Creativity and History in the Life of Saint Maurus
John B. Wickstrom
The Life of St. Maurus, the first disciple Benedict, tells story how young oblate was raised up in monastic life at Montecassino, and then sent to France where he established Benedictine monastery outside Italy, Glanfeuil on Loire. It purportedly written by a certain Faustus, companion Maurus journey. However, modern scholarship has judged work be forgery Odo, abbot mid-9th century. This article, attentive recent studies memory, argues that significant elements this vita were not fictional but constituted reconstructions communal memories traditions from monastery’s early history. article’s conclusions flow close reading Odo’s other Carolingian sources.
Revue Bénédictine