GERBERT OF AURILLAC
(Pope Sylvester II; ca. 945–1003). Gerbert was born in the Auvergne and educated at the
monastery of Saint-Géraud in Aurillac. He studied in Spain at the school in Ausona
(Vich) and in 970 went to Rome. He was master of the cathedral school of Reims from
972 to 989, with one brief interruption. One of the leading teachers in his day, he
numbered among his students Fulbert of Chartres and the future king Robert II the Pious
of France. Gerbert’s teaching was notable in that he taught the whole range of the Seven
Liberal Arts (Trivium and Quadrivium). However, he was especially interested in
literature, logic, scientific observation, and mathematics. He established the logical works
of Boethius as essential in the syllabus of studies, and he developed astronomical
instruments for observation. He was active in support of Hugh Capet for the French
crown and participated in the coronation at Reims in 987. Appointed archbishop of Reims
in 991 (an appointment never approved by the pope), he held the position for several
years before joining the entourage of Emperor Otto III; he was later appointed archbishop
of Ravenna. In 999, he became bishop of Rome, the first Frenchman to so serve. As Pope
Sylvester II, Gerbert was a vigorous reformer and an opponent of simony and married
clergy. Owing to his mathematical skills, medieval tradition saw him as adept in magic.
Grover A.Zinn
[See also: ARABIC INFLUENCE ON LITERATURE; BOETHIUS, INFLUENCE
OF; FULBERT OF CHARTRES; MAGIC; PHILOSOPHY; SCHOOLS, CATHEDRAL]
Marenbon, John. From the Circle of Alcuin to the School of Auxerre: Logic, Theology and
Philosophy in the Early Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.
GERMIGNY-DES-PRÉS
. Theodulf, bishop of Orléans, abbot of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire at Fleury, and an
important intellectual at Charlemagne’s court, built a villa at Germigny-des-Prés (Loiret).
Only the oratory, consecrated in 806, remains. The small square structure composed of
nine vaulted compartments with a central tower has single apses projecting from three
sides and a triple apse on the east. The horseshoe arches and decoration show Visigothic
influence. The central west apse preserves a mosaic of the Ark of the Covenant
surrounded by two pairs of angels that reflects Byzantine inspiration. The architectural
eclecticism and theological context of the mosaic represent significant aspects of
Carolingian culture.
Karen Gould
The Encyclopedia 745