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Luigi Tosti

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Dom
Luigi Tosti
Born February 13, 1811
Naples, Kingdom of Naples
Died 24 September 1897 (aged 86)
Monte Cassino, Kingdom of Italy
Occupations Benedictine monk
Historian
Political theorist
Parent(s) Giovanni Tosti and Vittoria Tosti (née Corigliano)
Academic background
Academic advisor Carlo Troya
Academic work
Discipline Medieval history

Luigi Tosti OSB (Naples, 13 February 1811 – Monte Cassino, 24 September 1897) was a Benedictine historian.

Life

His father, Count Giovanni Tosti, descended from an ancient Calabrian family, died young, and so his mother, Vittoria Corigliano, entrusted the child to his uncle, a monk at Monte Cassino. In 1819 Tosti became a pupil at the abbey, and was drawn early towards the monastic life.

He was sent to Rome to complete his studies, was ordained priest in 1833, and soon returned to Monte Cassino, where for twenty years he taught the doctrines of Aquinas. About 1829 he had begun a deep study of history, and in 1842 he published his Storia della badia di Monte Cassino, soon followed by the Storia di Bonifazio VIII (History of Pope Boniface VIII). His Storia della Lega Lombarda (History of the Lombard League), dedicated to Pius IX, appeared in 1848 and was a trumpet-call to the Neo-Guelph party. He worked so hard that in 1851 he published the Storia di Abelardo e dei suoi tempi, the Storia del Concilio di Constanza (History of the Council of Constance) in 1853, the Storia dell' origine dello scisma greco in 1856, La Contessa Matilde e i Romani pontefici in 1859, and in 1861 the Prolegomeni alla storia universale della Chiesa.

Tosti took part in the nationalist movement blessed by Pius IX. In 1844 he had planned a review, L'Ateneo italiano, for the purpose of raising the papacy to the head of his Risorgimento. The Neapolitan police authorities opposed the idea. They forbade Tosti to engage in the projected mediation between pope and triumvirs of the ephemeral Roman Republic; this mediation was being advocated by the French envoy, Comte d'Harcourt. Pius IX intervened personally to secure the liberation of the imprisoned Tosti, who, as Cardinal Alfonso Capecelatro relates, had been accused of belonging to a band of murderous conspirators. William Temple, the English ambassador at Naples, also opposed his imprisonment. Tosti sought consolation in the study of the Holy Scriptures and his book, Ricordi biblici, was the fruit of this experience.

He was sad to see convents threatened by a law of expropriation passed by the Parliament of the new Italian Kingdom and appealed to distinguished friends, such as the British statesman, William Gladstone, to obtain some exemption for Monte Cassino, which he likewise procured later for the Abbey of Grottaferrata, the Sacro Speco of Subiaco, etc. Pained by these events, Tosti refused a chair in the University of Pisa, but later became assistant archivist of the Vatican, under Leo XIII. This pope's allocution in May, 1887, inviting the Italian Government to make peace, presided over by the former revolutionary, Francesco Crispi, rekindled Tosti's patriotism.

Deputed by the pope to negotiate the restoration of St. Paul's to the Benedictines, Tosti hoped to effect an official reconciliation of the Vatican and the Quirinale. Crispi's impatience, mutual opposition, and the distrusts of French diplomats, thwarted his efforts, and he had to retract publicly his brochure La conciliazione. He withdrew to Monte Cassino and undertook his Della vita di S. Benedetto (Of the Life of St Benedict). Moved by the pope's appeal to the English in 1896, he renewed his efforts with Gladstone, in favour of a reunion of the Churches.

Works

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Luigi Tosti — Benedictine historian, b. at Naples 13 Feb., 1811; d. at Monte Cassino, 24 Sept., 1897. His father, Count Giovanni Tosti, descended from an ancient Calabrian family, having died young, his mother, Vittoria Corigliano, entrusted the child to its uncle, a monk at Monte Cassino. In 1819 Tosti because a pupil at the celebrated abbey, and was drawn early towards the monastic life.

He was sent to Rome to complete his studies, was ordained priest in 1833, and soon returned to Monte Cassino, where for twenty years he taught the doctrines of St. Thomas. About 1829 he had begun a deep study of history, and in 1842 he published his "Storia della badia di Monte Cassino", soon followed by the "Storia di Bonifazio VIII". His "Storia della Lega Lombarda", dedicated to Pius IX, appeared in 1848 and was a trumpet-call to the Neo-Guelph party. He laboured so assiduously that in 1851 he published the "Storia di Abelardo e dei suoi tempi", the "Storia del Concilio di Constanze" in 1853, the "Storia dell' origine dello scisma greco" in 1856, "La Contessa Matilde e i Romani pontefici" in 1859, and in 1861 the "Prolegomeni alla storia universale della Chilsa".

Tosti took an energetic and enthusiastic part in the national movement blessed by Pius IX. In 1844 he had planned a review, "L'Ateneo italiano", for the purpose of putting the papacy at the head of his Risorgimento. The Neapolitan police authorities opposed it, and forbade Tosti to take part in the projected mediation (between the pope and the triumvirs of the ephemeral Roman Republic), which was advocated by the French envoy, Comte d'Harcourt. Pius IX had to intervene personally to secure the liberation of the learned monk, who had been accused, as Cardinal Capecelatro relates, of belonging to a band of murderous conspirators, and put in prison. Temple, the English ambassador at Naples, also courageously opposed this defenceless persecution. Tosati sought consolation in the study of the Holy Scriptures and his beautiful book, "Ricordi biblici", was the fruit of this mishap.

He had the sorrow of seeing his beloved convents threatened by a law of spoliation passed by the Parliament of the new Italian Kingdom and appealed to distinguished friends, such as W. E. Gladstone, to obtain some exemption for Monte Cassino, which he likewise procured later for the Abbey of Grottaferrata, the Sacro Speco of Subiaco, etc. Pained by these persecutions Tosti refused a chair in the University of Pisa, but became later assistant archivist of the Vatican, under Leo XIII. This great pope's allocution in May, 1887, inviting the Italian Government to make peace, presided over by the former revolutionary, Crispi, rekindled Tosti's patriotism. Deputed by the pope to negotiate the restoration of St. Paul's to the Benedictines, Tosti hoped to effect an official reconciliation of the Vatican and the Quirinal. Crispi's impatience, mutual opposition, the distrusts of French diplomatists, thwarted his noble efforts, and the too hopeful religious had to retract publicly his brochure "La conciliazione". He withdrew to Monte Cassino and undertook his "Della vita di S. Benedetto". Moved by the pope's generous appeal to the English in 1896, he renewed his efforts with Gladstone, in favour of a reunion of the Churches.

BELLESHEIM in Katholik, I (1899), 136 sqq.; CAPECELATRO, Commemor. di D. Luigi Tosti (Monte Cassino, 1899); CIPOLLA, Luigi Tosti e le sue relazioni col Piemonte in Atti d. R. acad. delle sc. di Torino XXXVI (seance of 25 Nov., 1900); OVIDIO, Il padre Luigi Tosti in Revue de Italia, I (1898), 24 sqq.; GAY, Le pere Tosti chivio stor. ital., series V, XXI, 241 sqq.; QUINTAVALLE, La conciliazione fra l'Italia e il papato (Milan, 1907).

Bibliography

Attribution
    • Bellesheim, A. (1899). "Don Luigi Tosti, Benediktiner auf Monte Cassino. 1811-1897". Der Katholik. 18 (2): 136–154.
    • Capecelatro, Alfonso (1899). Commemorazione di D. Luigi Tosti, Abate Cassinese. Monte Cassino.
    • Cipolla, Carlo (1900–1901). "Luigi Tosti e le sue relazioni col Piemonte". Atti della R. Accademia delle Scienze di Torino. XXXVI: 116–145.
    • D'Ovidio, Francesco (1898). "Don Luigi Tosti". Rivista d'Italia. I: 24–44.
    • Gay, Jules (1904). "Le père Tosti et la «Conciliation»". Revue de Paris. VI: 178–200.
    • Pistelli, Ermenegildo (1898). "Il padre Tosti". Archivio Storico Italiano. XXI: 241–254.
    • Quintavalle, Ferruccio (1907). La conciliazione fra l'Italia e il papato nelle lettere del padre Tosti e del sen. Gabrio Casati [The Reconciliation between Italy and the Papacy]. Milan: tip. L. F. Cogliati.
  • Renan, Ernest (1859). "Dom Luigi Tosti ou le parti guelfe dans l'Italie contemporaine (1851)". Essais de morale et de critique. Paris. pp. 205–241.
  • Buonaiuti, Ernesto (1928). "Padre Tosti e il rinnovamento cattolico". Ricerche Religiose. 4: 149–154.
  • Amighetti, Paolo Maria (2019). "Un benedettino sul Carroccio alla vigilia del Quarantotto: Luigi Tosti e la Storia della Lega lombarda". Rassegna Storica del Risorgimento. CVI (1/2): 51–74. doi:10.1400/288670.
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