Pope Pelagius II, in a letter of 580 to Bishop Aunacharius of Auxerre (central Gaul), says that he is sending relics of unnamed saints to Aunacharius and to one of the kings of the Franks. Written in Latin, at Rome.
E05712
Literary - Letters
Letter of Pope Pelagius II to Bishop Aunacharius of Auxerre ('Laudanda tua', JK 1048/JH 2042)
In a letter dated 5 October 580, Pope Pelagius II writes to Bishop Aunacharius of Auxerre describing the state of the city of Rome under attack by the Lombards. He asks Aunacharius to encourage the kings of the Franks to intervene militarily against the Lombards. Before concluding the letter, he writes:
Sacras autem reliquias, quas et tua caritas et gloriosissimus filius noster petiit dirigendas, cum quoherenti sibi sanctificatione transmisimus.
'The sacred relics, which both Your Charity and our most glorious son asked to be sent to you, we have sent together with their sanctifying power.'
Text: Gundlach 1892, 449.
Summary and translation: David Lambert.
Unspecified relic
Transfer/presence of relics from distant countries
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Monarchs and their family
Source
This letter by Pope Pelagius II (579-590) survives in a single 9th c. manuscript (Paris, BnF Lat. 1564, fol. 133r-134r) containing a diverse collection of canonical and doctrinal texts. On the manuscript, see:https://archivesetmanuscrits.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cc59512f
Discussion
This brief reference to relics being sent to Aunacharius and a Frankish king is included by Pope Pelagius in a letter appealing for Aunacharius to try and obtain help from the kings of the Franks against the Lombards, who were attacking Rome. Pelagius does not name any of the kings he wishes Aunacharius to appeal to, but evidently the relics must have been directed to a specific individual, perhaps Guntram (r. 561-592), whose links to Aunacharius are mentioned in the bishop's Life (E05909).The unspecified relics mentioned in the letter were most likely contact relics of Peter and Paul, perhaps those known as sanctuaria (see E00615).
Bibliography
Edition:Gundlach, W., Epistolae Merowingici et Karolini aevi (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Epistolae 3; Berlin 1892), 449.
David Lambert
12/06/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00518 | Saints, unnamed | Certain |
|---|
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David Lambert, Cult of Saints, E05712 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E05712