JOHN OF GORZE, ST.

Abbot and monastic reformer (known also as Jean de Vandières); b. Vandières, France, late 9th century; d. c. 975. He was the son of a wealthy landowner and, according to his biographer, John, Abbot of Saint-Arnulf (d.977), he studied for a time at metz and later at the Abbey of saint-mihiel in the Moselle Valley. Upon the death of his father and his mother's remarriage, John was forced to interrupt his studies to care for his ancestral estate and the education of his younger brothers, but he resumed his studies at Toul, under the direction of Bernerus the Deacon. Already cherishing a desire for the more perfect life, he made a pilgrimage to Rome and visited monte cassino. Upon his return he met the deeply spiritual Einold, archdeacon of Toul, and spent some time under his direction. In 933 Einold and John with five companions went to the Abbey of gorze to reestablish monastic discipline there according to the wish of adalbero, bishop of Metz. Einold became abbot and John, his loyal supporter, functioning as procurator, was busy with the physical restoration of the monastery, which had suffered from the ravages of the Normans, as well as with the spiritual reform of the monks. In 953 John went to cÓrdoba, where he spent 3 years as the envoy of otto i to the umay yad caliph Abd-er-Rahman III (d. 961). After the death of Einold, John became abbot and played a leading role in the monastic reform movement of which Gorze was the center. The exact date of John's death is not known, but it is known that he died in the 40th year of his monastic profession.

Feast: Feb. 27 or March 7.

Bibliography: Acta sanctorum Feb. 3:691–721. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores (Berlin 1826) 4:335–377. a. d'herbomez, ed., Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Gorze (Paris 1898) 169–206. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum (Metten 1933–38) 1:258–261. l. h. cottineau, Répertoire topobibliographique des abbayes et des prieurés (Mâcon 1935–39) 1:13033–04. Histoire de l'église depuis les origines jusqu'à nos jours 7:420–421. Vies des saintes et des bienheuruex 2:574–578. s. hilpisch, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 5:1038. r. gazeau, Catholicisme 6:437–438. e. sackur, Die Cluniacenser, 2 v. (Halle 1892–94), 1:146–150, 2:358–361.

[h. dressler]