Bobbio after Columbanus: Jonas of Bobbio's Hagiography and the Conflict over Spiritual Authority

Abstract

Abstract:In this paper, I analyze Jonas of Bobbio's hagiography as a window into the sociopolitical position of Columbanian houses, especially Bobbio, during and immediately after Columbanus's death. Ultimately, these works manipulate and retell the past in order to speak to issues important to their author, such as monastic immunity, defining Columbanian identity, and healing wounds after the 626–27 Synod of Mâcon. I highlight the ways in which Jonas's writings attempt to shape Columbanus's image to benefit both his own monastery and the movement as a whole. I then contextualize this within the larger struggle to claim Columbanus's legacy as well as the influential institutions he left behind. After first addressing the Vita Columbani, the paper moves into Jonas's other works, the Vita Iohannis and Vita Vedastis, emphasizing the shared themes among the three.