Friday, July 10, 2009

The Pope's Left Hand


This is another from the St Clement painting.  There's a whole big section i didn't consider, but its the man standing to the left of the Pope.  First of all, his feet look completely different from everybody else's, and he's been removed almost entirely from the picture.  We hear from the Life that Formosus and Gauderic, two Frankish bishops performed the ordination of Cyril and Methodius.  It could be one of them at the Pope's side.  During his time as bishop of Portus, Formosus was involved in the early Christianization of Bulgaria - around the same time Cyril and Methodius were in Moravia.  He was removed from office by the Pope John VIII on accusations of abandoning his see and building his own fiefdom in Bulgaria - the Bulgars would accept only him as their first Bishop.  He recovered his seat under Johns successor Marinus.  Later, as Pope (in the 890s), he invited germans under Arnulf, emperor of the east Franks to invade Italy.  Formosus was exhumed after his death for the famous "Cadaver Synod".  His rotting body was condemned and his Pontificate declared invalid.  Apparently, like Formosus, this white-robed figure at Adrian's side has been subjected to damnatio memoriae.
Trial of Formosus

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