidoro da Siviglia, De vir. illustr., cap. 62: Th. Mommsen, Johannis abbatis Biclarensis Chronica, in MGH, Anctore antiquissimi, XI, Chronica minora, ed. Th. Mommsen (1898), pp. 207-20 and 166-77: A. Lambert, La famille de St Bradu et l'expansion de la Règle de Jean de Biclar, in Rivista Zurita, 1933, pp. 3-18: J. Morera, Juan Biclarense, confesar de la fe, fundador de Valtchara, historiador y obispo de Girona, in Homenaje a Rubio y Lluch, Barcellona 1936, pp. 59-84.

Giuseppe Mador

@incollection{ec6_giovanni_di_biclaro, author = {Madoz, Giuseppe}, title = {Giovanni di Biclaro}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {528--529}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/giovanni-di-biclaro} }

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John of Biclaro

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