MAIOLO, Saint. - Abbot of Cluny, b. at Valensolle or at Avignon ca. 906, d. at Souvigny on 11 May 994. He governed the abbey for 40 years, from 954 to 994. He too was a tireless traveler, like the founder of the same abbey, St. Odo, and he extended Cluniac influence even further, at the invitation of princes and bishops, in the Kingdoms of France and Burgundy, in the Duchy of Normandy, in Italy, and in the territories of the Empire.

Hugh Capet and Robert the Pious took an interest in the reform of the monasteries of Marmoutier, St-Maur-des-Fossés, and Corméry; Richard of Normandy invited him in 990 to reform Fécamp. M. introduced the customs of Cluny at Ravenna and at Pavia, where the monastery was later dedicated to him, and renewed monastic life in the Roman convents. Otto the Great and Otto II were less receptive to his influence; the latter in fact was the subject of some ominous predictions by the holy abbot. During his lifetime the internal organization of the Order became ever more clearly defined.

Bibliography6 works

BIBL.: Vita, written by the monk Syrus, in PL 137, coll. 746-78 (cf. also coll. 710-44), and by his successor St. Odilo, PL 142, coll. 943-53; A. Bruel, Recueil des chartes de l'abbaye de Cluny, I, Paris 1876; L. J. Ogerdias, Histoire de St Mayeul, Moulins 1877; E. Sackar, Die Cluniacenser in ihrer kirchlichen und allgemeingeschichtl. Wirksamkeit bis zur Mitte des 11. Jahrhunderts, 2 vols., Halle 1892-94; L. Smith, The early history of the monastery of Cluny, Oxford 1920; G. de Valous, Le monachisme clumisien des origines au XVᵉ siècle, Paris 1935.

Guglielmo Mollat

@incollection{ec7_maiolo_santo, author = {Mollat, Guglielmo}, title = {Maiolo, santo}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VII}, pages = {1867--1868}, 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/maiolo-santo} }

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Maiolo, Saint

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