AMBROSE THE CAMALDULIAN, the common name of AMBROGIO
TRAVERSARI (1386-1439), French ecclesiastic, born near
Florence at the village of Portico. At the age of fourteen
he entered the Camaldulian Order in the monastery of Sta Maria
degli Angeli, and rapidly became a leading theologian and
Hellenist. In Greek literature his master was Emmanuel
Chrysoloras. He became general of the order in 1431, and
was a leading advocate of the
Papacy. This attitude he
showed clearly when he attended the council of Basel as
legate of Eugenius IV. So strong was his hostility to
some of the delegates that he described Basel as a western
Babylon. He likewise supported the pope at Ferrara and
Florence, and worked hard in the attempt to reconcile
the Eastern and Western Churches. Though this cause was
unsuccessful, Ambrose is interesting as typical of the new
humanism which was growing up within the church. Voigt says
that he was the first monk in Florence in whom the love of
letters and art became predominant over his ecclesiastical
views. Thus while among his own colleagues he seemed merely
a hypocritical and arrogant priest, in his relations with his
brother humanists, such as Cosimo de Medici, he appeared as
the student of classical antiquities and especially of Greek
theological authors. His chief works are: -- Hodoeporicon,
an account of a journey taken by the pope's command, during
which he visited the monasteries of Italy; a translation of
Palladius' Life of Chrysostom; of Nineteen Sermons
of Ephraem Syrus; of the Book of St Basil on
Virginity. A number of MSS. remain in the library of
St Mark at Venice. He died on the 20th of October 1439.
See G. Voigt, Die Wiederbelebung des klass. Altertums (2
vols., 3rd ed., 1893); his Epistolae were published by
Cannato (Florence, 1759 with a life by Menus; Bollandist
Bibl. hag. lat. (1898), 65; A. Masius, Uber die Stellung
des Kamaldulensers Amborgio Traversari zum Papst Eugen
IV. und zum Basler Konzil (Dobeln, 1888); Savigny,
Geschichte rom. Rechts, Mittel. (1850), vi. 422-424.
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed