Victor III
Born Dauferius c. 1027, the blessed Victor took the name Desiderius when he became a monk at Benevento. He entered Monte Cassino in 1055, and while there, he expanded the library and set up a school of mosaic-making. He wrote a treatise on the miracles of Benedict of Nursia. Four years later, he became papal vicar for all monasteries in southern Italy. After his election to the papacy in 1086, Victor was forced to leave Rome and returned to Monte Cassino before his consecration. When Norman troops ousted Antipope Clement VII the following year, Victor returned to Rome. He convoked a synod at Benevento to condemn lay investiture and simony. He fell ill during the council and died at Monte Cassino.
Karen Rae Keck
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