Canossa

American  

[kuh-nos-uh, kah-naws-sah] / kəˈnɒs ə, kɑˈnɔs sɑ /

noun

1. a ruined castle in N Italy: scene of the penance of Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire before Pope Gregory VII in 1077.

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idioms

1. go to Canossa, to humble oneself.

Canossa British  

/ kaˈnossa, kəˈnɒsə /

noun

1. a ruined castle in N Italy, in Emilia near Reggio nell'Emilia: scene of the penance done by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV before Pope Gregory VII

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Example Sentences

Hence the pilgrimage to the diner in Iowa is a form of penance, like the road to Canossa in medieval times.

From Salon • May 20, 2023

Drawing from endless documents about King Henry’s visit to Canossa, ChatGPT might well make the same mistake.

From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2023

For Arafat, such a trip will be not quite a journey to Canossa, but very close to it.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Emperor Henry IV knelt penitentially in the snows of Canossa before Pope Gregory VII; France's King Philip the Fair, a few centuries later, made a virtual prisoner of Boniface VIII.

From Time Magazine Archive

The document below is a letter of Gregory to the German magnates giving an account of the submission of the king at Canossa, and including the text of the oath which he there took.

From A Source Book of Medi?val History Documents Illustrative of European Life and Institutions from the German Invasions to the Renaissance by Ogg, Frederic Austin