GERVASE OF REIMS

Archbishop; b. Coémont, Sarthe, France, Feb. 2, 1008; d. July 4, 1067. He was the son of Aimon and Hildegard (Hildeburg), sister of Bishop Avesgand of Le Mans (d. in 1036). Gervase succeeded his uncle in the See of Le Mans and was consecrated bishop Dec. 18, 1036. He was impeded in the exercise of his episcopal office particularly by Geoffrey of Anjou (d. 1060), who imprisoned him for seven years, but in a synod at Reims in 1049 Pope leo ix threatened to excommunicate the Count of Anjou if he did not release the bishop (Mansi 19:742). Geoffrey yielded, but only after the prisoner had turned over to him Château-du-Loir. In 1055 Gervase was promoted to the archbishopric of reims, in which office he functioned also as chancellor and primate of the realm. On Pentecost, May 23, 1059, he solemnly crowned philip i, who swore to guarantee and defend the rights of the Church. In 1063 Gervase petitioned Pope alexander ii to come to Reims on important ecclesiastical matters, but the pontiff sent peter damian, "our eye and redoubtable bulwark of the Apostolic See," as his legate (P. Jaffé, Regesta pontificum romanorum ab condita ecclesia ad annum post Christum naturm 1198 L 1:5416).

Bibliography: j. d. mansi Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima collectio 31 v. (Florence-Venice 1757–98). Patologia latina 143:870, 1397–1404, 1547–49. Gallia Christiana 9:68–70. r. ceillier, Histoire générale des auteures sacrés et ecclésiastiques 13:263–266. c. j. hefele, Histoire des conciles d'aprés les documents originaux, tr. h. leclercq, 4.2:1024. a. fliche and v. martin eds., Histoire de l'église depuis les origines jusqu'à nos jours 8:22. h. g. krause, Studi gregoriani 7 (1960) 52. h. glaser, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche ² 4:764.

[h. dressler]