ANDREW OF STRUMI, BL.

Abbot and church reformer; b. Parma, Italy, first half of the 11th century; d. Parma, March 10, 1097. A disciple of the deacon arialdo, he took part in the church reform movement at Milan, and at great personal risk he recovered the body of his master who had been slain at the instigation of the simoniacal archbishop Guido of Velate (d. 1071). About 1069, while still in his 40s, Andrew joined the vallombrosans and was in close contact with their founder, john gualbert, for some years. He became abbot of strumi c. 1085, when the Vallombrosans replaced the benedictine community there. He was called upon to mediate between florence, which was supporting urban ii, and arezzo, partisan of Emperor henry iv. Andrew wrote a life of Arialdo (Patrologia Latina, 143:1437–86) and also one of John Gualbert (Patrologia Latina, 146:765–960). There is in the latter work a reference to one of the saint's miracles that could have been performed only after 1106, and this has cast some doubt on the date usually given for Andrew's death. In the late 13th century Andrew's relics were enshrined in the church of S. Fedele at Strumi.

Feast: March 10.

Bibliography: Sources . Acta Sanctorum March 2:47–49. Literature . b. albers, "Die aeltesten Consuetudines von Vallumbrosa," Revue Bénédictine 28 (1911) 432–436. g. domenici, "La badia di S. Fedele di Strumi presso Poppi," Rivista storica benedettina 10 (1915) 72–92, esp. 87–89. u. rouziÈs, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart (Paris 1912–) 2:1716. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige, 4 v. (Metten 1933–38) 1:309–310. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, ed. h. thurston and d. attwater, 4 v. (New York 1956) 1:549–550. a. m. zimmermann, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 v. (2d, new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 1:520.

[b. j. comaskey]