Geoffroi De Vendome

Geoffroi De Vendome (Lat. Gaufridus Vindocinensis), a French cardinal, was born at Angers in the latter half of the 11th century, probably of one of the important families of Anjou. Being placed while very young in the monastery of La Trinite de VeYndome, he there distinguished himself by his firmness of character and the extent of his knowledge, so that he was promoted from the rank of novitiate to the dignity of abbot, August 21, 1093. The year following he went to Rome, where Urban II made him a cardinal, with the title of St. Priusque. In 1094 he was at Saumur among the prelates charged by the pope with acquitting Foulques of Anjou. In 1095 he assisted at the Council of Clermont, and in 1097 was found at the Council of Saintes. In 1115 Geoffroi engaged in a quarrel with the abbot of St. Aubin of Angers. The legate Umbald called him, in 1126, to the Council of Orleans, but he responded to him that an abbot of Vendome, vassal of the holy see, obeyed the orders of the pope, and not those of a bishop or any other apostolic mandatory. He was endowed with brilliant qualities, and would have occupied the highest positions in the Church had he been less imperious and sullen. He died at Angers, March 26, 1132. His writings were collected and published, in 1610, by P. Sirmond. This collection offers five books of letters, six treatises upon various dogmatic subjects, hymns, and sermons. The matter which he most often treated of was that of investitures. A Commentaire sur les Psaumes is unpublished. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.