Celestine V

Pietro was the son of a farmer, Angelo Angelleio of Isernia, and his wife Maria Leone. After the death of his father, he worked in the fields. A key figure in the spiritual development of Pietro was the mother: she imagined a different future for her beloved son than farming or cattle breeding. From childhood, Pietro showed great intelligence and kindness to others. At the age of 12, he joined the Benedictine Order in Fayfoli, the diocese of Benevento . Soon he decided to spend the life of a hermit , for which he retired to Mount Mourron in Abruzzo . He was joined by like-minded people and organized the order of the hermits of St. Damian, or the Murronites. Five years later, he left this refuge and settled with two comrades on Mount Maella in Abruzzi , where he lived as strictly as possible, following the example of John the Baptist.

After the death of Celestine V, the members of this order became known as Celestines , after the name of the founder. Pietro gave them rules formulated in accordance with his own practice. In 1264, the new community was approved by Urban IV. Learning that Pope Gregory X was going to ban all new religious communities, except those that already existed, Pietro went to him in Lyon . There he was able to convince dad to approve his rules. Gregory took him under the papal guard. Nothing more was needed to ensure the rapid spread of the new community, and by the end of the life of its founder, thirty-six monasteries were founded.

After strengthening his community, Pietro handed over control to his follower, Robert, and retired to the mountains once again. In 1293 he founded the monastery of Maella, but soon, due to the harsh climate, he transferred him to Sulmona, where the headquarters of the community are now located.

Cardinals gathered in Perugia after the death of Pope Nicholas IV in April 1292 . For more than two years they have not been able to reach a compromise. Pietro, well known to the Cardinals as a Benedictine hermit, sent a letter to the Cardinals, warning them that divine retribution would fall upon them if they did not elect the pope as soon as possible. The dean of the College of Cardinals Malabranca exclaimed: "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I choose Brother Pietro de Morrone." The Cardinals quickly approved an unexpected offer. Pietro stubbornly refused to accept the papacy and even, as Petrarch says, tried to escape, until he was finally convinced by a deputation of cardinals accompanied by the kings of Naples and Hungary. Pietro was elected on July 5, 1294, at the age of 79, and was crowned at Santa Maria di Collemagio in the city of L'Aquila in Abruzzi on August 29 , taking the name Celestine V.

Soon after taking office, Celestine issued a papal bullet to grant indulgence to all pilgrims visiting Santa Maria di Collemagio on the anniversary of his papal coronation ^[1] . The day of the coronation - “Perdonanza Celestiniana” - is celebrated in L'Aquila on August 28-29 of each year.

Due to the lack of political experience, Celestine turned out to be a particularly weak and incompetent dad. He established his residence in the kingdom of Neapolitan, out of ties with the Roman curia and under the complete control of King Charles II . He appointed the favorites of the king to church positions. One of them was Louis of Toulouse . He renewed the decree of Pope Gregory X, who approved strict rules for holding papal conclaves ^[2] .

Understanding the lack of real power and personal incompatibility with papal duties, Celestine consulted with Cardinal Benedetto Caetani (future Pope Boniface VIII ) about the possibility of resignation ^[2] . As a result, on December 13, 1294, Celestine signed a resignation act drafted by Cardinal Caetani. The college of cardinals unconditionally accepted the resignation of the pope. Celestine hoped to leave Naples and return to the life of the hermit.

The next pope, who voluntarily resigned, was Gregory XII in 1415 .

However, Pietro Angellerio was not destined to become a hermit again. There were those who opposed his resignation, and the new Pope Boniface VIII was worried that anyone could make Pietro antipapa. To prevent this, he ordered Pietro to accompany him to Rome. Pietro fled and disappeared into the forest to return to monastic life. This turned out to be impossible, and Pietro was seized after trying to escape to Dalmatia - the storm forced the ship on which he was to return to the port. Boniface imprisoned him at Fumone Castle in Campania, where Pietro died on May 19, 1296 , after 10 months in prison, at the age of 81. His supporters spread a rumor that he was murdered by order of Boniface, but there is no historical evidence ^[3] . Pietro was buried in Ferentino, but later his body was placed in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila.

In 1313, Celestine V was canonized by Pope Clement V under the influence of the King of France Philip the Fair and with universal approval ^[4] .

• Celestine V // Verush Kovalsky I. Pope and papacy. - M .: Publishing house of political literature, 1991.

• Celestine, the popes // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extras). - SPb. , 1890-1907.