John of Vercelli (Giovanni da Vercelli) ( 1205 – 30 November 1283) was the sixth Master General of the Dominican Order (1264-1283).
Early life and education
John was born in 1205 to the Garbella family in Mosso Santa Maria in the Province of Biella, in the Piedmont region of Italy.Daniel Antonin Mortier, Histoire des Maîtres généraux de l' Ordre des Frères Prêcheurs II (Paris 1905), pp. 1-4: Né dans les premières années du XIIIe siècle,—la date précise reste incertaine... He did his initial studies in Paris (one could not graduate in the Arts before the age of 21, and only after a minimum of six years of study),P. Glorieux, "L’enseignement au moyen âge. Techniques et méthodes en usage à la Faculté de Théologie de Paris au XIIIe siècle," Archives d'Histoire Doctrinale et Littéraire du Moyen Âge 35 (1968) 54, 58. and then studied canon law in Paris,Stephanus Salanhacus (13th c.) states that he was Regent in Canon Law in Paris, quoted by J. Echard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum I (Paris 1719), p. 210: Sextus magister ordinis successor F. Humberti F. Joannes de Vercellis provinciae Lombardiae, qui rexerat Parisius in jure canonico.... At Paris the minimum age for a doctorate in Canon Law was thirty-five. Pavia, and VercelliThe studium generale was allegedly founded in 1228. Tommaso Vallauri, Storia delle università degli studi del Piemonte (Torino 1875), pp. 15-25. It is imagined, without specific sources, that John of Vercelli left Paris in 1229, as a result of a strike on the part of all of the professors: Mortier, p. 6 and n. 1. So too Perotta. Such an early date for his departure from Paris would be impossible if he were a Doctor in utroque iure. His study at Pavia and at Vercelli is conjecture and inference. Before adopting the unlikely idea of a university at Vercelli, consult William A. Hinnebusch, "The Dominican Order and Learning," History of the Dominican Order II, pp. 3-18, where S. Dominic's idea is explained—that each house of the Order should have a Doctor and a Lector for the education of the members. The ideal, occasionally realized, was that each convent would become a studium, if not a studium generale. before he joined the Dominican friars during the 1240s.Perrotta O.P., Paul C., "Patron of the Holy Name Society", National Association of the Holy Name Society
The Emperor Frederick II died on December 13, 1250. Pope Innocent IV's exile was over. He left Lyons on April 19, 1251, and arrived in his home town, Genoa, on May 18. From Genoa he began the difficult task of getting back the territories of the Catholic Church lost to the Emperor Frederick, and reconstructing the effective operation of the church hierarchy in northern and central Italy. One of his problems was the rise and flourishing of heresy in the Po Valley. On June 11, 1251, the pope issued instructions from Genoa to Vincentius of Milan and Joannes of Vercelli, to undertake the office of inquisitor, jointly or severally, in Venice and other parts of Lombardy.T. Ripoll, Bullarium Ordinis FF. Praedicatorum VII (Rome 1739), p. 25 no. 365; I (Rome 1729), pp. 192-193, no. 227. Potthast, Regesta pontificum Romanorum II, no. 14332. These were not the only inquisitors appointed. On the same day, and with the same form letter ("Misericors et Miserator"), the pope also appointed Peter of Verona and Vivianus of Bergamo to the same task in the area of Cremona and other cities of Lombardy. No doubt there were others, now unattested. The pope was also prepared to take on Frederick's sons Manfred and Enzo (Ezolino) of Sardinia, as he indicated in a letter to the Dominican Bishop of Treviso and the Prior of Mantua.Ripoll, Bullarium Ordinis FF. Praedicatorum I (Rome 1729), p. 193, no. 228 (June 16, 1251).
Umberto de Romans, the fifth Master General, elected in 1253, held the General Chapter in Buda, Hungary, on May 31, 1254.Daniel Anton Mortier, Histoire des maîtres généraux de l' Ordre des Frères Prêcheurs I (Paris 1903), pp. 430-433. At the conclusion of the meeting, he appointed John of Vercelli as the Master General's Vicar to Hungary.Mortier II, p. 12 n. 3, quoting Sebastian de Olmedo. Penone, p. 89. Later (1255-1257) he was appointed Prior of the Dominican monastery in Bologna.
Prior of Lombardy
In 1257, at the Provincial Chapter for Lombardy held at Novara, he was elected Prior Provincial of Lombardy. At that time the province contained thirty convents of the Order.In 1303, when the Province was divided in two, there were thirty-three convents. They are listed, according to a text of Bernardus Guidonis, in Jacobus Echard, Scriptores Ordinis Praedicatorum recensiti Tomus primus (Paris 1719), p. vii. During his administration three new convents were founded, at Turin, Chierialso claimed as a foundation of Saint Dominic himself, in 1220. and Tortona. He served as Prior of Lombardy for seven years.Daniel Antonin Mortier, Histoire des Maîtres généraux de l' Ordre des Frères Prêcheurs II (Paris 1905), p. 12-13. One of the major and continuing problems in his province was the rise and spread of heresy, especially Catharism. The inquisitorial machine was being constructed, as John's own service in Venice a few years earlier indicates. These new inquisitors were directing one question after another to Rome, and were overwhelming the Curia with their concerns. Alexander replied, urging them to act boldly and independently, against any manner or quality of person, but to continue to consult the Holy See in difficult cases.See the letter of Alexander IV, Ripoll I, p. 387 (January 10, 1260), to all the Inquisitors of Italy of the Dominican Order. Potthast II, no. 17745. A similar letter was sent to the Inquisitors of the Franciscan Order: A. Tommassetti (ed.), Bullarum, Diplomatum et Privilegiorum Sanctorum Romanorum Pontificum Taurensis editio Tomus III (Turin 1858), p. 669 no. LI-LII (January 20 and March 4, 1260). Mortier's interpretation (II, p. 17), that the letters to the Dominican Inquisitors shows that John of Vercelli was liberal or lax, is myopic and unlikely, considering the sum of the evidence. On March 23, 1262, the new pope, Urban IV, sent a mandate to John of Vercelli, authorizing him, in consultation with other discreet members of his Order, to appoint up to eight Dominican friars as inquisitors in the Province of Lombardy and the March of Genoa. He was also authorized to remove inquisitors from office who proved inadequate and to replace them; he could delegate this task to his vicar.Ripoll I, p. 419, no. 5. Potthast, II, 18256.
As Prior of Lombardy he was expected to see to the election of a delegate (diffinitor) to the annual General Chapter, and to preside over the Provincial Chapter in Lombardy. In 1258, the General Chapter was held at Toulouse, and the Provincial Chapter at Milan. He took part in the General Chapter at Valenciennes, on April 13, 1259, and held the Provincial Chapter in Bologna. In 1260 the General Chapter was in Strasbourg, and John presided over the provincial General Chapter, which was held at Ferrara. In 1261 the General Chapter was held at Barcelona, and the Provincial Chapter at Milan. In 1262, both meetings took place in Bologna. In 1263 the General Chapter was held in London, and the Provincial Chapter at Venice.Benedikt Maria Reichert (editor), Cronica ordinis praedicatorum ab anno 1170. usque ad 1333 Part 1 (Rome 1897), pp. 97-99 and p. 110.
Master General
On June 7, 1264, he was elected as Master General by the General Chapter, held in Paris, under the presidency of Pierre of Tarentaise, the future Pope Innocent V. John held the post of Master General until his death.Daniel Antonin Mortier, Histoire des Maîtres généraux de l' Ordre des Frères Prêcheurs II (Paris 1905), pp. 21-22. Butler's lives of the saints of Alban Butler, published in 2000 by Burns and Oates at Tunbridge Wells, Vol. 12 pp. 9–10 Known for his tireless energy and his commitment to simplicity, John made personal visits—typically on foot—to almost all the Dominican houses, urging his fellow friars to observe faithfully the Rule and Constitutions of the Order.
In 1267, an event of paramount importance for the Dominican Order took place in Bologna. Already in 1262, under the fifth Master General, the decision had been taken by the General Chapter to provide a more imposing resting place for their founder, Dominic Guzman, than his remains currently enjoyed. John of Vercelli and the members of the Order carried that plan to completion, providing a new shrine for Dominic's body in the apse of their church. Already on March 15, 1267, Pope Clement IV provided a bull, granting a series of indulgences for those visiting the shrine during the week centered on Dominic's feast day.Ripoll, Bullarium Ordinis FF. Praedicatorum I (Rome 1729), p. 483 no. LXII: cum tanti Patris et Doctoris vestry sepulcrum infra Ecclesiam vestram de Bononia in loco magis demisso in humili quam tam famoso thesauro conveniat, habeatur, reverenter et salubriter decrevistis ut pretiosum Corpus confessoris ejusdem in altiorem et digniorem locum ipsius ecclesiae transfereatur... On May 27, 1267, Pope Innocent sent his blessing with his best wishes for an agreeable assembly to the General Congregation which was about to meet.Ripoll, Bullarium Ordinis FF. Praedicatorum I (Rome 1729), p. 484 no. LXIV On June 5, 1267, the translation actually took place in a grand ceremony, with John and the delegates assembled for the General Chapter taking part, with the attendance of Archbishop Filippo of Ravenna, Bishop Ottaviano de' Ubaldinis of Bologna, Bishop Tommaso de' Ubaldinis of Imola, and other bishops. Before being placed in the shrine, the head and relics were shown publicly.Ripoll, Bullarium Ordinis FF. Praedicatorum I (Rome 1729), p. 483 n. 3, quoting Michael Plodius. Anita Fiderer Moskowitz, Nicola Pisano's Arca Di San Domenico and Its Legacy (University Park PA USA: Penn State Press, 1994), pp. 5-9. Barbara W. Dodsworth, The Arca Di San Domenico (New York: Lang, 1995), p. 31. Whether the idea for a new resting place for the saint's remains came from Master John, who had been Prior of the Dominican convent in Bologna, and then Prior of Lombardy, or from his predecessor Master Umberto is unknown.
John is known to have consulted Thomas Aquinas officially on several occasions on matters pertaining to theology and the teaching of Pierre de Tarantaise.Jean-Pierre Torrell (tr. Robert Royal), Saint Thomas Aquinas: the person and his work, Volume 1 revised edition (Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2005), pp. 167-169.
During his administration, Pope Gregory X entrusted the Dominican Order with the task of trying to establish peace among the warring States of the Italian peninsula. Additionally, John was also given the task of preparing a framework for the Second Council of Lyons, held in 1274 in an attempt to unify the Eastern and Western Churches. In the course of this work, he met and worked with the Minister General of the Friars Minor, Jerome of Ascoli (who would later become Pope Nicholas IV).A. Touron, Histoire des hommes illustres de l' Ordre de Saint Dominique Tome premier (Paris 1743), pp. 434-437. Both were later sent by the Holy See to negotiate a disagreement with King Philip III of France.
1276-1277—Five popes