Career
His close friend Salimbene refers to him in his Chronicles as "one of the most renowned clerics of the world a great preacher and in favour both among the clergy and the people. Ever ready to dispute, he was possessed of a fluent speech, and a voice like that of a trumpet. He was a spiritual man ultra modum, so that on hearing him preach one would believe that he was listening to another Saint Paul or another Elias." Salimbene also tells us that he was called Hugh of Bareol and that the Lombards knew him as Hugh of Montepesulano.
Jean de Joinville, in his life of Louis IX (Acta Sanctorum, August, V, xxvii), records the visit of Hugh of Digne to the king.
Louis endeavoured to retain him at court, but Hugh set out again on his tour of evangelization. lieutenant was while on a similar journey that he wrote to John of Parma, who was then at Greccio, prophesying in his letter, among other things, the death of the pope and of Saint Bonaventure, and the extinction of the Order of the Templars.
Salimbene considers that the writings of the Abbot Joachim of Flora influenced Hugh of Digne. He certainly took an active and prominent part in the movement of the Franciscan Spirituals.
This is evidenced not only from his preaching, but more particularly from his exposition of the Rule of Saint Francis and from his other ascetical writings.
A biographical sketch of Hugh of Digne in Spanish which is of indifferent critical value, was published in the "Chronica Seraphica" by Damian Carnejo.
