Roberto Alciati: Reshaped families: the case of Lérinian monasticism

One of the first evidences of western monasticism is the ascetic community founded by Honoratus at Lérins at the beginnings of the fifth century. Even if Lérins’ historiography has decisively disregarded the pronounced tendency to family life of some prominent dwellers of the insular hermitage, we know that the first inhabitants of the island settled in their new hideaway along with their wives and children. Eucherius and Salvianus show evident interest in the education of the young members, but this has never been read in the light of their personal adhesion to ascetic life: both remove themselves from the world in the company of their wives and their children. Aim is of this paper is to reconstruct these familial relationships within the monastic walls starting by some precious biographical data drawn from their personal collection of letters and from other authors who deal with Lérinian monks (Paulinus of Nola). 

Let us start with Eucherius. His family is explicitly mentioned in Paulinus of Nola’s ep.51, addressed to Eucherius himself. The letter says that, before their arrival at the smaller island of Lérin, see of the community, Eucherius and his wife had dwelled in Lero, a bigger island situated between Lérins and the coast. This detail is particularly relevant because it is proof of the choice of ascetic life made by an entire family rather than by Eucherius as an individual. It is the case of Paulinus’ family too. The couple lives together along with their sons Salonius and Veranus, to whom are addressed the final greetings (benedicta progenies). Unlike the models so far analysed, Eucherius is not pushed towards asceticism by the death of his wife or children, nor does he leave them behind: he simply takes them along with him, thus generating a unique monastic experience.

The case of Salvianus will confirm the trend. His scanty epistolary contains a letter addressed to his parents, signed by the senders Salvianus, Palladia and Auspiciola. The last two are Salvianus’ wife and daughter respectively. Salvianus is the actual sender, but the other members of the family are ideally associated, also seeking reconciliation with the elderly parents who had disapproved of their conversiuncula. As it is easily deduced from the text, Salvianus does not refer to a conversion to the Christian faith, since the in-laws, called specifically fide fratres, are Christians too.