Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/868

 FARGO

786

FARGO

Archeological discoveries in 1888 seem to prove that the first monastic establishment was built on the ruins of a pagan temple. This first monastery was devas- tated by the Vandals in the fifth century, doubtless about the year 457.

In the seventh century, a wave of monasticism from the Xorth spread over Italy. The foundation of Bob- bio by St. Columbanus, and the foundation of Farfa by monks from Gaul, about 681, heralded a revival of the great Benedictine tradition in Italy. The " Con- structio Monasterii Farfensis", a writing which dates probably from 857, relates at length the story of its principal founder Thomas de Maurienne; he had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and spent three years there. While in prayer before the Holy Sepulchre, Our Lady in a vision warned him to return to Italy, and restore Farfa; and the Duke of Spoleto, Faroald, who had also had a vision, was commanded to aid in this work. At a very early date we find traces of this legend in connexion with the foundation by three nobles from Beneventum of the monastery of St. Vincent on the Volturno, over which Farfa claimed jurisdiction. Thomas died in 720; and for more than a century Frankish abbots ruled at Farfa.

The Lombard chiefs, and later the Carlovingians, succeeded in withdrawing Farfa from obedience to the Bishops of Rieti, and in securing many immunities and privileges for the monastery. If we may credit the "Chronicon Farfense", Farfa was at this period the most important monastery in Italy both from the point of view of worldly possession and ecclesiastical dignity, with the exception of Nonantula. It had one large basilican church and five smaller ones, rich in masterpieces of religious orfeverie. The greed of the Saracens was excited: and about 890, during the government of Abbot Peter, they swooped down on the place. Peter held out against them for seven years, and then resolved to abandon the monastery. He divided liis monks into three sections and shared the abbey's wealth among them — one section he sent towards Rome, one towards Rieti, and one towards the county of Fermo. The Saracens preserved Farfa as a stronghold, but some Christian robbers set fire to it by mistake.

Between 930 and 936, it was rebuilt by Abbot Rat- fredus, who was afterwards poisonetl by two wicked monks, Campo and Hildebrand, who divided the wealth of the abbey between them, and ruled over it until Alberic, Prince of the Romans, called in Odo of Cluny to reform Farfa and other monasteries. Campo was driven out; and a holy monk named Dagibert took his place. x\t the end of five years, he also died by poison — and the moral condition of Farfa was once more deplorable. The monks robbed the altars of their ornaments, and led lives of unbridled vice.

Abbot John III, consecrated, about 967, by the pope, succeeded, owing to the protection of the Em- peror Otho, in re-estaljlishing a semblance of order. But the great reformer of Farfa was Hugues (998- 1010). His nomination as abbot was not secured without simony — but the success of his government palliates the vice of his election. At his instance, Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, and William, Abbot of Dijon, visited Farfa, and re-established there the love of piety and of study.

The " Consuetudines Farfenses" drawn up about 1010 under the supervision of Guido, successor to Hugues, and recently published by Albers, bear wit- ness to the care with which Hugues organized the monastic life at Farfa. Under the title "Destructio Monasterii", Hugues himself wTote a history of the sad period pftvious to his rule; and again under tlie title "Diminutio Monasterii", and " Querimonium ", he relates the temporal tlifficulties that encompassed Farfa owing to the ambition of petty Roman lords. These works are very important for the historian of the period.

One of Hugues's successors, Berard, Abbot from 1049 to 1089, made the abbey a great seat of intellec- tual activity. The monk, Gregory of Catino (b. 1060) arranged the archives. To substantiate Farfa's claims, and the rights of its monks, he edited the " Regesto di Farfa ', or " Liber Gemniagraphus sive Cleronomialis ecclesiiB Farfensis" composed of 1324 documents, all very important for the history of Italian society in the eleventh century. Ugo Balzani praised the accuracy and exactness of this work "planned", he says, "along lines quite in harmony with the best critical efforts of our own times".

In 1103, Gregory wrote the" Largitorium", or "Liber Notarius sive emphiteuticus", a lengthy list of all the concessions, or grants, made by the monastery to its tenants. Having collected all this detailed informa- tion, he set to work on a history of the monastery, the " Chronicon Farfense " ; and when he was 70 years old, in order to facilitate reference to his earlier works, he compiled a sort of index which he styled "Li- ber Floriger Chartarum cenobii Farfensis". Gregory was a man of real learning, remarkable in that, as early as the eleventh century, he wrote history with accuracy of view-point, and a great wealth of information.

The monks of Farfa owned 683 churches or convents ; two towns, Centumcella; (Civitavecchia) and Alatri; 132 castles; 16 strongholds; 7 sea-ports; 8 salt- mines; 14 villages; 82 mills; 315 hamlets. All this wealth was a hindrance to the religious life once more, between 1119 and 1125. And Farfa was troubled by the rivalries between Abbot Ciuido, and the monk Berard who aimed at being abbot. During the Inves- titure conflict, Farfa was, more or less, on the side of the Ghibellines. The "Orthodoxa defensio impe- rialis", written in support of the Ghibelline party, is, according to Bethmann, the work of Gregory, and of one of liis disciples, according to Balzani. The collec- tion of canonical texts contained in the "Regesto", which has been studied by Paul Foumier, seems to omit purposely any mention of the canonical texts of the reforming popes of the eleventh century. But when, in 1262, the victory of the popes over the last of the Hohenstaufen put an end to Germanic sway in Italy, Farfa sought the protection of Urban IV, as we learn from a privilege granted on 23 Feb., 1262, and published by Jean Guiraud. At the end of the four- teenth century the Abbey of Farfa became a cardinala- tialincommeridam (q. v.), and since 1842 the Cardinal Bishop of Sabina, a suburbicarian bishop, bears also the title of .\bbot of Farfa.

Gregorio di Catino, 11 Regesto rft Farfa, published by the R. Societii romana di storia patria. under the direction of Giorgi and BALZ.1NI (Rome. 1879-1892), 4 vols.; /( Chronicon Far- fense di Gregorio di Catino: precedono la ' 'Constructio Far- fensis" e gli scritti di Ugo di Farfa: published by Balzani (Rome, 1903"), 2 vols.; Atti delta R, Accademia dei Lincei; Notizie degli Scavi (1888), 292; Mabillon, Acta sanctorum Ord. Ben., I, 2.31-23.'J: Bruno .\lbers, Consuetudines monastica, vol. I of his Consueltidines Farfenses (Stuttgart, 1900); FouR- NIER, La collezione canonica del regesto di Farfa in Archiirio delta R. Societ i romana di Storia patria, xvii, 285 sqq.; Gui- raud, La badii di Farfa alia fine del secolo xiii in Archivic delta R. Societh romana di Storia patria, XV. 275-288; Marini Serie Cronologica degli Abbati del monastero di Farfa (Rome 1836); Angeli, Passeggiale Sabine: Farfa in Rivista Moderno Politica e lelteraria (1 Nov., 1902). GEORGES GoYAU.

Fargo (Fargus), Diocese of (Fargensis), suffra- gan of St. Paul, U. S. A., embracing the whole of the State of North Dakota, an area of 70,195 square miles. It was established in 1889.

The first Mass, in the territory now comprised in the Diocese of Fargo, was celebrated in Pembina, Septem- ber, 1818, by Rev. S(5vere Joseph Norbert Dumoulin. one of the two missionaries sent to the Selkirk colony by Bishop Plessis of Quebec. Father Dumoulin wa^ born in Montreal, 5 Dec, 1793, ordained priest in the Nicolet Seminary, 23 Feb., 1817, left Quebec for the Selkirk colony, 19 May, 1818, and arrived at Fort Douglas (now St. Boniface, Manitoba), 16 July, 1818. In August, 1823, Father Dumoulin returned to Can-