(Image: the Martyrs of Otranto in Otranto Cathedral)
ABBOT ' WERDIN' D'OTRANTO (b.? - died c. 1259-1279 AD)
The Abbot 'Werden',
'Werdin' or rather Verdino of Otranto is a later translation /
inscription for the Latin name 'Verdini Hidruntini', also 'Verdinum
Hydruntinum' found in certain
later records.(*1) As his name suggests, he was from the town of
Otranto in the southern region of Apulia, province of Lecce, Italy
and is sometimes called the Salentino prophet of the 13th
century.
While
the prophecy itself says the text was entrusted to Verdino's
students, Giacomo d'Otranto and Mauro of Palermo, and therefore could
have been rediscovered in 1594 (*2), later texts say it was found in
his grave by an abbot of by an abbot in Cosenza, in Calabria. The 'Acta Sanctorum der Bollandisten' states it was believed his body was
discovered in 1714 in a Cistercian church in the 'archidioecesis
Cosentinae' (Archdiocese of Consentina, which is Cosenza), suggesting
the that Verdino was a Cistercian and died in a monastery belonging
to the order in Calabria, although it is not certain which one. Some
Italian texts from the early 19th
century offer the theory he was an abbot at the Basilian monestary
San Nicolas de Casale of Otranto and later buried in a Cistercian
church in Cosenza, although this theory seems strange, a Byzantine
Rite abbot leaving such a monastery and joining the Latin Rite
Cistercians, unless Verdino converted to the Latin Rite, although
there is no information and for now is only a theory.
The'
Acta Sanctorum der Bollandisten' further states his tomb was
discovered with silver plaques on which the following text was
inscribed in Latin: “ Cum sancta civitas fulgebit splendore
stellae, sol iterum me videbit. Hoc est corpus abbatis Verdini
Hidruntini, sepulti VI idus novembris MCCLIX”- “When the Holy
City shines with the splendor of the stars, the sun shall see me
again. Here is the body of Verdino of Otranto, buried on November 6,
1259. (Later sources have his year of death as 1279.)
The
'Acta Bollandisten' also notes the prevailing theory of the times
that if his body was discovered in 1714, the silver plates were
referring to the papacy of Clement XI due to the star on his papal
crest. This seems a weak theory, but interestingly enough, Clement
XI extended the feast of Our Lady of Victories / Our Lady of the
Rosary to the whole of the Latin Rite in 1716, a feast originally
instituted by Pius V in celebration of the victorious Battle of
Lepanto over the Ottoman Turks. The ravaging hoard of Muslims
feature heavily in Verdino's prophecies, which indeed is still
popular among Italians as they believe he had predicted the Ottoman
invasion of Otranto, which happened in July of 1480-1481. The 800
Martyrs of Otranto were canonzied by Pope Francis on May 12, 2013.
Of interest, the text I discovered indicates Verdano's prophecies
infer he not only predicted the Muslim invasion of Otranto, but also that it will happen again.
However,
as the prophecy attributed to him describes the Angelic Pontiff as
the 'bright star' of Rome, and that his body and his prophetic texts
will not be discovered until the 'bright star' shines in Rome after a
troubled conclave, suggests Abbot Verdino's body and the full texts
of his prophecies will be found when the Angelic Pontiff is elected.
If the students he allegedly entrusted his texts to circulated them
beforehand, this could account for how we have a knowledge of them
now before the arrival of the 'bright star' of the Angelic Pontiff,
and that this prophecy regarding his grave being discovered could
have been misconstrued into an event that had already happened.
The
troubling thing with Abbot Verdino's prophecies, they do not seem to
be in sequential order and appear cyclical in nature, and apparently
the prophecies regarding a degenerate earth tends to double for two
series of events as the events are similar. However, I have made an
attempt to unravel them with my observation notes provided in
brackets.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Prophecy
found in a work / manuscript entitled : “Vaticinium memorabile”
(*3)
“I, Abbot Werdin
d'Otranto, warned by my guardian angel that the time of my death is
approaching, I have written the events that were revealed to me, and
that they will happen .... . And I copy a parchment (and place it)
into a small box of marble, recommending, by virtue of holy
obedience, to Giacomo d'Otranto and Mauro of Palermo my dear
disciples, to deposit (them) with my body in my tomb. At the time when a beautiful star will shine on the chair of Peter,
elected against the expectation of men in the midst of a great
electoral struggle, the star whose splendour will illuminate the
universal Church, the tomb that holds my body will be opened.”
(Note: as mentioned, it was thought this 'star' was Clement the XI,
but as Verdino's body is still 'lost' and and the 'Angelic Shepherd
will later be described as a a 'star' and 'extinct star' in the same
prophecy, this could be a prediction Verdino's body will be
discovered when the Angelic Pontiff is elected.)
"This good shepherd
looked at by the angels, will leave behind (I.e. as a posterity?) a
lot of things. By his zeal and solicitude altars will be built, and
the destroyed churches restored.” (Note: the Angelic Shepherd
will restore the Church after a time of destruction.)
"Then a gracious
young man of the posterity of Pepin, (i.e a descendant of King Pepin
of France, who was the father of Charlemagne) finding himself in a a strange (foreign) country, (i.e.
an exile) will come to contemplate the glory of this shepherd, which
shepherd will place in a wonderful way this young man on the throne
of France until then (left) vacant. He will crown him, and call him
to help his own government.” (Note: the Angelic Pope will crown the
Great Monarch – this has to be as Holy Roman Emperor because the
Emperor is later described as an 'eagle', symbol of Imperial rule.).
“After a few years,
this star (Angelic Pontiff) will become extinguished, and the
(sorrow) will be general in the world, because with it the
septuagenarian eagle will be buried at this time, (the Great Monarch
will be in his late 70s or early 80s when he dies?), leaving its
eaglet under the dominion of the nation's primaries. (Apparently
Verdino says the Great Monarch will have an heir, but, as most of the
prophecies say the Antichrist will soon appear after the Great
Monarach, and, if the Great Monarch dies in old age, it seems odd he
would sire a very young heir that would require a regent at such a
late date, so, this is one element of the Great Monarch that is
unique.) From this everything will turn into ruin. The beast
(Antichrist?) whose ferocity is unheard of, which carries a
bitter-filled tail of poison, will enter its abode, and an
innumerable number of snakes will multiply.
Therefore, when the time
has come, they (invaders? heretics?) will penetrate all the houses of the
clergy and drown the priestly dignities in bloodshed, and such will
be in all the corners of hunger and anguish, which most men will
invoke the death. (Note: as will other prophecies, it sounds like we
have the persecution of the Antichrist. The Church will once more
have enemies in its midst, fall into heresy and persecution just
like the times before the Great Monarch and Angelic Pontiff appear.
However, at this point on, it also seem like Verdino's prophecies
switch back to the wars that will come before the Great Monarch and
got mixed up here as it is said the Muslims will invade again before
his reign.) Of these days, many cities will perish as victims of
civil and foreign wars, mainly in Italy, both in the kingdom of
Naples and in Tuscany. Such cruelty to be feared, such terrible
horrors, that the imagination can not conceive of the most terrible
ones! ... Otranto, my homeland, will be once again (novellamente)
destabilised by the Mohammedan dragon. Rome will be singularly
shaken. Florence of the same will be hit then; she awaits the
vengenace under her apostate head. The nest of the philosophers will
be equally agitated, and Genoa will be exposed to incursions of the
enemy. Thus the Lord announces it. The Turks, with the peoples that
will be in those times, will (harness?) Venice, and will unexpectedly
give you a battle. The whole kingdom of Sicily will perish. May God
be propitious to his servants! Many monasteries will be landed
(atterrato=come to land) under the poison (or venom) of the eagle of
the North. (Note: there are three 'northern countries' that are
represented by the symbol of an eagle, Germany, Russia with a
double-headed eagle, and the United States. We could have a prophecy
of the poison of Protestantism or Nazi Germany, the rise of
Communism from Russia, or, corruption from the USA.) There was a
great bloodshed because of two fights between the French and the
Dutch. Oh how ever it is to be desired that God should remove his
wrath!
"From the East will
come an eagle with wings spread out in the sun, followed by a
multitude of men to come in support of the son of man. (The Great
Monarch 'eagle' with his armies will help the Angelic Pontiff 'son of
man'.) Then the fortresses will fall, and the world will be in
fear. On that day there will take place in the land of the lion a war
between the princes, more cruel than any other than the world's
desolate, and will be a flood of blood.
"The lily will lose
its crown, that the eagle will steal, and the son of man will be
crowned.” (Note: this seems like an odd text, but if it's out of
sequence, it makes sense if it's meant to be read like this: France will lose
the crown of the fleur de lys, representing the absolute monarchy,
which happened during the French Revolution, and then again in the
Third Republic of France. The 'eagle' will steal it = the Great
Monarch / Emperor will have to fight for it and steal back what is
rightfully his. The next paragraph shows the 'son of man'
represents the Angelic Pontiff, see the next prophecy below. He
will be crowned pope around the time or after the Great Monarch
rightfully steals back his own crown and then comes to his aid. As we
saw above, Vidano predicted there would be trouble around the 'star'
and his election to the papacy regarding an electoral struggle.
Corrupt clergy will not want reform? This also corresponds with
other prophecies.)
“During the space of
four years, nations will collide with each other, the seven will
disappear, (i.e annihilation of nations) and a great number of people
will perish. The head of the world (Rome) will fall into ruin. The
son of man, crossing the seas, will bear on his head the marvellous
sign of promise. (The Angelic Pontiff) And the son of man and the
eagle shall prevail, and peace shall reign in the world after the
victory of the son of man and of the eagle.” (Note: here we see
the rise of the Angelic Pontiff as the 'son of man' – the
diminutive form of the word in Italian for 'son' is used in the
prophecy, meaning the Pontiff is a symbolic representation of Christ
the true Son of Man who is the Head of the Church. The 'eagle'
obviously represents the Great Monarch in the role of an Emperor, and
this paragraph corresponds with other prophecies that there will be a
two to four year war, nations will be annihilated, and Rome will fall
into ruins before the Great Restoration / Age of Peace.)
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
A
text attributed to Abbot Verdino:
“The
great Monarch and the great Pope will precede Antichrist. The nations
will be at war for
four years and a great part of the world will be destroyed. All sects
will vanish. The capital of the world will fall. The Pope will go
over the sea carrying the sign of Redemption on his forehead, and
after the victory of the Pope and the Great Monarch peace will reign
on earth.”
“The
Pope will cross the sea in a year when the Feast of St. George (April
23rd) falls on Good Friday, and St. Mark's feast (April 25th) falls
on Easter Sunday, and the feast of St. Anthony (June 13th) falls on
Pentecost and the feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24th) falls on
Corpus Christi….”
"The Great Monarch
will come to restore peace and the Pope will share in the victory."
(*4)
(Note:
since this 'Feastday Prophecy' is not in the earlier document I
discovered relating Verdino's other prophecies, see footnote 3 for
the document, it is possible this could be a later addition / interpretation
based on St. Bridget of Sweden's 'Years of Woe' prophecy, and
attributed to Verdino. However, 'The 'Year of Woe' corresponds with
other prophecies stating the destructive age before the coming of the
King and Pontiff will start circa the 20th
century and will last around a century, 'i.e. 'Satan's Century' seen
by Pope Leo XIII. The feastdays mentioned above conjoined in 1943,
and will occur again in 2038.)
Footnotes:
- Source: Acta Sanctorum der Bollandisten, Band November III – 1, Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon, https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/ActaSanctorum/8.November.html
- Kenneth Meyer Setton, Western Hostility to Islam and Prophecies of Turkish Doom, American Philosophical Society, 1992, p. 36.
- Italian translation of the text in the publication, by Ricorretta (?), I futuri destini degli stati e delle nazioni, ovvero Profezie e predizioni riguardanti i rivolgimenti di tutti i Regni dell'Universo, Tourino, 1864.
4. Source: Rev R.Gerald. Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, Tan Books and Publishers 1941, pp. 150-151::::::::::::
