Ursus
Blessed Well. And the emperor, sent out from the walls of Ravenna , finished his life in the hands of his attackers.2 And Liberius was buried in the monasterium of St. Pulio, which was built in his time, not far from the gate which is called the Porta Nova; his tomb is known to us. The above-mentioned bishop sat __ years, __ months, __ days. CONCERNING HOLY URSUS, C. 405–31 . Ursus, the sixteenth bishop, most chaste in body, most holy in works, had a thin and beautiful face, and was moderately bald. He first began to construct a temple to God here, so that the Christian populace, which was scattered in separate dwellings, might be collected by that most dutiful shepherd into one flock. He never polluted his church, nor sold the Holy Spirit, nor stretched out his hand to receive any gift in return for the laying on of hands. This most blessed leader built within this city of Ravenna that holy catholic church, where we all regularly assemble, which he named Ursiana after his own name.1 He founded it in his time and, with the aid of God, brought it to completion. He lined the walls with most precious stones; he arranged diverse figures in multicolored mosaics over the vault of the whole temple. The whole populace, as one man, joyful and rejoicing, labored with spontaneous spirit, and greatly praised the God of the heavens, since their salvation was advanced in their hands through the intercession of His priest and confessor. Euserius and Paul decorated one wall surface, on the north side,2 next to the altar of St. Anastasia, which Agatho made. That is the wall where columns are placed in a row up to the wall of the .This information seems to be taken from an annalistic source; however, none of the emperors namedValentinian died in Ravenna. z .The cathedral of Ravenna. . In the Latin, the north and the south sides are identified as the pars virorum (“men’s side”) and pars mulierum (“women’s side”); this usage seems to have its origin main door. Satius and Stephen3 decorated the other wall on the south side, up to the above-mentioned door, and here and there they carved in stucco4 different allegorical images of men and animals and quadrupeds, and they arranged them with greatest skill. The said church is now located in the Herculana region—it is called Herculana because it was consecrated by Hercules—not far from theVincileonian gate, called so becauseVincilius built it. This holiest man lived in the episcopal residence,5 which is placed next to the Fossa Amnis, where it goes out, flowing under the Bridge of the Millers, from the place which is called Organaria, a thing wonderful in size and completely constructed of a built device , where now there seems to be a destroyed stable.6 After all these things had been completed and the buildings fully constructed, he sensed a slight infirmity in his body, and thus as if bursting he rendered up his spirit on April ; in such peace and tranquillity he finished his life on the day of the holy Resurrection. in the separation of men and women during the sacred service; see Glossary, s.v. pars virorum and pars mulierum. . Euserius, Paul, Agatho, Satius, and Stephen were probably the patrons of the decoration, whose work was commemorated by inscriptions (Testi-Rasponi, CPER, , n. ), and not, as Holder-Egger (LPER, , n. ) and others suggest, the artists. Cf. the mosaic of St. Reparata in Florence, in which floor inscriptions name the donors; seeToker, “Early Medieval Florence.” . Gipsea metalla is some type of material that according to Agnellus is incised (c. ), sculpted (c. ), and embedded (c. ), and probably refers to stucco or plaster; see Glossary, s.v. gipsea metalla. .The episcopium of Ravenna, next to the Ursiana cathedral, was added to many times over the course of its history, as Agnellus tells in cc. , , , , . About this complex, see esp. Rizzardi, “Note sull’antico episcopio,” Deichmann, Ravenna .:–, and Miller, “The Development,” and Miller, The Bishop’s Palace, ff. .The Latin here is corrupt, and its meaning is obscure. AsTesti-Rasponi, CPER, , n. , points out, the organaria was probably some sort of lock or waterwheel used in regulating water levels and providing power to the mills near the Bridge of the Millers. The Organaria was under a bridge, probably blocking off the waterway with constructions; that there was now a destroyed stable on the site indicates that...
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