List of the churches and monasteries in and around Auxerre (central Gaul) whose clergy were to conduct mass in the cathedral of Auxerre in given weeks throughout the year. Written in Latin at Auxerre (central Gaul) in the time of Bishop Tetricus or Treticus (692-707), probably in the year 692/3. It lists churches dedicated to *Germanus (bishop of Auxerre, ob. 448, S00455), *Amator (bishop of Auxerre, ob. 418, S01980), *Marianus (ascetic of Auxerre, 5th c., S02175), *Peter (the Apostle, S00036), *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050), and *Julian (martyr of Brioude, S00035), *Mary (mother of Christ, S00033), *Eusebius (probably the bishop of Vercelli, ob. 371, S01219), *Nazarius (martyr of Milan, 00281), *Memmius (first bishop of Châlons-en-Champagne, S01285), *Gervasius and Protasius (brothers and martyrs of Milan, S00313).
E05916
Liturgical texts - Other
Schedule for conducting the divine office in the cathedral of Auxerre, issued by Bishop Tetricus (or Treticus)
Hic beatus uir, primo anno ordinationis sue, habito concilio, constituit qualiter abbates vel archipresbyteri in aecclesia sancti Stephani diuinum persoluerent offitium.
Taliter uero ordinauit, ut kalendis ianuarii,
I ebdomada, basilica sancti Germani deseruiret.
II ebdomada, basilica sancti Amatoris.
III ebdomada, basilica sancti Petri.
IV ebdomada, basilica monasterii sancti Iuliani.
Kalendis februarii.
I ebdomada, basilica sancti Mariani.
II ebdomada, basilica sancti Eusebii.
III ebdomada, basilica sancti Martini.
IV ebdomada, basilica sancte Marie.
Kalendis martii.
I ebdomada, basilica sancti Nazarii.
II ebdomada, monasterium Longoretense.
III ebdomada, monasterium Sessiacense,
IV ebdomada, Scolive vicus.
The months from April to September do not refer to the dedications of the churches listed, but only to their localities, with the exception of:
Kalendis maii.
[...]
II ebdomada, Corcedonus et oratorium sancti Memmii
[...]
Kalendis octobris.
I ebdomada, clerici dominici.
II ebdomada, basilica sancti Germani.
III ebdomada, basilica sancti Amatoris.
IV ebdomada, basilica sancti Petri.
Kalendis novembris.
I ebdomada, Domiciacus.
II ebdomada, monasterium sancti Iuliani.
III ebdomada, basilica sancti Mariani.
IV ebdomada, basilica sancti Eusebii.
Kalendis decembris.
I ebdomada, basilica sancte Marie.
II ebdomada, basilica sancti Martini.
III ebdomada, basilica sancti Gervasi et Prothasi.
IV ebdomada, monasterium Longoreti et Sesciaci.
'This blessed man, in the first year of his ordination, after holding a council, established how the abbots or archpriests should perform the divine office in the church of Saint Stephen.
He ordered it thus, so that from the first of January:
Week 1, the basilica of Saint Germanus should serve. [bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 448, S00455]
Week 2, the basilica of Saint Amator. [bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 418, S01980]
Week 3, the basilica of Saint Peter. [the Apostle, S00036]
Week 4, the basilica of the monastery of Saint Julian. [martyr of Brioude, S00035]
From the first of February
Week 1, the basilica of Saint Marianus. [monk of Auxerre, 5th c., S02175]
Week 2, the basilica of Saint Eusebius. [probably the bishop of Vercelli, ob. 371, S01219, but see discussion]
Week 3, the basilica of Saint Martin. [ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050]
Week 4, the basilica of Saint Mary. [Mother of Christ, S00033]
From the first of March
Week 1, the basilica of Saint Nazarius. [martyr of Milan, S00281]
Week 2, the monastery at Longoretus.
Week 3, the monastery at Sessiacus.
Week 4, the village of Scoliva.
The months from April to September do not refer to churches or monasteries with dedications, but only to localities, with the exception of:
From the first of May
[...]
Week 2, Corcodemus and the oratory of Saint Memmius [first bishop of Châlons, S01285]
[...]
From the first of October
Week 1, the clerics of the cathedral.
Week 2, the basilica of Saint Germanus.
Week 3, the basilica of Saint Amator.
Week 4, the basilica of Saint Peter.
From the first of November
Week 1, Domiciacus
Week 2, the monastery of Saint Julian.
Week 3, the basilica of Saint Marianus.
Week 4, the basilica of Saint Eusebius.
From the first of December
Week 1, the basilica of Saint Mary.
Week 2, the basilica of Saint Martin.
Week 3, the basilica of Saints Gervasius and Prothasius. [martyrs of Milan, S00313]
Week 4, the monastery of Longoretus and Sesciacus.'
Text: Sot et al. 2002, 119-123.
Translation: David Lambert.
Cult building - independent (church)
Cult building - monastic
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Source
This document was compiled under Bishop Tetricus of Auxerre (or Treticus – the edition by Sot et al. uses this form, which they argue has greater manuscript authority: Sot et al. 2002, 116, n. 261), in office from 692 to 707. It survives because it was included in the 9th century historical compilation, The Deeds of the Bishops of Auxerre (Gesta pontificum Autissiodorensium). It has no title in the Gesta but is cited in modern works with a title such as Constitutio de officiis (Atsma 1983, 11), or similar.The Deeds of the Bishops of Auxerre was compiled at Auxerre shortly after 872, the year of the death of the last bishop included in the original version (Sot et al. 2002, viii), by two clerics named Alagus and Rainogala. Like its presumed model, the Liber pontificalis, it consists of entries for each bishop from the founder of the see down to the time of composition (further entries were added later). It reproduces numerous documents, including letters, administrative documents, liturgical documents, wills, and acts of church councils: presumably they were found by the compilers in the archives of the see or of local institutions such as the monastery of St Germanus.
Discussion
This document is a rota, indicating for which weeks during the year the clergy of each church, monastery, or locality in the diocese of Auxerre would be responsible for performing the divine office in the cathedral (the aecclesia sancti Stephani). The statement by the authors of the Gesta that it was approved by a council during the first year of Tetricus' episcopate (692/3) is probably reliable: it may be from the acts of this council that they took the document.Most of the institutions mentioned in the document are attested in the other Auxerre sources from the 6th and 7th centuries, the Institutio of Bishop Aunacharius (E05911) and the will of Bishop Desiderius (E05912). This is the case with the basilica of Germanus, the basilica of Amator, the basilica of Peter, the basilica of the monastery of Julian (described simply as the basilica of Julian in the Institutio and the will of Desiderius, though the latter mentions that it had an abbot), the basilica of Marianus and the basilica of Martin (both known from the earlier sources to have been attached to monasteries). It also mentions two institutions founded in the early 7th century by Bishop Desiderius and mentioned for the first time in his will, the basilica dedicated to two pairs of saints, Gervasius and Protasius, and Nazarius and Celsus (referred to in one part of the list as the basilica of Nazarius and in another as the basilica of Gervasius and Protasius) and an oratory dedicated to Memmius of Châlons (Corcedonus, mentioned in the same line, was the name of a village in the diocese, the present-day Courson-les-Carrières).
Two churches not mentioned in the earlier sources are the basilica of Eusebius (on the rota for the second week of February and fourth week of November) and the basilica of Mary (fourth week of February and first week of December). The basilica of Eusebius (Picard 1992, 63) was founded by Desiderius' successor as bishop, Palladius (in office 614/627 to at least 654), according to his entry in the Deeds of the Bishops of Auxerre (Sot et al. 2002, 113; Duru 1851, 341), which also states that the Eusebius in question was Eusebius of Vercelli (E02453), a 4th century Italian bishop who was believed to have been martyred in the struggle against Arianism. The basilica of Mary (Picard 1992, 64) was founded by Palladius' successor Vigilius (ob. c. 684), as is known from his entry in the Deeds of the Bishops (Sot et al. 2002, 115; Duru 1851, 342) and his surviving will (E08426).
Bibliography
Editions:Sot, M., Lobrichon, G., and Goullet, M., Les gestes des évêques d'Auxerre, vol. 1 (Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2002), with French translation.
Duru, L.-M., Bibliothèque historique de l'Yonne, vol. 1 (Auxerre, 1851), 343-345.
Further reading:
Atsma, H., "Klöster und Mönchtum im Bistum Auxerre bis zum Ende des 6. Jahrhunderts," Francia, 11 (1983), 1-96.
Picard, J.-Ch., "Auxerre," in: N. Gauthier and J.-Ch. Picard (eds.), Topographie chrétienne des cités de la Gaule des origines au milieu du VIIIe siècle, vol. 8: Province ecclésiastique de Sens (Lugdunensis Senonia) (Paris: Boccard, 1992), 47-65.
David Lambert
30/10/2023; revised 17/01/2025
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Maria | Certain | S00035 | Julian, martyr of Brioude (southern Gaul) | Iulianus | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00050 | Martin, ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397 | Martinus | Certain | S00281 | Nazarius and Celsus, companion martyrs of Milan | Nazarius | Certain | S00313 | Gervasius and Protasius, brothers and martyrs of Milan | Gervasius et Prothasius | Certain | S00455 | Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, ob. 445/450 | Germanus | Certain | S01219 | Eusebius, bishop of Vercelli, ob. 371 | Eusebius | Uncertain | S01285 | Memmius, first bishop of Châlons-en-Champagne | Memmius | Certain | S01980 | Amator, bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 418 | Amator | Certain | S02175 | Marianus, monk of Auxerre, 5th c. | Marianus | Certain | S02328 | Eusebius and Avitus, priest and deacon of Auxerre | Eusebius | Uncertain |
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