Bruno di Segni (c. 1045 – 18 July 1123) was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate and professed member from the Order of Saint Benedict who served as Bishop of Segni and Abbot of Montecassino. He studied under the Benedictines in Bologna before being appointed a canon of the cathedral chapter of Siena. He was invited to Rome, where he became a bishop and counseled four consecutive popes. He served as Abbot of Montecassino but when he criticised Pope Paschal II regarding the Concordat of Ponte Mammolo in 1111 the pope relieved him of his duties as abbot and ordered Bruno to return to his diocese, where he died just over a decade later.Birkhaeuser, Jodoc Adolphe. "St. Bruno." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 13 April 2020 Bruno's canonization was celebrated on 5 September 1181 under Pope Lucius III, who presided over the celebration in the late bishop's diocese.

Life

Early career Bruno was born circa 1045 in Solero either to nobles or parents of modest means named Andrea and Guglielmina. He spent his theological education in the Benedictine house of Santa Perpetua near his town in Asti and at the University of Bologna where he also studied humanities and the liberal arts.Gigalski (1898) pp. 25–29 (who believes that he was awarded a doctorate). Grégoire (1965), pp. 16–41. It was around this time that he wrote one of his earliest works, Expositio in psalterium Gallicanum, dedicated to his bishop, Ingo of Asti (1072-1079).Gigalski, p. 29. Bruno became a canon in Siena in 1073, and recollects his life among the canons;Sollerio, pp. 473-474. Gigalski, p. 30, and n. 4. perhaps his ordination to the priesthood is to be located in the same period,Gigalski, p. 31. and around that time was assigned as a pastor there. This happened after he decided to enter the Abbey of Montecassino to be a monk, but during the trip, he fell ill in Siena, where he remained subject to the needs of Bishop Rudolfus (1073–1083), who named Bruno as a canon of the cathedral Chapter.

Episcopate Bruno became noted for his defending orthodoxy and for his extensive knowledge of Sacred Scripture and great piety. He was in Rome in 1079,The anonymous life of Bruno, ch. 6: "post haec autem quibusdam negotiis trahentibus ad Romanam curiam accessit," quoted by Gigalski, p. 31, note 4. and participated in the Sixth Roman Synod of Pope Gregory VII in February 1079. He was one of those who spoke on the floor of the Synod on the theory of transubstantiation and the theology of the Blessed Sacrament, against the teaching of Berengarius of Tours; at the synod, Berengarius renounced his heresy and was absolved by Pope Gregory.Cesare Baronius (ed. Augustinus Theiner), Annales Ecclesiastici, Tomus XVII (Bar-le-Duc: Guérin, 1869), pp. 453-455; 463-464. He was not the only speaker; Wolphemus, the abbot of Bruvillerensis in the diocese of Cologne, also spoke (Baronius-Theiner, p. 463). Carl J. Hefele, Histoire de Conciles second edition, Tome V, 1 partie (Paris: Letouzey 1912), pp. 248-250. In Rome he was a guest of Pietro Igneo, the Bishop of Albano. Pope Gregory appointed the Bishop of Albano to go to Segni with Bruno, and to persuade the canons of the cathedral Chapter to elect Bruno as their bishop.The anonymous Life, II. 1, quoted in Gigalski, p. 34 and note 3. Bruno was appointed as the Bishop of SegniSegni was a small town, a former Roman colony, sited approximately halfway between Rome and Montecassino. In the 12th century, the town had only seven castelli, 37 churches, 3 chapels, and 3 cloisters. Gigalski, p. 37. J. P. Migne (ed.), Patrologiae Latinae Collectio Tomus CCI (Paris: Garnier 1903), p. 1158. In 1079, after the canons of the cathedral of Segni selected him. Pope Gregory VII himself, a good friend of Bruno who often sought his counsel, consecrated him a bishop.Peter the Deacon of Montecassino, "Chronicon Casiniense" IV. 31, in: Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptorum Tomus VII (Hannover: Hahn 1846), p. 776, states that Bruno was consecrated by Pope Urban II, who did not receive episcopal consecration himself until 12 March 1088. The text is regularly changed to "Gregory VII". The date of consecration of 1080 is sometimes found; it was a calculation by R. Mittermüller, and is without foundation; see Gigalski, p. 36, note 2.

According to Peter the Deacon, when the previous bishop of Segni, Erasmus, came to die, the pope asked Bruno to step in as administrator of the Church of Segni. As is traditional in such cases, Bruno pleaded his unworthiness and attempted to refuse. The pope was determined, however, and Bruno set off for Segni. In the meantime, the pope sent a mitre to the leaders of the church at Segni, ordering them to have Bruno consecrated as their bishop. When Bruno realized what was going on, he attempted to flee. Still, on the road in the middle of the night, he met a lady dressed in imperial regalia whose face shone like the sun (a personification of the Church of Segni), who chided him for fleeing from his bride. Struck by this, Bruno returned and allowed himself to be consecrated bishop.Peter the Deacon of Montecassino, "Chronicon Casiniense" IV. 31, MGH VII, p. 776. The story of the Lady bears some resemblance to the story of S. Peter fleeing Rome and coming across Christ (the Domine quo vadis? story).

During May and June 1081, the Emperor-elect Henry IV brought his army and his Clement III (Wibert of Ravenna) to the neighbourhood of Rome, and besieged the city. He had to withdraw to the north in the summer, but next year he returned and spent the entire Lenten season.Gigalski, p. 38. Gregorovius IV. 1, pp. 223-228. At one of these times, Bruno was travelling from Segni to Rome when Adolfo di Segni, a supporter of Henry IV, who was ambitious to become Lord of Segni in place of the bishop, seized and imprisoned Bruno for three months.Gigalski, pp. 37-38. He was freed and returned to Rome. King Henry returned at the end of 1082 for a seven-month siege, during which fierce fighting in and around the Leonine City forced Pope Gregory to seek refuge in the Castel Sant' Angelo.Gregorovius IV. 1, pp. 229-230. Bruno was imprisoned once more, in the Castel Sant'Angelo alongside the pope.Gigalski, pp. 39-40. Hartmuth Hoffmann remarks that it is doubtful that during the following decade, he would have had the opportunity to deal with his own diocese as usual.Hoffmann, Hartmuth (1972). "Bruno di Segni." Dizionario biografico degli Italiani: "È da dubitare che, nel corso del decennio successivo, egli avesse modo di occuparsi, come di consueto, della propria diocesi."

Bishop Bruno of Segni attended the eighth Roman synod of Pope Gregory VII, on 4 May 1082.Zafarina (19660, passim. Grégoire (1970), pp. 139-140. J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio, editio novissima, Tomus XXI (Venice: A. Zatta 1776), p. 578.

Career in Roman curia Pope Victor III (1086–1087)J.N.D. Kelly and M.J. Walsh, Oxford Dictionary of Popes second edition (Oxford: OUP 2010), pp. 157-158. named him the Librarian of the Holy Roman Church,A bull of Victor III, dated before July–August 1087, signed by Bruno, indicates that he was already Bibliothecarius. Grégoire (1970), p. 140. and he held the position until he left for Montecassino in 1099. By 1 July 1089, Cardinal Giovanni Gaetani, Cardinal Deacon of S. Maria in Cosmedin, was papal chancellor.Jaffé 5401; Hüls, p. 232.

Pope Urban II was elected on 12 March 1088. Bishop Bruno accompanied Pope Urban on his tour of southern Italy, and was present at Salerno on 14 January 1093, where he subscribed a grant of privileges to Abbot Peter of Cava.Gigalski, p. 45. J. Pflugk-Harttung, Acta pontificum Romanorum inedita Vol. II (Stuttgart: Kohlhammer 1884). p. 150. On 24 August 1093, he was present at the monastery of S. Maria de Panso, a dependency of Montecassino, where the pope consecrated the major church, and Bruno consecrated the chapel in the cloister.Gigalski, p. 45 with note 5. He subscribed a papal document dated 6 February 1094 at Santa Maria Nuova in Rome;Jaffé, p. 674, no. 5506. He is the last bishop to subscribe, after Bishop Dagobert of Pisa. he also subscribed on 19 March and 5 April.Hüls, p. 129, with notes 2-4.

In 1095, Pope Urban was invited by Countess Matilda of Tuscany to visit her domains. Urban held a council at Piacenza during the first week of March, and was gratified and encouraged by the reception he received from every quarter. He was determined to carry his crusade into France, his homeland. Bruno had connections to Pope Urban II, and is found in the papal entourage at Tarascon near Avignon on 11 September 1095, at Avignon on 13 September, and at Cluny on 25 October.Gregorovius IV. 1, pp. 284-285. Hüls, p. 129, with notes 3-5. Bishop Bruno accompanied the pope to the Council of Clermont on 18 November 1095, where the First Crusade was inaugurated. After the council, Bruno accompanied the pope to Limoges from 23–31 December. On 31 December, the pope consecrated the new basilica in the monastery of S. Martial, and Bishop Bruno was present.Gofredus de Bruil, in: Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptorum Tomus XXVI (Berlin 1882; Leipzig: K. Hiersemann 1925), p. 300. The papal party then proceeded to Charroux before going on to Poitiers on 22 January 1096. Bruno accompanied Urban II to Moyenmoutier, near Tours, where, on 3 March, he was invited to consecrate the capella infirmorum.Gigalski, p. 47 with note 4. Jaffé, p. 685. They were at Tours from 3–25 March, where the pope held a synod; and then to Poitiers again from 29–31 March. Their last two destinations were Nîmes on 12 July, where Pope Urban held a synod, and Saint-Gilles on 20 July.Hüls, p. 129. In August 1096, the papal suite began its return to Italy and was in Asti on 9 September; they reached Rome by Christmas.Gigalski, pp. 46-48. Jaffé I, pp. 689-690.

Pope Urban II died in Rome on 29 July 1099, and was succeeded on 13 August 1099 by Cardinal Rainerius da Bieda, who took the name Paschal II.

Bruno and Paschal II

In the summer of 1100, Pope Paschal embarked on a tour of southern Italy. Bishop Bruno accompanied him and subscribed a papal privilege for the benefit of Abbot Peter of Cava at Salerno on 30 August 1100.Gigalski, p. 49, with note 2. J. Pflugk-Harttung, Acta pontificum Romanorum inedita Vol. II (Stuttgart: Kohlhammer 1884). p. 170-171.

Bernhard Gigalski argues that it was in the second half of 1102, perhaps between August and December, that Bishop Bruno entered the monastic state at Montecassino. Bruno had accompanied Pope Paschal on his trip to Benevento and had taken part in Paschal's synod there. During the trip, he became seriously ill and decided to resign from his secular pursuits and enter the cloister.Anonymous life, IV. 2: Acta Sanctorum Julii Tomus IV, p. 482 C: "contingit ipsum pondere magno aegritudinis pergravari: in qua videlicet infirmitate flagranti desiderio cupiens a curis secularibus secedere, et ad claustri solitudinem transmigrare...." He points to the statement in the anonymous life (IV. 5)Acta Sanctorum Julii Tomus IV, p. 482 F. that it had been five years (quinquennio peracto) after his entry that Bruno was elected abbot on 13 November 1107.Gigalski, p. 51, with note 2. See also H. Hoffmann (1972). "Bruno di Segni.", § 3. Peter the Deacon of Montecassino adds that the people of Segni were put out by Bruno's decision, and complained to Pope Paschal. The pope sent messengers to Bruno, ordering him to "take care of his sheep" and to always be available to the pope for ecclesiastical matters; he also demanded to know why Bruno had retired to a monastery without papal permission. Bruno refused the pope and the people of Segni, which caused the pope to ask Abbot Oderisius of Montecassino to allow Bruno to serve the Roman church for forty days every year.Peter the Deacon, in: Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptorum, Vol. VII, pp. 776-777. Gigalski, pp. 53-54.