{{Short description|French theologian, historian, priest and philosopher (died 1240)}} [[File:Seal of James of Vitry.jpg|thumb|Seal of Jacques de Vitry as bishop of Acre.]] '''James of Vitry''' ({{langx|fr|Jacques}}, {{langx|la|Iacobus de Vitriaco}}; {{circa}} 1160/70 – 1 May 1240) was a [[medieval France|French]] [[canon regular]] who was a noted [[theologian]] and chronicler of his era. He was elected [[bishop of Acre]] in 1214 and made [[cardinal (Catholic)|cardinal]] in 1229. His ''Historia Orientalis'' (also known as ''Historia Hierosolymitana'') is an important source for the historiography of the Crusades.
==Biography== [[File:Houghton MS Riant 35 - de Vitry page 1.jpg|thumb|right|Manuscript of ''Sermones Vulgares'', 13th century, by Jacques de Vitry]]
Jacques was born in central France (perhaps [[Reims]]). He was born in 1170 at the latest.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bartlett |first=Robert |date=2023 |title=Jacques de Vitry (d. 1240) and the Religious Life of his Time |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-229X.13345 |journal=History |language=en |volume=108 |issue=379–380 |pages=3–19 |doi=10.1111/1468-229X.13345 |issn=0018-2648|hdl=10023/27054 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
He studied at the [[University of Paris]], becoming a [[canon regular]] in 1210 at the [[Oignies Abbey|Priory of Saint-Nicolas d'Oignies]] in the Diocese of Liège, a post he maintained until his [[consecration]] as bishop in 1216. From 1211 to 1213 he preached the [[Albigensian Crusade]], touring France and Germany with William, the archdeacon of Paris, and recruiting many [[Crusaders]].<ref>[[Peter of les Vaux-de-Cernay]], ''[[Historia Albigensis]]'' 285. It was perhaps during this preaching campaign that he met Bishop [[Folquet de Marselha|Foulques of Toulouse]]; cf. [[Guillaume de Puylaurens]], ''[[Chronica (Guillaume de Puylaurens)|Chronica]]'' 28.</ref>
In 1214 Jacques was elected [[Latin Catholic Diocese of Acre|Bishop of Acre]]. He received episcopal consecration and arrived at his [[Episcopal see|see]] in 1216. He was subsequently heavily involved in the [[Fifth Crusade]], participating in the siege of [[Damietta]] from 1218 to 1220. In 1219 he began to write the ''Historia Hierosolymitana'', a history of the [[Holy Land]] from the advent of [[Islam]] until the crusades of his own day, but only two parts were completed. He returned to Europe in 1225.
Between 16 April and 29 July 1229, [[Pope Gregory IX]] elevated Jacques to the [[College of Cardinals]] and transferred him to the [[suburbicarian see of Frascati]]. With the exception of a short legation to [[Emperor Frederick II]] in 1232, he spent his last years working in the papal court. He subscribed the papal bulls between 29 July 1229 and 23 June 1239. He died at Rome as [[Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals]]. His remains were transferred to Oignies and buried there in 1241.
After the death of the [[Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem]] [[Gerold of Lausanne]] in 1238 or 1239, the canons of the church in Jerusalem asked Gregory IX to send Jacques back to the east as the new patriarch. According to Gregory's response, dated 14 May 1240, Jacques had already died, and instead the pope appointed [[Robert of Nantes]] as the new patriarch.<ref>Bernard Hamilton, ''The Latin Church in the Crusader States: The Secular Church'' (1980), p. 262.</ref>
Aside from the ''Historia'', his works include hundreds of sermons, and letters to [[Pope Honorius III]]. He also wrote about the immoral life of the students at the University of Paris and the holy life of the [[Beguines]] of [[Liège]], in particular his ''Life of [[Marie d'Oignies]]'', whose advice inspired him to become a canon regular.<ref>[[Louis Bréhier|Louis René Bréhier]] (1910). "[[wikisource:Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Jacques_de_Vitry|Jacques de Vitry]]". In ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. '''8'''. New York: Robert Appleton Company.</ref>
Jacques de Vitry was fascinated by the powers held by the beguines, such that they were paralleled with the priests of the time, yet functioned outside the church proper.<ref>Fulton, Rachel, and Bruce W. Holsinger. ''History in the Comic Mode: Medieval Communities and the Matter of Person''. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007. p. 45.</ref> Although this movement was unrecognized in the church, Jacques made appeal to Pope Honorius III to legitimize the work of their community, as well as the Liège diocese, all France and throughout the Holy Roman Empire.<ref>Coakley, John W. Women, men, and spiritual power female saints and their male collaborators. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. pg 69</ref>
== Reliquary at Oignies == [[File:Oignies (Aiseau-Presles) - église Sainte-Marie-d'Oignies - reliquaire de Jacques de Vitry - 2024-09-08 - 01.jpg|thumb|Jacques's reliquart]] In 2015, the CROMIOSS project, led by the Archaeological Society of Namur (SAN) in partnership with several Belgian universities and research institutes, undertook an interdisciplinary scientific study around the reliquary of Jacques de Vitry, located in the church of [[Marie d'Oignies|Saint Marie d'Oigines]] in Belgium. Anthropological, isotopic and genetic analyses indicated a high likelihood that the remains were in fact those of Jacques de Vitry.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Decorte|first1=Ronny|last2=Polet|first2=Caroline |display-authors=etal |date=2019-02-22|title=An interdisciplinary study around the reliquary of the late cardinal Jacques de Vitry |journal=PLOS ONE|language=en|volume=14|issue=2|article-number=e0201424|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0201424 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203|pmc=6386372|pmid=30794540|bibcode=2019PLoSO..1401424D}}</ref> His unique parchment [[mitre]] was also analysed.<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=Parchment Mitre (images)|url=https://oignies.collectionkbf.be/en/parchment-mitre|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111150510/http://oignies.collectionkbf.be/parchment-mitre|archive-date=11 Jan 2019|website=oignies.collectionkbf.be}}</ref> Forensic work on the skull, supplemented with DNA evidence, also allowed for the creation of a visual reconstruction of what the bishop might have looked like.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-11-29|title=Photographs of Cardinal Jacques de Vitry, who died in 1240!|url=https://focusonbelgium.be/en/science/photographs-cardinal-jacques-de-vitry-who-died-1240|access-date=2021-03-24|website=Focus on Belgium|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bishop Jacques de VITRY – Visualforensic|url=https://www.visualforensic.com/project/bishop-jacques-de-vitry|access-date=2021-03-24|archive-date=2020-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130040148/https://www.visualforensic.com/project/bishop-jacques-de-vitry}}</ref> The remains were reinterred at Oignies in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Brouillard|first=Etienne|title=Jacques de Vitry a été ré-inhumé à Oignies|url=https://www.lasan.be/la-recherche/projet-cromioss/129-jdv-inhume-oignies|access-date=2021-03-24|website=www.lasan.be|language=fr-fr}}</ref>
==Editions==
;Historiography * ''Orientalis et occidentalis Historia.'' ed. F. Moschi, ex officina typographica Balthazaris Belleri, Douai, 1596, ([https://archive.org/details/IacobiDeVitriacoCardinalisLibriDuo1596 archive.org], [https://digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb10189102 online facsimile]). * ''Historia Hierosolimitana.'' ed. Jacques Bongars, in: ''Gesta Dei Per Francos, Sive Orientalium Expeditionum, Et Regni Francorum Hierosolimitani Historia.'' 1611, ([https://digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb10868074 online facsimile]). * John Frederick Hinnebusch (ed.): ''The Historia occidentalis of Jacques de Vitry. A Critical Edition'' (= ''Spicilegium Friburgense. Texte zur Geschichte des kirchlichen Lebens.'' vol. 17, {{ISSN|0561-6158}}). The University Press, Fribourg 1972. *''Jacques de Vitry. Historia Orientalis'', ed. Jean Donnadieu, 2008. Translations: * Abridged and incomplete translation to English: [https://archive.org/details/cu31924028534422 ''The {Abbreviated} History of Jerusalem, A.D. 1180 by Jacques de Vitry''] (= ''[[Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society]]'' vol. 11, no. 2, {{ZDB|2224954-0}}), translated by Aubrey Stewart, year 1896. * French translation: [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1121191/f4.item ''Histoire des croisades, par Jacques de Vitry''], translated by François Guizot year 1825
;Sermons * ''Sermones de tempore.'' Kreuzherrenkonvent, Düsseldorf 1486, ({{ULBDD|urn:nbn:de:hbz:061:1-447965}}) * ''Sermones de Tempore.'' In aedibus viduae & haeredum Ioannis Steelsij, Antwerpen 1575. *''Iacobus de Vitriaco. Sermones vulgares vel ad status'' I, éd. J. Longère (''Corpus Christianorum. Continuatio Mediaevalis'' 255), Turnhout: Brepols Publishers, 2013 ({{ISBN|978-2-503-54532-5}}) * ''Sermones vulgares.'' In: ''Analecta Novissima Spicilegii solesmensis.'' Disseruit [[Jean-Baptiste Pitra|Joannes Baptista Pitra]]. Band 2. Typis Tusculanis, Paris 1888, (excerpts). * ''The Exempla or Illustrative Stories from the Sermones Vulgares of Jacques de Vitry'' (= ''Publications of the Folk-Lore Society.'' 26, {{ZDB|401527-7}}). Edited with introduction, analysis, and notes by Thomas Frederick Crane. Nutt, London 1890, ([https://archive.org/details/exemplaorillust00crangoog archive.org]). * Joseph Greven (ed.): ''Die Exempla aus den Sermones feriales et communes des Jakob von Vitry'' (= ''Sammlungen mittellateinischer Texte.'' 9, {{ZDB|500169-9}}). Winter, Heidelberg 1914, ([https://archive.org/details/dieexemplaausden00jacquoft archive.org]). * Goswin Frenken, ''Die Exempla des Jacob von Vitry. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Erzählungsliteratur des Mittelalters'' (= ''Quellen und Untersuchungen zur lateinischen Philologie des Mittelalters.'' vol. 5.1, {{ZDB|516355-9}}). Beck, München 1914.
;Letters * [[Reinhold Röhricht]] (ed.): ''Briefe.'' In: ''Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte.'' vol. 14, 1894, 97–118; vol. 15, 1895, vol. 568–587; vol. 16, 1896, 72–114. *''Lettres de Jacques de Vitry'' ed. R. B. C. Huygens. Leiden, 1960.
;Other * ''Vita b. Mariae Oignies.'' In: ''[[Acta Sanctorum]]. Junii.'' vol. 4. Petrus Jacobs, Antwerp 1707, [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6047g/f674.item.r=Acta%20sanctorum%20junii%201707 636–666].
==References== {{reflist}} *[https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios1228.htm Consistory of December 1228] in Salvador Miranda, ''The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church'' *[[Agostino Paravicini Bagliani]], ''Cardinali di curia e "familiae" cardinalizie dal 1227 al 1254'', Padova 1972, pt. I, p. 99-112
==External links== * [http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_138.html Lewis E 138 Historia hierosolymitana (History of Jerusalem) at OPenn] {{commons category}}
* [https://deremilitari.org/2014/04/jacques-de-vitry-sermons-to-a-military-order/ Translations of two of Jacques de Vitry's ''ad status'' sermons (to those in a military order), at De Rei Militari]
*[http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/source/vitry1.html Jacques de Vitry: Life of the Students at Paris] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20190111150510/http://oignies.collectionkbf.be/parchment-mitre Jacques de Vitry's parchment mitre, the only one of its kind that has survived] {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacques de Vitry}} [[Category:1160s births]] [[Category:1240 deaths]] [[Category:13th-century writers in Latin]] [[Category:13th-century French historians]] [[Category:People of the Albigensian Crusade]] [[Category:Christians of the Fifth Crusade]] [[Category:13th-century people from the Kingdom of Jerusalem]] [[Category:13th-century French cardinals]] [[Category:Cardinal-bishops of Frascati]] [[Category:Canonical Augustinian bishops]] [[Category:Canonical Augustinian cardinals]] [[Category:Canonical Augustinian theologians]] [[Category:Deans of the College of Cardinals]] [[Category:Bishops of Acre]]