Atto of Vercelli

Atto of Vercelli, or more rarely Atto II (* 885, † 960/961 ), is known for its diverse letters, sermons and writings he ( 924 until the death of 960/961 ) wrote as a bishop of the northern Italian diocese of Vercelli. Occasionally he is also known as Atto II to distinguish him from a same name bishop of Vercelli, from the middle of the 8th century.

Atto is taken as the son of Viskont Aldegarius the Lombard nobility and had, after his 948 mounted Testament, extensive manors in the Alpine valleys north of Milan. Before he was appointed bishop of the diocese of Vercelli small, he was a monk and learned theologian and canonist. After he was ordained a bishop 924, was his loyalty to the Carolingians descendants of Burgundy Hugh of Vienne, in northern Italy with violence through continued his kingdom since 926, but in vain aspired to the imperial crown. 945 Atto moved the party to the Marquis Berengar II of Ivrea, who initially did not aspire for the throne. 948 goes Atto, probably in agreement with Berengar to the court of the late Hugh of Vienne and his son Lothar serves as a member of the Royal Council. After the unexpected death of Lothair to Atto withdrew from political life.

Work

His scholarly letters, sermons and writings are still preserved from two timely codices of the episcopal scriptorium of Vercelli. Several of his writings were first published by the Benedictine monk Luc d' Achery (1609-1685) in his Spicilegium. 1832 will be another 18 sermons and his Polypticum, a treatise on moral philosophy laid.

Among his various works are also two "political" works. In De pressuris ecclesiastics ( The oppression of the church ), he has clearly and consistently returns the contemporary form laikaler aristocratic rule over the church and church property. In his, by the highly mannered style of writing difficult to understand and therefore inconsequential remaining work Polipticum quod appellatur perpendiculum (lots of leaves book called sinker ), provides Atto the techniques of power gain and retain power under tyrannical rule clearly Represents the model Attos fits it perfectly to the northern Italian conditions the first half of the 10th century.