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 SALEM

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SALERNO

three of whom afterwards returned to their former Diocese of Melbourne. There are now (1911) 9 parishes, 18 priests, 47 churches or chapels, and 10 schools with S30 pupils. The Catholic population is 13,521, and there are 61 sisters of Notre Dame de Sion.

MoRAN, Hist, of Cath. Church in Australia (Sydnej-, s. d.) ; B.*.TT.\.XDIER, Annuaire Pont. (1911).

Blanche M. Kelly.

Salem (Salmansweiler), also called Salomonis Villa on account of the resemblance of its primitive buildings to Solomon's Temple, an abbey situated near the Castle of Heiligenberg, about ten miles from Constance, Baden (Germany). The abbey was founded by Gunthram of Adelsreute (d. 1138) in 1136 during the reign of Pope Innocent II and Emperor Lothair II. Gunthram also gave the Abbot of Lucelle the necessary lands for the first Cistercian monastery in Alsace, the latter being a foundation of Bellevaux, first daughter of Morimond. Blessed Frowin, for- merly the travelling companion and interpreter of St. Bernard, became its first abbot. He had been pro- fessed at Bellevaux, and was of the colony sent to found Lucelle; hence have arisen misunderstandings, some maintaining, erroneously, that Salem was founded from Bellevaux.

Under the wise and prudent administration of Blessed Fro^-in and his successors, the abbey soon became very prosperous. Extensive and magnificent buildings, erected in three squares, and a splendid church were constructed between 1182 and 1311. Salem was noted as the richest and most beautiful monastery in Germany, being particularly renowned for its hospitahty. Amongst its greatest benefactors and patrons were Conrad of Swabia and Frederick Barbarossa. The former placed the abbey under the special protection of himself and his successors — hence the title of "Royal Abbey " which was renewed several times under Barbarossa and his successors; Innocent II also took the abbey under his particular patronage. Its growth was continuous, and even after having made three important foundations — Raitenhaslach (1143), Maristella or Wettingen (1227), and Konigsbrunn (1288) — it numbered 285 monks at the beginning of the fourteenth century. Its abbot, from 1454 on, was privileged to confer subdeaconship on his monks. The abbey gradually declined, though it numbered forty-nine priests and thirteen other choir religious in 1698, when Abbot D. Stephen (d. 1725) became Vicar-General of the Cistercian Congregation of Upper Germany. Caspar Oexle, who, as librarian, had increased the library to 30,000 volumes and a great number of MSS., was elected abbot in March, 1802; in September of the same year the abbey was suppressed and given to the Princes of Baden, while the library was added to that of Petershausen, and finally .sold to the University of Heidelberg. The church became a parish church; the grand tower with its fifteen bells, the largest weighing 10,000 lbs., was destroyed (1805), and the other buildings were used as the grand duke's castle. Eberhard, its fifth abbot, is honoured as a Iiles,sed of the order. He was ma*le Archbishop of Salzburg, and entrusted with variou.s important missions by the Holy See. Blessed Henry, a lay brother, is also mentioned in the Cis- tercian menology.

Vo.N- Wke<,h, Codex diplomaiiciu Mkmitanus (3 vols., Carls- ruhe, 1883-0.5); Petri, Huetia ecdet. (AuKHburK, 1698); Bucb- UNUB, AquiUi imperii benrjlictina (Vonice, 16.51); Oallia christ., V; Iden chron't-topo-graphioi f'ono. Cinl. S. Bernnrdi per Supe- rif/rem C'rrmaniam fl720); Hauntinoer, SUddeulache KUinter tor I(Xj J'lhren (CrAonw., IHM)); KaRTORIus, Cimercium hia- lertium ^'raKue. 17Wj; Hrunnbr, Bin C inter ziennerbuch (WUrz- burg, 1881); BOttcher, Germania mrra (Ix;ipzig, 1874); Ja- XAU8CBEK, Orig. CxHlerc, I (Vienna, 1877).

Edmond M. Obrecht.

Salerno, Diocese of, in Campania, Southern Italy. The city is situated on the gulf of the same

name, backed by a high rock crowned with an ancient castle. The surrounding country is well cultivated, and a natural harbour promotes the commerce of agricultural products; breeding of horses is carried on to a considerable extent. 'There are two mineral springs. The entrance to the cathedral, built by Robert Guiscard, is through a great court surrounded by porticos, with columns of granite and porphyry, where several ancient sarcophagi are preserved. The middle doors are of bronze, beautifully decorated. In 1722 the interior was transformed' by Peorio. The beautiful columns were shut up between pilasters of walling, and the pointed arches were ruined. Of the ancient basilica there remains a high marble candelabrum adorned with mosaics; between the choir and the side of the high altar is the chapel of Giovanni da Procida, also adorned with mosaics and contaiging the tomb of Gregory VII. In the chapel to the right there is a beautiful Pieta, the finest work of Andrea Salerno. Among other treas- ures of the sacristy is an ivory altar frontal with scenes from the Old and from the New Testament. There is a tradition that the body of St. Matthew, the Apostle, is preserved in the crypt under the high altar; the columns of the vault^ are beautifully in- crusted with multi-coloured marbles. Among other churches are: the Annunziata; San Giorgio, which may rightly be called a picture gallery (Life of St. Bene- dict); and S. Domenico, where an arm of St. Thomas Aquinas is preserved. Charitable institutions were, and still are, numerous.

Salerno was the city of the Salentini. After war with Hannibal (194 b. c), a Roman colony was es- tabhshed there. In the Social War it was taken by the Samnites. In the eighth century the city was in the jiower of the Lombard dukes of Benevento; Arichis fortified it and took refuge there, when Charles the Great invaded his duchy. In 840 Sicon- ulfus, brother of the Duke Sicardus who was killed by the partisans of Radelgisus, was proclaimed prince at Salerno, which from that time constituted an in- dependent principality. With the assistance of the Saracens and with the spoils of the churches Siconul- fus defended his independence, which was confirmed in 851 by the Emperor Louis II, to whom the prince had .sworn allegiance. The chief cities of the prin- cipahty were Taranto, Cassano, Cosenza, Paestum, Conza, Salerno, Sarno, Cimitile (Nola), Capua, Teano, and Sora. The son of Siconulfus, Sico, was dethroned by his tutor, Petrus, who was succ-eeded by his son Ademar; the latter, however, was deposed by a con- spiracy, tortured, and blinded, while Cuiaiferius was put in his place (861). In 874 the port of Salerno was so well defended that the Saracens had to abandon the blockade of the city. Guaimarus, son of Guai- ferius, struggled (880) against the Saracens and the Byzantines, but on account of his cruelty he was deposed, blinded, and thrown into prison. His son, Guaimarus II, ruled wisely.

Gisulfus became famous through the splendour of his court. He was despoiled by the exiled Prince of Beneventum, Laiidolfo, but Pandolfo Capo-di- Ferro, Prince of Hencvciilum, restored Gisulfus (974), who, through gralitude, associated with himself in the princiijality Pandolfo, .son of his liberator, by whom he was succeeded in 97S. The latter also was depo.sed by Mansus III, Duke of Amalfi (9S1), who was confirmed in the principality by Otho II. The people of Salerno, however, rebc-lled against him, and gave the throne to Giovanni Lamperto, a de- scendant of the dukes of Spoleto. Under his son and succe.s.sor, (Juaimaro III (994-1018), the people of Salerno were help(d by about forty Norman warriors to repel thc^ Saracens. Guaimaro IV dreamed of uniting the whole; of lower Italy into a single principality; \w t(M)k Amalfi and Sorrento and warred with Argiro, master of Bari, but was assaa-

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