PETER ORSEOLO, Saint. - Born around 928 into a noble Venetian family. He took part in the expedition of 978 against the Narentines who were infesting the shores of the Adriatic. After the doge Pietro Candiano IV was killed, in the Assembly held in the church of S. Pietro di Castello on 12 August 976, he was elected doge.

His brief rule was inspired by principles of tolerance and religiosity, but he was unable to prevent the rise of new conspiracies against the security of the homeland. When the agreements made with the Istrians, especially with Capodistria, were burned in the fire of the Ducal Palace, he renewed them and, without shedding blood, brought back to order those peoples who were disturbing Venetian commerce with piracy. He thus averted the dangers of war, restored to Gualdrada, the wife of his predecessor, the dowry that had been confiscated from her, restored the public treasury, re-established internal peace, founded hospitals for the poor sick, began the reconstruction of the basilica of S. Marco and instituted the procurators of S. Marco for the preservation of the temple.

Tired of the world and desirous of devoting himself more freely to the spiritual life, on the night of 3 September 978, with a few companions, among them Romuald, the founder of the Camaldolese Hermits, he secretly fled from Venice, withdrew to Gascony, became a monk, dedicating himself to a life of prayer and penance, until, in 987, he died in great repute of holiness. Clement XII approved his cult in 1731. Feast on 10 January.

Bibliography6 works

BIBL.: Vita, written by a monk of Cuxà, in J. Mabillon, Acta SS. Ord. S. Bened., V, 2nd ed., Venice 1743, pp. 851-60; Giov. Diacono, Chronicon Venetum, in Fonti d. Storia d'Italia, VIII, Rome 1790, p. 141 ff.; H. Tolra, St Pierre Orseolo, doge de Venise, Paris 1897; B. Schmid, Der hl. P. D., in Studien und Mittel. aus dem Bened. u. Cistere, - Orden, 22 (1901), pp. 71-113, 251-82; W. Franke, Romuald von Camaldoli, Berlin 1913; R. Cessi, Venezia ducale, Padua 1929, pp. 141 ff., 244 ff.

Innocenzo Giuliani

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Peter Orseolo, Saint

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