Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/334

 STEPHEN

290

STEPHEN

deed. Before he was put to death by strangulation, he forced several of those who had been ordained by Formosus to resign their offices and he granted a few privileges to churches.

Liber Pontifimlis. II, 229; privileges of Stephen in P. L., CXXIX; Ddmmler. Ausilius and Vidgarius (Leipzig, 1866): Duchesne, The Beginnings of the Temporal Sovereignty of the Popes, 198 sqq.; Mann, Lives of the Popes, IV, 76 aqq.

Horace K. Mann.

Stephen (VII) VIII, Pope (929-31), date of birth unknown; d. in Feb. or March, 931. He became pope either at the end of 928 or at the beginning of 929. Except that he was a Roman, the son of Teude- mund, and sometime cardinal-priest of St. Anastasia, and that when pope he issued certain privileges for monasteries in France and Italy, and was buried in St. Peter's, nothing more is known of him.

Liber Ponti/icalis, II, 242; jAFFi, Regesta (Leipzig, 1888). 453-4; Mann, Lives of the Popes, IV, 189 aqq.

Horace K. Mann.

Stephen (VIII) IX, Pope, 939-942, date of birth unknown; he became pope about 14 July, 939, and d. about the end of Oct., 942. Despite the contrary as- sertions of late writers, there is no doubt that Stephen was a Roman and cardinal-priest of SS. Silvester and Martin. He supported the declining Carlovingian dynasty, and by threat of excommunication forced the nobles to be faithful to the Prankish King Louis IV d'Outre-Mer. Throughout the whole of his pontificate he was subject to Alberic, Prince of the Romans, and so had little opportunity of distinguish- ing himself.

Liber Pontificalis, II, 244; privileges. P. L.. CXXXII; Frodoard, Annals; Mann, Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, IV (London, 1910), 212 aq.

Horace K. Mann.

Stephen (IX) X, Pope, b. probably about the be- ginning of the eleventh century; d. at Florence, 29 March, 10.3S. (.Junian?) Fretlerick, destined to be- come Pope Stephen X, was the son of Gozelon, Duke of Lower Lorraine and of Junca, the daughter of Ber- engarius II, King of Italy. As he advanced in years he became as distinguished for character and learning as he was for his birth. It was seemingly whilst he was a canon of Liege that his cousin Leo IX met him and made him chancellor and librarian of tlie Roman Church (c. 10.51). He accompanied Leo IX in his apostolic journeyings throughout Europe, and was sent by him on the famous embassy to Constanti- nople (1054) which terminated in the final separation of the Eastern and Western Churches. On his re- turn from the East he was robbed by the Count of Teate, and, to avoid falhng into the hands of the Em- jieror Henry III, the Black (who seems to have dis- trusted him as the brother of the rebellious Godfrey the Bearded, Duke of Lorraine), he became a monk at Monte Cassino (1055), and, after the death of the Emperor Henry, its abbot (1057). He was made cardinal-priest of St. Chrysogonus by Victor II, and, on the latter's death, he was freely chosen his successor, and consecrated on the following day (3 August, 1057). As pope, he carried on the work of reforma- tion which had been inaugurated by St. Leo IX. To show how much he was in earnest, he at once made cardinals of both that zealous champion of reform, St. Peter Damian, and the quondam monk Humbert, his own uncompromising companion on the embassy to Constantinople. He also made no little use of Car- dinal Ilildobraiid (afterwards St. Gregory VII), the soul of the reforming party. He sent him to Milan to effect an improvement in the morals of its clergy with instructions to proceed to Germany and to in- duce the regent, the cmpress-motlicr ,\gncs, to accept his election which had been made without any refer- ence to her. It was further arranged tliat Hililebrand was then to go on to France. Stephen was preparing to reopen negotiations with the Greek Church, and to

try to stop the advance of the Normans in southern Italy, when he died, exhorting the cardinals to await the return of Hildebrand before electing his successor. He was buried in the Church of St. Reparata.

Liber Pontificalis, II, 278. ed. Ddchesne (Paris, 1892) : De ortu et obitu just, ccenob. Cas., n. .58, ap. Mai, Script. Vet., VI, 278; P. L,. CXLIII, U. Robert has put together all that is known of Stephen X in his Hist, du P. Etienne X (Brussels, 1892); Mann, Lives of the Popes in the Middle Ages, VI (London, 1910; 207 sq.

Horace K. Mann. Stephen Gobarus. See Monophtsites and

Mo.NOPHYSITISM.

Stephen Harding, Saint, confessor, the third Abbot of Citeaux, was born at Sherborne in Dorset- shire, England, about the middle of the eleventh cen- tury; d. 28 March, 1134. He received his early educa- tion in the monastery of Sherborne and afterwards studied in Paris and Rome. On returning from the latter city he stopped at the monastery of Molesme and, being much impressed by the holiness of St. Robert, the abbot, joined that community. Here he practised great austerities, became one of St. Robert's chief supporters and was one of the band of twenty- one monks who, by authority of Hugh, Archbishop of Lyons, retired to Ctteaux to institute a reform in the new foundation there (see Citeaux, Abbey of). When St. Robert was recalled to Molesme (1099), Stephen became prior of Citeaux under Alberic, the new abbot. On Alberic's death (1110) Stephen, who was absent from the monastery at the time, was elected abbot. The number of monks was now very reduced, as no new members had come to fill the places of those who had died. Stephen, however, in- sisted on retaining the strict observance originally instituted and, having offended the Duke of Burgundy, Citeaux's great patron, by forbidding him or his fam- ily to enter the cloister, was even forced to beg alms from door to door. It seemed as if the foundation were doomed to die out when (1112) St. Bernard with thirty companions joined the communitj'. This proved the beginning of extraordinary prosperity. The next year Stephen founded his first colony at La Fert(5, and before his death he had established thirteen monasteries in all. His powers as an organizer were exceptional, he instituted the system of general chapters and regular visitations and, to ensui-e uni- formity in all his foundations, drew up the famous "Charter of Charity" or collection of statutes for the government of all monasteries united to Citeaux, which was approved by Pope Callistus II in 1119 (see Cistercians). In 1133 Stephen, being now old, in- fu-m, and almost blind, resigned the post of abbot, designating as his successor Robert de Monte, who was accordingly elected by the monks. The saint's choice, however, proved unfortunate and the new abbot only held office for two years.

Stephen was buried in the tomb of Alberic, his pred- ecessor, in the cloister of Ctteaux. In the Roman calendar his feast is 17 April, but the Cistercians themselves keep it on 15 July, with an octave, regard- ing him as the true foimder of the onler. Besides the "Carta Caritatis" he is commonly credited with the authorship of the "Exordium Cisterciencis cenobii", which however may not be his. Two of his sermons are preserved and also two letters (Nos. 45 and 49) in the "Epp. S. Bernardi".

William of Malmesbury. Gcsta Regitm, ed. Stubba in Rolls Scries. IV (London, 1889). §§ 334-7 ; (JnHin Christ.. IV (Paris, 1728), 980-4; Acta SS., II, April (Venice, 173S), 493-8; Mabillon, Ada SS., O.S.B., II (Paris. 16fi8). 1062; HiSlyot. Hist, des ordres religieui, V (Paris, 1792). 336-7; Duodalb, Monaxticon angli- canum, V (London, 1S40). 220-6: Daloaiuns, Life of SI. Stephen Harding (London. 1844); new edition with notes. cd..THtTRSTON

(i,,.no.„i. 1898). G. Roger Hudlbston.

Stephen of Autun, bishop, liturgical writer, b. at Bang(5 (hence surnamed Ralgiacus or de Bal- giaco) in Anjou; d. at the abbey of Cluny, 1139 or