VICTOR III, Pope, Blessed. - A Benedictine monk, from the Dafauri (Desiderio) family, he owed his election to the Norman prince Jordan of Capua (May 1086).

He was a man of letters, author of Dialogues, a skilled architect: qualities that did not much dispose him to govern the Church. From the very beginning he drew upon himself the animosity of the disciples of Gregory VII, who reproached him for his complaisance toward the emperor Henry IV, during the time when he was abbot of Montecassino. On the other hand, the partisans of Clement III ranged themselves among his adversaries. Consecrated late (9 May 1087), he was unable to enter Rome except under the protection of the countess Matilda. The troubles and the oppositions stirred up against him by his adversaries broke down his strength and caused his death (16 Sept. 1087). His cult was confirmed by Leo XIII on 23 Sept. 1887. Feast on 16 Sept.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: A. Fliche, Le pontificat de Victor III, in Rev. d'hist. ecclés., 20 (1924), pp. 387-412; id., La Réforme grégor., III, Paris 1937, pp. 195-324; A. Fliche - V. Martin, Hist. de l'Église, VIII, ibid. 1940, pp. 163-77.

Guglielmo Mollat

@incollection{ec12_vittore_iii_papa_beato, author = {Mollat, Guglielmo}, title = {Vittore III, papa, beato}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {1543}, 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/vittore-iii-papa-beato} }

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Victor III, Pope, Blessed

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