Franciscus Gratianus, or Johannes Gratianus, known most often simply as Gratian, was a 12th century canon lawyer from Bologna. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... Bologna (from Latin Bononia, Bulaggna in the local dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, between the Po River and the Apennines. ...

Since the 11th century, Bologna was the centre of the study of canon law, as well as of civil law, after the Corpus Juris Civilis was rediscovered in western Europe. Little is known about Gratian's life. For a long time it was held he was probably born at the end of the 11th century, at Chiusi in Tuscany. He was said to have beome a monk at the monastery of St. Felix in Bologna and devoted his life to studying canon law. Recent research has found no foundations for this view, nor any reliable mention of his first names. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... Justinian I depicted on a mosaic in the church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy The Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law) is a fundamental work in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Byzantine Emperor. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ...

His compilation, the Concordance of Discordant Canons, later simply named the Decretum, was an attempt to logically solve apparently contradictory canons from previous centuries. Gratian quoted other canons, the Bible, Augustine of Hippo, and other authorities in order to reconcile the laws. The Concordance was completed sometime after the Second Lateran Council, from which it quotes, possibly while Orlando Bandinelli was professor of canon law at the University of Bologna. Research by Anders Winroth, The Making of Gratian's Decretum (2000) has shown that some manuscripts have survived of an early version of Gratian's text, which differs considerably from the mainstream textual tradition. The Decretum Gratiani is a collection of canon law written around 1140 by Gratian. ... The holy Jewish scripture: The Torah. ... St. ... The Second Lateran Council was called by Pope Innocent II in 1139 as an attempt to reunify the church after the two papacies. ... Alexander III, né Orlando Bandinelli (c. ... The University of Bologna (Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a university in Bologna, Italy. ...

With later commentaries and supplements, the work incorporated into the socalled Corpus Juris Canonici, the title being a conscious imitation of the Corpus Juris Civilis. The Decretum quickly became the standard text book for students of canon law throughout Europe, but it never received any formal official recognition by the papacy. Only the Codex Iuris Canonici of 1917 put it out of use.

The date of Gratian's death is not known, but he probably died before 1160.

Extern link

• Domus Gratiani, the website of Anders Winroth, Yale University