Atto of Vercelli

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For other meanings, see Atto (disambiguation)

Atto (924 or 925–960 or 961), was a Frenchmonk, learned theologian and canonist, made bishop of Vercelli, Italy before the year 945.

He is sometimes known as Atto II, as an earlier homonymous bishop of Vercelli flourished about middle of eighth century.

[edit] Biography

Atto was a son of the Viscount Aldegarius. He was Bishop of Vercelli (924-961).

In 933 he became Grand Chancellor of king Lothaire II of France, and obtained from the royal gratitude donations and privileges for his see of Vercelli.

During his episcopate see, he made himself known through a great part of Europe by his enlightened zeal for the spiritual and temporal welfare of his diocese of Vercelli and of the church.

[edit] Works

Several of his writings were first published by the Benedictine Luc d'Achery (1609-85) in the eighth volume of his Spicilegium. In 1832 Angelo Mai published eighteen sermons of Atto, and his curious Polypticum, or Perpendiculum, an abridgment of moral philosophy. His Canones are in great part a compilation of either ecclesiastical legislation, including the false Decretals. They contain also certain provisions of his own and are of value for the study of contemporary ecclesiastical life and manners in Northern Italy.

[edit] Sources

• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. [1]