Genealogy of a bizarre error

[Peter Stewart]

This may amuse some readers, and give others pause for reflection on
trusting entirely to a secondary source on any point, however imposing the
citation may seem:

The 16th century historian Antonio de Yepes stated (without proof) that
Oliba, bishop of Vic - one of the most important figures in 11th-century
Catalonia - died at Cuixa but was taken to Ripoll for burial (he was abbot
of both monasteries). This contradicts the Gesta of the counts of Barcelona
written at Ripoll, stating that Oliba was buried where he died, at Cuixa.

Because of the discrepancy, the information given by Yepes was mentioned in
the 18th century by Enrique Florez, in vol. 28 of his great history of the
Church in Spain, and was taken from there by the 19th century historian
Jaime Villanueva, repeated in vol. 6 of his documentary history of the
Spanish dioceses.

Now it has fetched up in an important new edition, _Recueil des rouleaux des
morts (VIIIe siècle-vers 1536)_, vol. I, edited by Jean Dufour, Recueil des
historiens de la France (Paris, 2005), but in a chamber-of-mirrors
distortion: according to Dufour, citing Villanueva, Oliba's corpse was taken
by the monks from Cuixa and buried at Yepes (!) near Ripoll ("son corps
aurait été transféré à Yepes, près de Ripoll", p. 110). From there this
curious imaginary detail will no doubt propagate itself from now on, until a
once-famous historian has turned definitively into a place of burial.

Peter Stewart

[Leticia Cluff]

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:38:02 GMT, "Peter Stewart"
<p_m_stewart@msn.com> wrote:

This may amuse some readers, and give others pause for reflection on
trusting entirely to a secondary source on any point, however imposing the
citation may seem:

The 16th century historian Antonio de Yepes stated (without proof) that
Oliba, bishop of Vic - one of the most important figures in 11th-century
Catalonia - died at Cuixa but was taken to Ripoll for burial (he was abbot
of both monasteries). This contradicts the Gesta of the counts of Barcelona
written at Ripoll, stating that Oliba was buried where he died, at Cuixa.

Because of the discrepancy, the information given by Yepes was mentioned in
the 18th century by Enrique Florez, in vol. 28 of his great history of the
Church in Spain, and was taken from there by the 19th century historian
Jaime Villanueva, repeated in vol. 6 of his documentary history of the
Spanish dioceses.

Now it has fetched up in an important new edition, _Recueil des rouleaux des
morts (VIIIe siècle-vers 1536)_, vol. I, edited by Jean Dufour, Recueil des
historiens de la France (Paris, 2005), but in a chamber-of-mirrors
distortion: according to Dufour, citing Villanueva, Oliba's corpse was taken
by the monks from Cuixa and buried at Yepes (!) near Ripoll ("son corps
aurait été transféré à Yepes, près de Ripoll", p. 110). From there this
curious imaginary detail will no doubt propagate itself from now on, until a
once-famous historian has turned definitively into a place of burial.

Interesting to see how a Frenchman ventures into Catalonia and screws
the Puig.

There's always a risk that the next person who cites Dufour will
simplify the "aurait été" to "fut" and turn a factoid into a fact.

But there's always a chance that someone might consult an atlas and
find that Yepes is near Toledo, over 500 kilometers from Ripoll.

Tish

[Peter Stewart]

"Nathaniel Taylor" <nltaylor@nltaylor.net> wrote in message
news:nltaylor-C0B9F5.13400924022008@earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...

In article <ovq2s35ikciot0j04tjmgjsrp4v8nku3g7@4ax.com>,
Leticia Cluff <leticia.cluff@nospam.gmail.com> wrote:

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:38:02 GMT, "Peter Stewart"
p_m_stewart@msn.com> wrote:

This may amuse some readers, and give others pause for reflection on
trusting entirely to a secondary source on any point, however imposing
the
citation may seem:

The 16th century historian Antonio de Yepes stated (without proof) that
Oliba, bishop of Vic - one of the most important figures in 11th-century
Catalonia - died at Cuixa but was taken to Ripoll for burial (he was
abbot
of both monasteries). This contradicts the Gesta of the counts of
Barcelona
written at Ripoll, stating that Oliba was buried where he died, at
Cuixa.

Because of the discrepancy, the information given by Yepes was mentioned
in
the 18th century by Enrique Florez, in vol. 28 of his great history of
the
Church in Spain, and was taken from there by the 19th century historian
Jaime Villanueva, repeated in vol. 6 of his documentary history of the
Spanish dioceses.

Now it has fetched up in an important new edition, _Recueil des rouleaux
des
morts (VIIIe siècle-vers 1536)_, vol. I, edited by Jean Dufour, Recueil
des
historiens de la France (Paris, 2005), but in a chamber-of-mirrors
distortion: according to Dufour, citing Villanueva, Oliba's corpse was
taken
by the monks from Cuixa and buried at Yepes (!) near Ripoll ("son corps
aurait été transféré à Yepes, près de Ripoll", p. 110). From there this
curious imaginary detail will no doubt propagate itself from now on,
until a
once-famous historian has turned definitively into a place of burial.

Interesting to see how a Frenchman ventures into Catalonia and screws
the Puig.

Ouch!

I wonder whether a misreading of one of the various idioms for
'according to' lies behind this.

Dufour's use of "aurait été" will seem odd to readers anyway, since his
entire sentence about this reads: "Il mourut à Cuxà le 20 octobre 1046 et
son corps aurait été transféré à Yepes, près de Ripoll".

The reason for this is presumably further uncertainty over what Villanueva
meant in the passage that is Dufour's only reference: "Sobre el lugar de su
sepulcro, el P. Florez (pag. 32) impugna á Yepes en lo que dice que el
difunto obispo fue transladado á Ripoll desde Cuxa donde murió. Es cierto
que hasta ahora no se ha descubierto prueba alguna que nos asegure de esta
translacion".

If Dufour had tracked the information back to Florez he would not have been
confused over the ascription of the dubious account (rather than translation
of the bishop's remains) to Yepes - under the heading "Santa Maria de
Ripoll" Florez wrote: "Menciona tambien Yepes entra aquellos sepulcros al
del Obispo de Vique Oliva (hijo del Conde de Besalú Oliva Cabreta,) Monge de
esta Casa, que desde el monasterio Cuxanense donde murió, dice, fue
transladado aqui".

Peter Stewart