Papers by Alexander Korolev
ЭНОЖ «История», 2022
The Secret of the Apostolic Grave: The Tomb of Peter between the Middle Ages and Modernity
The t... more The Secret of the Apostolic Grave: The Tomb of Peter between the Middle Ages and Modernity
The tomb of St Peter under the Vatican basilica was one of the most famous, although mysterious, shrines of Europe. The actual object of worship was a tiny plot on which memorial structures and altars had been erected in sequence, but this fact became known only after the archaeological excavations of the 1940s. In the Middle Ages, the tomb of Peter was regarded as a forbidden, inviolable shrine. The legends developed that included fictitious information about the structure of the tomb. During the Renaissance, the liturgical and ceremonial space of the Vatican basilica, now the principal temple of the Pope, underwent subtle changes making the shrine even less accessible. With the development of the “papal monarchy”, the basilica became the ‘throne of Peter’, and the apostolic tomb, by now regarded as the foundation of the church, was perceived by some Roman humanists as the heart of the universe. The altar over the tomb became the centre of New St. Peter’s, but while the temple was being built, some members of the papal curia began to doubt the actual existence of the sacred grave. These doubts, dangerous as they were for the ‘papal monarchy’, contributed to the consolidation of its sacrosanct status, along with reverence for the shrine, observance of the ancient tradition and the ideological importance of the tomb.
Городские cообщества Западной Европы в Средние века. Под редакцией П.Ю. Уварова, Г.А. Поповой. М.: Индрик, 2019, 2019
Проблема происхождения каноников в исторической мысли | Сообщества секулярных каноников: формы ор... more Проблема происхождения каноников в исторической мысли | Сообщества секулярных каноников: формы организации и парадоксы осмысления
Собор и соборность: К столетию начала новой эпохи. Материалы международной научной конференции 13–16 ноября 2017 г., 2018
The Authority of the Bishop of Rome in the Appeal Canons of Serdica
The study is concerned with ... more The Authority of the Bishop of Rome in the Appeal Canons of Serdica
The study is concerned with the ideological background of the so-called appeal canons of the Council of Serdica (343). The meaning and significance of these canons had been much debated by historians of the early Church and especially of the papacy. The appeal canons are usually regarded as a Western ‘Nicean’ reaction to the ‘Eusebian’ canons promulgated by the Council of Antioch (341), endorsing the developing authority of the Roman see in order to support Athanasius in his struggle with the Eusebians. However, the Serdican decisions must be examined in the wider context of the formation of canon law and the establishment of ecclesiastical legislative power. The conciliar canons provided for regional dispersion of power combined with a localized autonomy and collegial decision-making. The special status of the most important sees, recognized by the Council of Nicaea, was disregarded by the Eusebians in Antioch. Assuming the possibility of a conflict between the conciliar system and the traditional ideas of ‘apostolic succession’ and the universal communion of the Churches, the Serdican bishops attempted to eliminate this contradiction, accommodating the rights of the Roman bishop to the powers of the regional councils. A brief consideration of several examples from the ecclesiastical history of the third century, taken mainly but not exclusively from the correspondence of Cyprian of Carthage, points to broad recognition of the exclusive status of the Roman Church both as the custodian of the apostolic tradition that went back to Peter and Paul and as the ‘centre’ of the ecclesiastical communion. The papal rights might occasionally attract strong criticism, but as long as they remained ill-defined, they could be interpreted in a broad sense to include the direct control of the pope over other bishops and his capacity to revise conciliar decisions. In Serdica, an attempt was made to limit the power of the Roman bishop and to determine the conditions under which he had the right to exercise a supreme jurisdiction.
Keywords: Roman Church, papal primacy. council of Serdica, canon law, ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiology, apostolic succession, Julius I, Cyprian of Carthage.
Слово, знание и учение. Focal, fios agus foghlaim. Сборник статей в честь юбилея Татьяны Андреевны Михайловой / Под редакцией Е. А. Париной, В. В. Байды, А. В. Сидельцева, 2020
Why Did the Canons of Lyons Grant Florentine Nuns a Hand of St Just?
A. Korolev Institute of Wor... more Why Did the Canons of Lyons Grant Florentine Nuns a Hand of St Just?
A. Korolev Institute of World History RAS Russian Federation, Moscow
The article deals with the notarial act of 1295 that confirms the grant of a relic by the chapter of St Just of Lyons to the Florentine monastery San Giusto alle Mura. The primary attention is paid to the reasons that prompted the canons to give a part of the relics to a little known monastery. It is an attempt to ascertain the circumstances of the deal that were not reflected in the document. The substituted data allows us to conclude that at the end of the 13th century the chapter of St Just was in a difficult financial situation. The grant of the relic was accompanied by large expenses on the part of its initiator, Florentine of Lyons Bernarduccio Aldobrandeschi. It is possible to assume that the chapter actually sold the relic, having probably paid thus their unsettled debts. Taking in account the value of the object of the transaction and its questionable character, the canons got advantageous terms. The sale was presented as a conditional gift, the notarial act underlined unselfish motives of the canons, and the recipients of the gift guaranteed a proper respect of the relic. Formally the aim of the grant was to disseminate the cult of the saint, although the canons could count on this in addition to other benefits of the transaction. Despite the efforts of the Florentines, the possession of the relic did not help the nuns to improve the status of their monastery and get the preference in their dispute with a local parish patron.
Keywords: relics, chapter of Lyons, notarial act, cult of saints, monastery San Giusto alle Mura in Florence
Монашество в истории. Актуальные проблемы и новые методы в исследованиях, 2019
Средние века / Srednie Veka, 80(1), 2019
THE COLLEGIATE CHAPTER OF SAINT-IRÉNÉE AND SAINT-JUST, LYON: SOME ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
This... more THE COLLEGIATE CHAPTER OF SAINT-IRÉNÉE AND SAINT-JUST, LYON: SOME ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
This essay, designed to supplement the earlier study of the origins of the community of canons of Saint-Irénée and Saint-Just, seeks to examine the act of Archbishop Remigius of Lyon about the reform of the chapter (868). The text of the document has been preserved only in the corrupt form and its formal structure is quite peculiar, therefore the authenticity of the act has to be demonstrated. A comparison of the charter of Remigius with other episcopal acts of the 9th and 10th centuries, mainly from Burgundy, confirms the genuineness of the document. Some peculiar features of the charter have parallels in the episcopal acts, other may be explained by the poor state of the text. The charter of Remigius shows that in the 9th century the community of canons was not subject to the archbishop of Lyon, but its autonomy was later abolished in two stages: first, Archbishop Amolo succeeded in appointing his subordinate, Chorbishop Audinus, as the head of the chapter; then Archbishop Remigius established formal control over the community while at the same time ensuring its stability and well-being. The dependence of the chapter on the archbishop, secured by the act of Remigius, had lasted three hundred years. This period in the history of the community, which has left few traces in the sources, came to an end in the 12th century, when the archiepiscopal see had to acknowledge the autonomy of the most important ecclesiastical corporations in the diocese of Lyon.
Srednie Veka, 2018
ON THE ORIGINS OF THE CHAPTER OF SAINT-IRÉNÉE AND SAINT-JUST, LYON
This article explores the obs... more ON THE ORIGINS OF THE CHAPTER OF SAINT-IRÉNÉE AND SAINT-JUST, LYON
This article explores the obscure origins and early development of the important but poorly documented community of canons of Saint-Irénée and Saint-Just in Lyon. The available evidence, though sparse and inconclusive, suggests the existence of a community of clerics serving the cemeterial basilica of Saint-Just towards the end of the Merovingian period. Only during the Carolingian reforms the canonical community suddenly emerged from obscurity, but its relationship to the archiepiscopal see remains unclear. There is reason to believe that the Carolingian chapter had achieved autonomy, and it tended for a short time to remain outside the effective control of the archbishop. This could be due to the tensions caused by the stubborn reformist policy of the diocesan leadership seeking to achieve administrative centralization. The reformers with their rigid disciplinary code and suspicious attitudes towards common forms of the cult of saints could easily clash with the collegiate chapter whose status and well-being depended on the veneration of local saints, such as Justus and Baldomerus. Even though the reformist stance did not preclude Archbishop Agobard and Florus of Lyon from paying their respect to these saints, the reformers’ patronizing of the cathedral chapter and their effort to establish the new cult of Cyprian of Carthage as the holy patron of Lyon centred on the cathedral obviously went against the interests of the canons of Saint-Just. It was only with the accession of more pragmatically minded Archbishop Remigius that the chapter came back under the control of the diocesan authority. The community remained in this condition well into the twelfth century, when its autonomy became manifest. Although the conclusions remain provisional and largely hypothetical, this essay argues that the supposed autonomy of the early medieval chapter of Saint-Just had no legal basis, as it had been temporarily obtained due to the difficult position of the diocesan leadership. Unlike monasteries, the communities of clerics were not usually considered as autonomous moral persons capable of self-government and independent management of their property. The reluctance of the Carolingian reformers to grant autonomy could also be related to their ideological agenda, since they regarded sanctuaries served by canons as potential hotbeds of ‘superstition’ and moral corruption that required constant supervision.
Srednie Veka, 2017
SHEPHERD, PROPRIETOR, RULER: TOWARDS THE INTERPRETATION OF PAPAL RHETORIC IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY
... more SHEPHERD, PROPRIETOR, RULER: TOWARDS THE INTERPRETATION OF PAPAL RHETORIC IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY
The problem of the origins of the Papal State has already generated аn impressive amount of scholarly writing. The variety of opinions regarding the emergence of аn ‘autonomous imperial district’ controlled bу the pope and the possible existence of а sovereign ecclesiastical state mainly stems from the peculiarly ambiguous testimony of the contemporary sources. The political reality was expressed bу the combination of such notions as ‘the imperial state’, ‘the Roman Church’, ‘divine commission’, and ‘pastoral care’, which gradually acquired new meanings to serve the needs of the developing papal administration. It is possible to highlight the expressions shaping the threefold image of papal authority, composed from pastoral responsibility, proprietary rights, and ‘public’ functions. The skilful employment of these terms allowed the papacy to define the independent status of the apostolic see, while avoiding either а decisive break with the imperial tradition or the appropriation of the imperial title.
![Research paper thumbnail of Соборный капитул Лиона на пути к автономии (IX–XII вв.) [The Cathedral Chapter of Lyon on the Road to Autonomy, 9th — 12th Centuries]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/56042771/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The present paper follows the development of the cathedral chapter of Lyon since its foundation i... more The present paper follows the development of the cathedral chapter of Lyon since its foundation in the Carolingian period to the acquisition of autonomy at the turn of the 13th century, with the emphasis on the emergence of property rights and internal structure of the community, as well as on its relations with the archbishop of Lyon. The separation of the capitular ‘mensa’ and its subsequent division into prebends (‘obediences’) is regarded as a gradual process that was only completed in the 12th century. At the same time, the structure of the chapter was finally established, including its elective corporate leadership; the canons obtained the right of co-optation, judicial immunity, and other privileges. The move to autonomy was accompanied by increasing tensions between the archbishop and the chapter that traditionally served as an archbishop’s council. The essential events in this confrontation were the attempt of archbishop Gebuin (1077—1082) to impose the Augustinian Rule on his canons; the election of archbishop Guichard of Pontigny (1165—1180), in spite of the opposition of the majority of chapter; and the ‘Permutatio’ of 1173, by which both archbishop and chapter obtained temporal power over the city of Lyon. By identifying itself with the ‘Church of Lyon’, the cathedral chapter laid claim to a share in spiritual and temporal jurisdiction belonging to the archbishop. Thus the canons did not ultimately aspire to complete autonomy in order to maintain their privileged position alongside the archbishop.
Православная энциклопедия [Orthodox Encyclopedia], 2012
Православная энциклопедия [Orthodox Encyclopedia], 2013
IMAGES OF THE ROMAN SAINTS DURING THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CENTURIES
The article seeks to explore the... more IMAGES OF THE ROMAN SAINTS DURING THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CENTURIES
The article seeks to explore the reasons behind the notorious untrustworthiness of the hagiographical legends about the Roman martyrs. It is argued that the issue may be essentially reduced to the problem of the paucity of sources used by Pope Damasus (366–384) who tried to collect any available information. The proposed solution is based on the presumed divergence between ‘historical’ and ‘liturgical’ traditions of the early Roman church. While the Roman Christians tended to view their martyrs and other saints as both living inhabitants of heaven and intercessors before God, they were not essentially disposed to preserve the details of their exploits as part of their collective memory. The absence of a solid historical tradition compelled Damasus to lay the foundations of the fictional Roman hagiography, regarded here as the ‘basic characteristics’ of the martyrs, that were later expanded to form the gesta-type legends. The problem needs to be further explored regarding the origins of the liturgical commemoration of saints in early Christian Rome.
THE SYNOD OF WHITBY AND THE RELICS OF ST. ÁEDÁN
Thesis Chapters by Alexander Korolev
Encyclopedia Articles by Alexander Korolev
Orthodox Encyclopedia, 2021
Uploads
Papers by Alexander Korolev
The tomb of St Peter under the Vatican basilica was one of the most famous, although mysterious, shrines of Europe. The actual object of worship was a tiny plot on which memorial structures and altars had been erected in sequence, but this fact became known only after the archaeological excavations of the 1940s. In the Middle Ages, the tomb of Peter was regarded as a forbidden, inviolable shrine. The legends developed that included fictitious information about the structure of the tomb. During the Renaissance, the liturgical and ceremonial space of the Vatican basilica, now the principal temple of the Pope, underwent subtle changes making the shrine even less accessible. With the development of the “papal monarchy”, the basilica became the ‘throne of Peter’, and the apostolic tomb, by now regarded as the foundation of the church, was perceived by some Roman humanists as the heart of the universe. The altar over the tomb became the centre of New St. Peter’s, but while the temple was being built, some members of the papal curia began to doubt the actual existence of the sacred grave. These doubts, dangerous as they were for the ‘papal monarchy’, contributed to the consolidation of its sacrosanct status, along with reverence for the shrine, observance of the ancient tradition and the ideological importance of the tomb.
The study is concerned with the ideological background of the so-called appeal canons of the Council of Serdica (343). The meaning and significance of these canons had been much debated by historians of the early Church and especially of the papacy. The appeal canons are usually regarded as a Western ‘Nicean’ reaction to the ‘Eusebian’ canons promulgated by the Council of Antioch (341), endorsing the developing authority of the Roman see in order to support Athanasius in his struggle with the Eusebians. However, the Serdican decisions must be examined in the wider context of the formation of canon law and the establishment of ecclesiastical legislative power. The conciliar canons provided for regional dispersion of power combined with a localized autonomy and collegial decision-making. The special status of the most important sees, recognized by the Council of Nicaea, was disregarded by the Eusebians in Antioch. Assuming the possibility of a conflict between the conciliar system and the traditional ideas of ‘apostolic succession’ and the universal communion of the Churches, the Serdican bishops attempted to eliminate this contradiction, accommodating the rights of the Roman bishop to the powers of the regional councils. A brief consideration of several examples from the ecclesiastical history of the third century, taken mainly but not exclusively from the correspondence of Cyprian of Carthage, points to broad recognition of the exclusive status of the Roman Church both as the custodian of the apostolic tradition that went back to Peter and Paul and as the ‘centre’ of the ecclesiastical communion. The papal rights might occasionally attract strong criticism, but as long as they remained ill-defined, they could be interpreted in a broad sense to include the direct control of the pope over other bishops and his capacity to revise conciliar decisions. In Serdica, an attempt was made to limit the power of the Roman bishop and to determine the conditions under which he had the right to exercise a supreme jurisdiction.
Keywords: Roman Church, papal primacy. council of Serdica, canon law, ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiology, apostolic succession, Julius I, Cyprian of Carthage.
A. Korolev Institute of World History RAS Russian Federation, Moscow
The article deals with the notarial act of 1295 that confirms the grant of a relic by the chapter of St Just of Lyons to the Florentine monastery San Giusto alle Mura. The primary attention is paid to the reasons that prompted the canons to give a part of the relics to a little known monastery. It is an attempt to ascertain the circumstances of the deal that were not reflected in the document. The substituted data allows us to conclude that at the end of the 13th century the chapter of St Just was in a difficult financial situation. The grant of the relic was accompanied by large expenses on the part of its initiator, Florentine of Lyons Bernarduccio Aldobrandeschi. It is possible to assume that the chapter actually sold the relic, having probably paid thus their unsettled debts. Taking in account the value of the object of the transaction and its questionable character, the canons got advantageous terms. The sale was presented as a conditional gift, the notarial act underlined unselfish motives of the canons, and the recipients of the gift guaranteed a proper respect of the relic. Formally the aim of the grant was to disseminate the cult of the saint, although the canons could count on this in addition to other benefits of the transaction. Despite the efforts of the Florentines, the possession of the relic did not help the nuns to improve the status of their monastery and get the preference in their dispute with a local parish patron.
Keywords: relics, chapter of Lyons, notarial act, cult of saints, monastery San Giusto alle Mura in Florence
This essay, designed to supplement the earlier study of the origins of the community of canons of Saint-Irénée and Saint-Just, seeks to examine the act of Archbishop Remigius of Lyon about the reform of the chapter (868). The text of the document has been preserved only in the corrupt form and its formal structure is quite peculiar, therefore the authenticity of the act has to be demonstrated. A comparison of the charter of Remigius with other episcopal acts of the 9th and 10th centuries, mainly from Burgundy, confirms the genuineness of the document. Some peculiar features of the charter have parallels in the episcopal acts, other may be explained by the poor state of the text. The charter of Remigius shows that in the 9th century the community of canons was not subject to the archbishop of Lyon, but its autonomy was later abolished in two stages: first, Archbishop Amolo succeeded in appointing his subordinate, Chorbishop Audinus, as the head of the chapter; then Archbishop Remigius established formal control over the community while at the same time ensuring its stability and well-being. The dependence of the chapter on the archbishop, secured by the act of Remigius, had lasted three hundred years. This period in the history of the community, which has left few traces in the sources, came to an end in the 12th century, when the archiepiscopal see had to acknowledge the autonomy of the most important ecclesiastical corporations in the diocese of Lyon.
This article explores the obscure origins and early development of the important but poorly documented community of canons of Saint-Irénée and Saint-Just in Lyon. The available evidence, though sparse and inconclusive, suggests the existence of a community of clerics serving the cemeterial basilica of Saint-Just towards the end of the Merovingian period. Only during the Carolingian reforms the canonical community suddenly emerged from obscurity, but its relationship to the archiepiscopal see remains unclear. There is reason to believe that the Carolingian chapter had achieved autonomy, and it tended for a short time to remain outside the effective control of the archbishop. This could be due to the tensions caused by the stubborn reformist policy of the diocesan leadership seeking to achieve administrative centralization. The reformers with their rigid disciplinary code and suspicious attitudes towards common forms of the cult of saints could easily clash with the collegiate chapter whose status and well-being depended on the veneration of local saints, such as Justus and Baldomerus. Even though the reformist stance did not preclude Archbishop Agobard and Florus of Lyon from paying their respect to these saints, the reformers’ patronizing of the cathedral chapter and their effort to establish the new cult of Cyprian of Carthage as the holy patron of Lyon centred on the cathedral obviously went against the interests of the canons of Saint-Just. It was only with the accession of more pragmatically minded Archbishop Remigius that the chapter came back under the control of the diocesan authority. The community remained in this condition well into the twelfth century, when its autonomy became manifest. Although the conclusions remain provisional and largely hypothetical, this essay argues that the supposed autonomy of the early medieval chapter of Saint-Just had no legal basis, as it had been temporarily obtained due to the difficult position of the diocesan leadership. Unlike monasteries, the communities of clerics were not usually considered as autonomous moral persons capable of self-government and independent management of their property. The reluctance of the Carolingian reformers to grant autonomy could also be related to their ideological agenda, since they regarded sanctuaries served by canons as potential hotbeds of ‘superstition’ and moral corruption that required constant supervision.
The problem of the origins of the Papal State has already generated аn impressive amount of scholarly writing. The variety of opinions regarding the emergence of аn ‘autonomous imperial district’ controlled bу the pope and the possible existence of а sovereign ecclesiastical state mainly stems from the peculiarly ambiguous testimony of the contemporary sources. The political reality was expressed bу the combination of such notions as ‘the imperial state’, ‘the Roman Church’, ‘divine commission’, and ‘pastoral care’, which gradually acquired new meanings to serve the needs of the developing papal administration. It is possible to highlight the expressions shaping the threefold image of papal authority, composed from pastoral responsibility, proprietary rights, and ‘public’ functions. The skilful employment of these terms allowed the papacy to define the independent status of the apostolic see, while avoiding either а decisive break with the imperial tradition or the appropriation of the imperial title.
The article seeks to explore the reasons behind the notorious untrustworthiness of the hagiographical legends about the Roman martyrs. It is argued that the issue may be essentially reduced to the problem of the paucity of sources used by Pope Damasus (366–384) who tried to collect any available information. The proposed solution is based on the presumed divergence between ‘historical’ and ‘liturgical’ traditions of the early Roman church. While the Roman Christians tended to view their martyrs and other saints as both living inhabitants of heaven and intercessors before God, they were not essentially disposed to preserve the details of their exploits as part of their collective memory. The absence of a solid historical tradition compelled Damasus to lay the foundations of the fictional Roman hagiography, regarded here as the ‘basic characteristics’ of the martyrs, that were later expanded to form the gesta-type legends. The problem needs to be further explored regarding the origins of the liturgical commemoration of saints in early Christian Rome.
Thesis Chapters by Alexander Korolev
Encyclopedia Articles by Alexander Korolev
The tomb of St Peter under the Vatican basilica was one of the most famous, although mysterious, shrines of Europe. The actual object of worship was a tiny plot on which memorial structures and altars had been erected in sequence, but this fact became known only after the archaeological excavations of the 1940s. In the Middle Ages, the tomb of Peter was regarded as a forbidden, inviolable shrine. The legends developed that included fictitious information about the structure of the tomb. During the Renaissance, the liturgical and ceremonial space of the Vatican basilica, now the principal temple of the Pope, underwent subtle changes making the shrine even less accessible. With the development of the “papal monarchy”, the basilica became the ‘throne of Peter’, and the apostolic tomb, by now regarded as the foundation of the church, was perceived by some Roman humanists as the heart of the universe. The altar over the tomb became the centre of New St. Peter’s, but while the temple was being built, some members of the papal curia began to doubt the actual existence of the sacred grave. These doubts, dangerous as they were for the ‘papal monarchy’, contributed to the consolidation of its sacrosanct status, along with reverence for the shrine, observance of the ancient tradition and the ideological importance of the tomb.
The study is concerned with the ideological background of the so-called appeal canons of the Council of Serdica (343). The meaning and significance of these canons had been much debated by historians of the early Church and especially of the papacy. The appeal canons are usually regarded as a Western ‘Nicean’ reaction to the ‘Eusebian’ canons promulgated by the Council of Antioch (341), endorsing the developing authority of the Roman see in order to support Athanasius in his struggle with the Eusebians. However, the Serdican decisions must be examined in the wider context of the formation of canon law and the establishment of ecclesiastical legislative power. The conciliar canons provided for regional dispersion of power combined with a localized autonomy and collegial decision-making. The special status of the most important sees, recognized by the Council of Nicaea, was disregarded by the Eusebians in Antioch. Assuming the possibility of a conflict between the conciliar system and the traditional ideas of ‘apostolic succession’ and the universal communion of the Churches, the Serdican bishops attempted to eliminate this contradiction, accommodating the rights of the Roman bishop to the powers of the regional councils. A brief consideration of several examples from the ecclesiastical history of the third century, taken mainly but not exclusively from the correspondence of Cyprian of Carthage, points to broad recognition of the exclusive status of the Roman Church both as the custodian of the apostolic tradition that went back to Peter and Paul and as the ‘centre’ of the ecclesiastical communion. The papal rights might occasionally attract strong criticism, but as long as they remained ill-defined, they could be interpreted in a broad sense to include the direct control of the pope over other bishops and his capacity to revise conciliar decisions. In Serdica, an attempt was made to limit the power of the Roman bishop and to determine the conditions under which he had the right to exercise a supreme jurisdiction.
Keywords: Roman Church, papal primacy. council of Serdica, canon law, ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiology, apostolic succession, Julius I, Cyprian of Carthage.
A. Korolev Institute of World History RAS Russian Federation, Moscow
The article deals with the notarial act of 1295 that confirms the grant of a relic by the chapter of St Just of Lyons to the Florentine monastery San Giusto alle Mura. The primary attention is paid to the reasons that prompted the canons to give a part of the relics to a little known monastery. It is an attempt to ascertain the circumstances of the deal that were not reflected in the document. The substituted data allows us to conclude that at the end of the 13th century the chapter of St Just was in a difficult financial situation. The grant of the relic was accompanied by large expenses on the part of its initiator, Florentine of Lyons Bernarduccio Aldobrandeschi. It is possible to assume that the chapter actually sold the relic, having probably paid thus their unsettled debts. Taking in account the value of the object of the transaction and its questionable character, the canons got advantageous terms. The sale was presented as a conditional gift, the notarial act underlined unselfish motives of the canons, and the recipients of the gift guaranteed a proper respect of the relic. Formally the aim of the grant was to disseminate the cult of the saint, although the canons could count on this in addition to other benefits of the transaction. Despite the efforts of the Florentines, the possession of the relic did not help the nuns to improve the status of their monastery and get the preference in their dispute with a local parish patron.
Keywords: relics, chapter of Lyons, notarial act, cult of saints, monastery San Giusto alle Mura in Florence
This essay, designed to supplement the earlier study of the origins of the community of canons of Saint-Irénée and Saint-Just, seeks to examine the act of Archbishop Remigius of Lyon about the reform of the chapter (868). The text of the document has been preserved only in the corrupt form and its formal structure is quite peculiar, therefore the authenticity of the act has to be demonstrated. A comparison of the charter of Remigius with other episcopal acts of the 9th and 10th centuries, mainly from Burgundy, confirms the genuineness of the document. Some peculiar features of the charter have parallels in the episcopal acts, other may be explained by the poor state of the text. The charter of Remigius shows that in the 9th century the community of canons was not subject to the archbishop of Lyon, but its autonomy was later abolished in two stages: first, Archbishop Amolo succeeded in appointing his subordinate, Chorbishop Audinus, as the head of the chapter; then Archbishop Remigius established formal control over the community while at the same time ensuring its stability and well-being. The dependence of the chapter on the archbishop, secured by the act of Remigius, had lasted three hundred years. This period in the history of the community, which has left few traces in the sources, came to an end in the 12th century, when the archiepiscopal see had to acknowledge the autonomy of the most important ecclesiastical corporations in the diocese of Lyon.
This article explores the obscure origins and early development of the important but poorly documented community of canons of Saint-Irénée and Saint-Just in Lyon. The available evidence, though sparse and inconclusive, suggests the existence of a community of clerics serving the cemeterial basilica of Saint-Just towards the end of the Merovingian period. Only during the Carolingian reforms the canonical community suddenly emerged from obscurity, but its relationship to the archiepiscopal see remains unclear. There is reason to believe that the Carolingian chapter had achieved autonomy, and it tended for a short time to remain outside the effective control of the archbishop. This could be due to the tensions caused by the stubborn reformist policy of the diocesan leadership seeking to achieve administrative centralization. The reformers with their rigid disciplinary code and suspicious attitudes towards common forms of the cult of saints could easily clash with the collegiate chapter whose status and well-being depended on the veneration of local saints, such as Justus and Baldomerus. Even though the reformist stance did not preclude Archbishop Agobard and Florus of Lyon from paying their respect to these saints, the reformers’ patronizing of the cathedral chapter and their effort to establish the new cult of Cyprian of Carthage as the holy patron of Lyon centred on the cathedral obviously went against the interests of the canons of Saint-Just. It was only with the accession of more pragmatically minded Archbishop Remigius that the chapter came back under the control of the diocesan authority. The community remained in this condition well into the twelfth century, when its autonomy became manifest. Although the conclusions remain provisional and largely hypothetical, this essay argues that the supposed autonomy of the early medieval chapter of Saint-Just had no legal basis, as it had been temporarily obtained due to the difficult position of the diocesan leadership. Unlike monasteries, the communities of clerics were not usually considered as autonomous moral persons capable of self-government and independent management of their property. The reluctance of the Carolingian reformers to grant autonomy could also be related to their ideological agenda, since they regarded sanctuaries served by canons as potential hotbeds of ‘superstition’ and moral corruption that required constant supervision.
The problem of the origins of the Papal State has already generated аn impressive amount of scholarly writing. The variety of opinions regarding the emergence of аn ‘autonomous imperial district’ controlled bу the pope and the possible existence of а sovereign ecclesiastical state mainly stems from the peculiarly ambiguous testimony of the contemporary sources. The political reality was expressed bу the combination of such notions as ‘the imperial state’, ‘the Roman Church’, ‘divine commission’, and ‘pastoral care’, which gradually acquired new meanings to serve the needs of the developing papal administration. It is possible to highlight the expressions shaping the threefold image of papal authority, composed from pastoral responsibility, proprietary rights, and ‘public’ functions. The skilful employment of these terms allowed the papacy to define the independent status of the apostolic see, while avoiding either а decisive break with the imperial tradition or the appropriation of the imperial title.
The article seeks to explore the reasons behind the notorious untrustworthiness of the hagiographical legends about the Roman martyrs. It is argued that the issue may be essentially reduced to the problem of the paucity of sources used by Pope Damasus (366–384) who tried to collect any available information. The proposed solution is based on the presumed divergence between ‘historical’ and ‘liturgical’ traditions of the early Roman church. While the Roman Christians tended to view their martyrs and other saints as both living inhabitants of heaven and intercessors before God, they were not essentially disposed to preserve the details of their exploits as part of their collective memory. The absence of a solid historical tradition compelled Damasus to lay the foundations of the fictional Roman hagiography, regarded here as the ‘basic characteristics’ of the martyrs, that were later expanded to form the gesta-type legends. The problem needs to be further explored regarding the origins of the liturgical commemoration of saints in early Christian Rome.
Heiligenkreuz, Zisterzienserstift, Cod. 13, fol. 1r–4r, late 12th century (H);
Lilienfeld, Zisterzienserstift, Cod. 60, fol. 1r–6r, early 13th century (L);
Melk, Benediktinerstift, Cod. 101, fol. 1r–7v, c. 1470 (M)
(the mss may be consulted at http://mla.dingbat.at/#/saint/300)
This Life appears to be one of three extant reworkings of the lost original Life of Senán (as suggested by Kenney and Hughes). It was probably composed in the second half of the twelfth century at the Regensburg Schottenkloster as part of the wider project of adaptation of Irish saints’ Lives aimed at the continental audience (cf. D. Ó Riain-Raedel ‘Aspects of the promotion of Irish saints’ cults in medieval Germany’ ZCP 39 (1982), pp. 231-4; D. Ó Riain ‘The Magnum Legendarium Austriacum: A new investigation’ AB 133 (2015), pp. 131-2). The prose Life is closely related to the metrical Life (BHL 7573) in respect of the content, even if the actual wording is different, so it helps to fill the large lacuna in the metrical version (VSH Salm., ed. Heist, p. 314).
The marginal notes that summarize the content of the Life (H) and the partition of the text into twelve sections (M) are not reproduced. As for the orthographical features, the readings of either H or L are retained by default, especially when supported by M, considering that ‘restoration’ of classical spelling would be unnecessary and even unhistorical.