RIETI
54
RIFFEL
Rieti, Diocese of (Reatina), Central Italy, im-
mediately subject to the Holy See. The city is situ-
ated in the valley of the River Velino, which, on
account of the calcareous deposits that accumulate
in it, grows shallower and imperils the city, so that
even in ancient days it was necessary to construct.
canals and outlets, "like that of Marius Curius Den-
tat us (272 B. c.) which, repaired and enlarged by
Clement VIII, has produced the magnificent waterfall
of the Velino, near Terni. The city, which was
founded by the Pelasgians, was the chief town of the
Sabines, and became later a Roman municipium and
prefecture. After the Longobard invasion it was the
seat of a "gastaldo", dependent on the Duchy of
Spoleto. It was presented to the Holy See by Otto I
in 962; in 1143, after a long siege, it was destroyed by
King Roger of Naples. It was besieged again in 1210
by Otto of Brunswick when forcing liis way into the
Kingdom of Naples. In the thirteenth century the
popes took refuge there on several occasions, and in
r2SS it witnessed the coronation of Charles II of
Naples; later an Apostolic delegate resided at Rieti.
In 1S60, by the disloyalty of a delegate, it was occu-
pied by the Italian troops without resistance. Rieti
was the birthplace of Blessed Colomba (1501) ; in the
sixth century it contained an Abbey of St. Stephen;
the body of St. Baldovino, Cistercian, founder of the
monasterj' of Sts. Matthew and Pastor (twelfth cen-
turj') is venerated in the cathedral. Near Rieti is
Greccio, where St. Francis set up the first Christmas
crib. The cathedral is in Lombard style, with a crypt
dating from the fourth or fifth century. It should be
remarked that in medieval documents there is fre-
quent confusion between Reatinus (Rieti), Aretinus
(Arezzo), and Teaiinus (Chieti). The first known
Bi.shop of Rieti is Ursus (499); St. Gregory mentions
Probus and Albinus (sixth century). The names of
many bishops in the Longobard period are known.
Later we meet with Dodonus (1137), who repaired the
damage done by King Roger; Benedict, who in 1184
officiated at the marriage of Queen Constance of
Naples and Henr>' VI; Rainaldo, a Franciscan (1249),
restorer of discipline, which work was continued by
Tommaso (12.52); Pietro Guerra (1278), who had
Andrea PLsano erect the episcopal palace with materi-
als taken from the ancient amphitheatre of Vespasian;
Lodovico Teodonari (1380), murdered while engaged
in Divine service, on account of his severity, which
deed was cruelly punished by Boniface IX; Angelo
Capranica 04.50), later a cardinal; Cardinal Pompeo
Colonna (1.508), who for rebellion against Julius II
and Clement VII was twice deprived of his cardinal-
it ial dignity; Scipione Colonna (1.520), his nephew,
took part in the revolt against Clement VII in 1.528,
and was kille<l in an encounter with Amico of Asooli,
Abbot of F^arfa; Marianus Victorius (1572, for a few
days), a distinguished writer and patrologi-st; Giorgio
Bolognetti nG.'i9), restored the episcopal palace and
was distinguijihed for his charity; Gabrielle Ferretti
(1827), later a cardinal, a man of great charity. At
Ercjsent the diocese contains 60 parishes, 142,100 in- abitants, 2.50 secular priests, 7 religious hou-ses with 63 prif^tH, 15 houses of nuns; 2 educational establish- ments for boys, and 4 for girls.
CArrELLrm, 1^ r,hu'e d' Italia, V; de Sanctib, Notizie ntoriche di Rxeti (Hieti, 1887); Maboni, Comnuntarii de EccUtia Reatina
U. Benioni.
Riayaulx (Rievali;), Abbey of.— Thurston, Arch- bishop of ^ork, was v<-r>' anxious to have a monastery of the newly founds] and f«;rvent order of Cistercians in his diwr«e; and so, at his invitation, St. Bernard of Clairvaux sent a cohmy of his rnonks, under the leadership of Alibot Willi'am, to make the flesired foundation. AfU^r some delay Walter Espec became their founder and chief benefactor, presfinting them with a suitable estate, situated in a wild and lonely
spot, in the valley of the rivulet Rie (from whence
the abbey derived its name), and surrounded by pre-
cipitous hills, in Blakemore, near Helmesley. The
community took possession of the ground in 1131, and
began the foundation, the first of their order in York-
shire. The church and abbey, as is the case with all
monasteries of the order, were dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary. At first their land being crude
and uncultivated, they suffered much until, after a
number of years, their first benefactor again came to
their assistance and, later on, joined their community.
Their land, also, through their incessant labours, even-
tually became productive, so that, with more ade-
quate means of subsistence, they were able to devote
their energies to the completion of church and
monastic buildings, though these were finished only
after a great lapse of time, on account of their isola-
tion and the fact that the monastery was never
wealthy. The constructions were carried on section
by section, permanent edifices succeeding those that
were temporary after long intervals. The final build-
ings, however, as attested by the magnificent, though
melancholy, ruins yet remaining, were completed on a
grand scale.
Within a very few years after its foundation the community numbered three hundred members, and was by far the most celebrated monastery in England ; many others sprang from it, the most important of them being Melrose, the first Cistercian monastery built in Scotland. Rievaulx early became a brilliant centre of learning and holiness; chief amongst its lights shone St. Aelred, its third abbot (1147-67), who from his sweetness of character and depth of learning was called Bernardo prope par. He had been, before his entrance into the cloister, a most dear friend and companion of St. David, King of Scotland. History gives us but scant details of the later life at Rievaulx. At the time of its suppression and con- fiscation by Henry VIII the abbot, Rowland Blyton, with twenty-three religious composed its community. The estates of this ancient abbey are now in the possession of the Duncombe family.
Manrique, Annales Cistercienses (Lyons, 1642); MartJinb AND Ddrand, Thesaurus novus anecdotorum, IV (Paris, 1717); Henriquez, Pha:nix reviviscens (Brussels, 1626); Duodalb, Monaslicon Anglicanum, V (London, 1817-30); Carlularium ab- batiw de Ricvalle in Siirtees' Soc. Publ. (London, 1889); St. Aelred, Abbot of Rievaux (London, 1845); Oxford, Ruins of Fountains Abbey (London, 1910); Hodges, Fountains Abbey (New York, 1904).
Edmond M. Obrecht.
Riffel, Caspar, historian, b. at Biidesheim, Bingen, Germany, 19 Jan., 1807; d. at Mainz, 15 Dec, 1856. He studied under Klee at Mainz and Bonn and under Mohler at Tubingen. After his ordination to the priesthood, 18 Dec, 1830, he was named assistant priest at Bingen. In 1835 he was appointed to a parish at Giessen, and to the chair of moral theology in the local theological faculty. His transfer to the profes.sorship in Church history fol- lowed in 1837. The publication of the first volume of his Church history in 1841 aroused a storm of indignation among Protestants, to whom his accurate though not flattering account of the Reformation was distasteful. The Hessian Government hastened to pension the fearless teacher (19 Nov., 1842). This measure caused intense indignation among the dio- cesan Catholic clergy, who denounced the Protestant atmosphere of the university. Riffel retired to Mainz, where Bishop von Ketteler appointed him in 1851 professor of Church history in his newly organized ecclesiastical seminary. Death put a j)rematurc end to the teaching of this Catholic educator, who contributed largely to the restoration of a truly ecclesiastical spirit among the German clergy. He wrote: "Geschichtliche Darstellune des Verhaltnisses zwischen Kirche und Staat", ^lainz, 1836; "Predigten auf alle Sonn- und Festtage des
