UBALDO, Saint. - Restorer of canonical life and bishop of Gubbio, born there into a feudal family of Germanic origin between 1080 and 1085, died there on 16 May 1160.

Orphaned at a young age, he began his studies at the collegiate church of St. Secondo and continued them at Fano and again at Gubbio in the canonry of the Cathedral, whose regular life was in full decline; for this reason he asked to be allowed to return among the clergy of St. Secondo. Through the good offices of Bishop Giovanni of Lodi, U. re-entered the canonry of the Cathedral (1105), which he succeeded in reforming completely between 1120 and 1122: ordained a priest around 1114, by about 1117 he was already its prior; in 1119 he went to Ravenna to come to a full knowledge of the Rule of Porto, which he then introduced into his canonry. After the severe fire that in 1125 destroyed part of Gubbio, U., having spent a short time at Fonte Avellana, set about rebuilding the Cathedral, the canonry and a hospital. But while he was intent on this work of reconstruction, the Perugians chose him as their bishop: U. opposed this and, having come to Rome, asked Honorius II to exempt him. Having obtained the favor, he returned to Gubbio, but on the death of Bishop Stefano (late 1128-early 1129) he had to accept the bishopric of Gubbio, which he governed with firmness and gentleness for 31 years. His effective interventions are well known at the time of the struggle for the creation of the commune (1135-40), of the siege of the city by the eleven cities allied under the leadership of the Perugians (1153), and with Frederick Barbarossa, who was threatening Gubbio with the fate of Spoleto (Aug. 1155). He was buried in the Cathedral, of which he soon became co-titular; after his canonization by Celestine III (5 March 1192: Cenci, Codice diplomatico, cited in the bibliography, pp. 459-60), his body was transported to the church on Colle Ingino (11 Sept. 1194), where it is still venerated incorrupt. St. U. is invoked against unclean spirits and against hydrophobia. Whether St. U. is the eponym of the famous sanctuary (13th century) of Thann in Alsace under the name of St. Theobald is a very controversial matter (cf. Cenci, Vita di s. U., pp. 200-20, and Clauss: the BHL, 8028 lists a Vita in which St. U. is in fact called Theobald). The Vita of St. U. was written between 1162 and 1163 by Giordano, prior of the cathedral of Città di Castello, and by Theobald, successor of St. U. Feast on 16 May; the translation is commemorated on 11 Sept. For the festival of the Ceri v. GUBBIO.

UBALDO, saint - Donation of St. U. to the canonry of St. Mariano (1138) with the Saint's autograph signature. - Gubbio, Archivio dei Conti della Porta.
(from P. Cenci, in Archiv. per la Stor. eccl. dell'Umbria, 2 (1919), p. 253)

Bibliography7 works

BIBL.: Acta SS. Mait, III, Antwerp 1680, 628-53; P. Cenci, I ceri di Gubbio e la loro storia, 2nd ed., Città di Castello 1908; id., Cod. diplom. di Gubbio dal 900 al 1200, in Arch. per la stor. eccl. dell'Umbria, 2 (1915), see index, p. 528 (9 doc. as Prior, 11 as bishop, 8 with the title of saint before the canonization); id., Vita B. Ubaldi, scritta da Giordano di Città di Castello, ibid., 4 (1917-19), pp. 70-136; id., Vita di s. U. vescovo e Patrono di Gubbio, Gubbio 1924; J. M. B. Clauss, Die Heiligen des Elsass, Düsseldorf 1935, pp. 229-31; Martyr. Romanum, p. 191.

A. Pietro Frutaz

@incollection{ec12_ubaldo_santo, author = {Frutaz, Amato Pietro}, title = {Ubaldo, santo}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {658--659}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/ubaldo-santo} }

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Ubaldo, Saint

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