Guala Bicchieri and the Magna Carta: the historic journey from Hereford to Vercelli
Special event : February Sat,22th 2020 – Concert for Guala Bicchieri with Fabius Constable & Celtic Harp Orchestra
For the first time the Magna Carta has left England towards Vercelli. On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the basilica of Sant'Andrea, the city receives the 1215 document on loan, which laid the foundations for citizens' rights. The figure of Cardinal Guala Bicchieri, the man who made possible the construction of the first Gothic buildings in Italy, is linked to it.
Cardinal Guala Bicchieri, the excellent diplomat and mediator from Vercelli
Little is known about the important figure of Guala Bicchieri (from the Latin Bichierius-Bicheri). He was born in Vercelli in 1150 from a wealthy family closely linked to the church and related to the Bazani. The father was consul of the Municipality and judge of the Palace under Emperor Henry VI, the mother descended from a noble family. Uncle Giovanni, since 1175 deacon of the church of S. Eusebio, was very important for the education of his nephew. He also had another uncle, Martino, consul of Vercelli. It is believed that he attended the Studio Vercelli or the Schola of the rectory of S. Eusebio. He entered the Eusebian canonical community on December 5, 1187, as can be deduced from a testimonial evidence made by Lanfranco di Caresana, for a controversy over the possession of some lands near Candia Lomellina between the canons of S. Eusebio and the Municipality of Caresana. Before meeting death in Rome no earlier than 1227, Guala founded the basilica of S. Andrea The period of absence of Bicchieri from Vercelli was placed between the years 1187 and 1193. A second in 1199 and lastly 1203. In those years, Guala stayed in Rome while doubts remain about the other places he attended. After following the teaching of the canon of S. Eusebio magister Cotta, he would have gone to Bologna and Paris to perfect his juridical culture despite being a ritual for clerics of those times. Bicchieri would also have allocated 50 pounds for his anniversary to the church and congregation of St. Catherine of Bologna. In 1205 he was made a cardinal with the title of deacon of S. Maria in Portico Octaviae. He thus became papal legate of northern Italy before becoming one in France in 1208. Three years later he became cardinal priest with the title of Saints Silvestro and Martino ai Monti.
Guala Bicchieri in England to King Giovanni for the Magna Carta
In 1216, Pope Innocent III named him papal legate of England because the civil war hampered the papal plans. He arrived in England in the middle of the first baronial war. The rebel barons attempted to overthrow King John and to exile Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, who had left the English church without a guide. Bicchieri sided with the Young King against the barons who supported the aims of the French prince Louis (the future Louis VIII of France) to the throne of England. His figure was instrumental in stabilizing the situation after the end of the war and in drafting the Magna Carta. Guala in fact, in addition to mediating between the rebel barons and the King, supervising the election of the clergy, administering the monastic possessions, participated in the fourth Lateran council. Bicchieri returned to Italy in 1219 after the signing of the Lambeth treaty.
What is Magna Carta?
The Magna Charta, or Magna Charta Libertatum, is an important document written in Latin that King John of England was forced to grant to the barons of the Kingdom, his feudal lords, at Runnymede, on June 15, 1215. It was recognized for the first time that no one was above the law, including sovereign, and that everyone was entitled to a fair trial. The Magna Carta is therefore the first official document for the universal recognition of citizens' rights. There were three versions: that of 1215, 1216 and 1217. Guala Bicchieri, endowed with great diplomatic skills, papal legate to the English court and high prelate from Vercelli, was the promoter of the first draft. He also placed the seal on the document revised the following year and in the reconfirmation of the Charter of 1217 The 800 years of the basilica of S. Andrea, the Magna Carta, Bicchieri: the great event of Vercelli
The ancient parchment comes from Hereford Cathedral and is the centerpiece of the exhibition "La Magna Charta - Guala Bicchieri and his legacy", staged at the Ark of San Marco in Vercelli until last 9 June 2019.
The event is part of the celebrations of the 800 years of the abbey of Sant'Andrea, a symbol of Gothic in Italy and founded on 19 February 1219 by Cardinal Guala Bicchieri. The latter, as papal legate, was indispensable for the drafting of the Magna Carta which allowed him to have better luck. The closing of the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the basilica of Sant'Andrea will accelerate on 22 February 2020 and for this event the city of Vercelli will host a unique and prestigious concert with the internationally renowned harp orchestra the Celtic Harp Orchestra led by Master Fabius Constable. It will also be possible to take a free guided tour of the city.