Petrus of Alvastra

Petrus of Alvastra (ca 1307 – 9th of April 1390), otherwise called Petrus Olavi, Petrus prior or Petrus frater, was prior of the Cistercian monastery of Alvastra, in the region of Östergötland in Sweden. He translated the greater part of the Revelations of St. Birgitta from Old Swedish into Latin.

Alfonso of Jaén has the following to say of Petrus in Epistola solitarii ad reges (III:16–18): "Quorum unus [pater] monachus et prior Cisterciensis religiosissimus erat, virgo carne et satic sciencia litteratus. Et quia ipsa domina revelationes scribebat, ut prefertur, ex precepto Christi in lingua sua Gothica, ideo ex eodem precepto Christi iste prior translatavit de illa lingua sua materna in Latinum omnes libros, et istum presentem, eidem domine divinitus revelatos. De quo quidem religioso mencio fit in prologo Libri Celestis in fine." (Sancta Birgitta. Revelaciones lib. VIII, p. 56; 'One [spiritual father] was a religious monk, a Cistercian prior, chaste in body and very learned in scholarship. As already stated, the lady herself wrote down the revelations in her own Gothic language at Christ's command. Accordingly, also at Christ's command, this prior translated all the books from her native language into Latin, including the present book [book VIII] divinely revealed to her. This monk is mentioned toward the end of the prologue to the Heavenly Revelations.' Translation: Dennis Searby 2015, p. 22.)

Svenskt biografiskt lexikon, Petrus Olavi, article by Hans Aili. Available 2019-10-30: Link.