PAULINUS OF VENICE

Franciscan bishop, diplomat, and historian; b. Venice, c. 1274; d. Pozzuoli, late June 1344. He was custos of Venice (1304) and inquisitor in the March of Treviso (1305–07). He served from 1321 to 1326, as chaplain, apostolic penitentiary, and inquisitor under Pope john xxii at Avignon. As inquisitor he was examiner of the famous Liber secretorum fidelium crucis by Marino Sanudo (d. c. 1343). Paulinus's diplomatic services were used by both the republic of Venice and the Holy See. Venice sent him as an intermediary to Robert of Naples in 1315–16 and again in 1321 when Robert was in Provence. Paulinus became a friend of this king and later, as bishop, his adviser. In 1322 John XXII sent Paulinus to Venice to persuade the republic to cease hostilities against Rimini, and then to Ferrara, which was in rebellion against the Holy See. In 1324 he was named bishop of Pozzuoli, but did not take possession of his see until 1326 because of his diplomatic activity. As a historian Paulinus developed the Historiarum epitome into the Satyrica gestarum rerum regum atque regnorum …, a world history from the creation to Emperor Henry VII (1308–13). This work, written between 1316 and 1322, has little historical value. It has wrongly been attributed to a certain Jordan. The Chronologia magna, a world history, is unimportant except for sections pertaining to the franciscans that have been published separately. His most significant work is the Provinciale ordinis fratrum minorum, a catalogue of Franciscan provinces, custodies, and convents. The best critical edition is by P. C. Eubel [Quaracchi 1892; an appendix in Bullarium franciscanum, 5 (1898) 579–602]. Between 1313 and 1315 Paulinus composed De regimine rectoris in the Venetian dialect. Its three parts treat of government of self, of the family, and of the republic. It has been edited by A. Mussafia, Trattato de regimine rectoris di fra Paolino Minorita (Vienna and Florence 1868).

Bibliography: k. eubel, "Handschriftliches zur Chronik des sogen. Jordanus," Historisches Jahrbuch der Görres-Gesellschaft 14 (1893) 603–608. g. golubovich, Biblioteca bio-bibliografica della Terra Santa e dell'Oriente francescano, 5 v. (Quaracchi-Florence 1906–23) v.2. j. h. sbaralea Supplementum et Castigatio ad scriptores trium ordinum S. Francisci a Waddingo (Rome 1936) 2:307–308. a. ghinato, Fr. Paolino da Venezia … (Rome 1951). l. spÄtling, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche ² 8:210–211.

[j. j. smith]