Two authentic Merovingian royal diplomas record the foundation and endowment by Sigebert III, king of the Franks, of the monasteries at Stavelot and Malmedy (north-east Gaul), which hold relics of, *Peter (the Apostle, S00036), *Paul (the Apostle, S00008), *John (probably the Baptist, S00020), *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397, S00050), and other unnamed saints; and their later confirmation by Theuderic III, king of the Franks; in this confirmation the monasteries are recorded as being in honour of *Mary (mother of Christ, S00033), of the apostles Peter and Paul, and other unnamed saints. Written in Latin in Gaul, 643/7 and 679/91.
E06226
Documentary texts - Donation document
Documentary texts - Charter or diploma
MGH DD Mer. (excerpts)
81. Sigebert III founds and endows the monasteries of Stavelot and Malmedy (643/8)
Sigibertus rex Francorum [v. inl.]. Vestra comperiat largitas, qualiter pro devotione animae nostrae servorum Dei compendiis opitulante Domino in foreste nostra nuncupante Arduuina in locis vastę solitudinis consulere cupientes, in quibus caterva bestiarum germinat, quatenus eorum meritis aeternę remunerationis copiam adipisci mereremur, qui ibdem patroni nostri Petri et Pauli, Iohannis, Martini vel aliorum sanctorum pignora venerare noscuntur, concessimus eis, ut ibi monasteria iuxta regulam coenobiorum vel traditionem patrum cognominata Malmunderio seu Stabelaco construerentur [...]
'Sigebert, king of the Franks, to his illustrious men. Let it be known to your largesse that, mindful of our soul, and desiring to make provisions, with the Lord's aid, for the provisions of the servants of God – so that we might earn an abundance of eternal rewards by their merits – in our forest which is called the Ardennes, in a place of great solitude, where herds of wild beasts flourish, that same place where the relics (pignora) of our patron(s) Peter and Paul, John, Martin and other saints are known to be venerated, we have granted them this: that they may construct monasteries there, in accordance with a coenobitic Rule, and according to the traditions of the fathers, called Malmedy and Stavelot ...'
124. Theuderic III confirms the properties of the monasteries of Stavelot and Malmedy, and the privileges granted by Sigebert III and Childeric III (679/91)
Theudericus rex Francorum v. inl. Si petitiones sacerdotum aut ecclesiarum prolatas, in quo nostris auribus recte poposcerint, perducimus ad effectum, regiam consuetudinem exercemus et in aeternum Dominum retributorem ex hoc habere confidimus. Ideo notum sit fidelibus nostris, quia venerabilis vir Godoinus abba de monasterio Stablau et Malmunderio, quę sunt in honore sanctae Marię et sanctorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli vel ceterorum sanctorum a bone memorię avunculo nostro Sigiberto quondam rege ob amorem Christi de foreste [et] fiscibus nostris super fluvium Amblauam constructa, clementiam nostram exposcit [...]
'Theuderic, king of the Franks, to his illustrious men. If we bring into effect the petitions brought forward by priests and churches, which are rightly asked in our ears, we thus exercise royal custom, and are sure that through this we will have the Lord as our eternal retributor. Therefore let it be known to our faithful, that the venerable man Godoinus, abbot of the monastery of Stavelot-Malmedy, which was built in honour of Saint Mary and the holy apostles Peter and Paul and other saints by our uncle Sigebert of happy memory, the late king, for the love of Christ from our forest and fisc over the river Warche, has asked of our clemency ...'
Text: Kölzer 2001, 315-7.
Translation: B. Savill.
Cult building - monastic
Non Liturgical ActivitySaint as patron - of an individual
Construction of cult buildings
Bequests, donations, gifts and offerings
RelicsUnspecified relic
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - abbots
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Monarchs and their family
Source
According to the judgement of their most recent editor, 54 authentic or substantially authentic royal diplomas/charters survive from Merovingian Gaul which are dated or datable to the period up to ad 700. Of these, 36 appear to relate directly to the cult of saints, and are included in our database. All but one, possibly two (E06133, E06141), of the charters included here date from the 7th century, mostly its final quarter. Although a number of these diplomas have come down to us only in later cartulary copies, a remarkably large proportion (21 of our 36) survive as single-sheet, original manuscripts, the great majority of which come from the monastery of Saint-Denis. Due to the nature of western archival survivals, all these documents concern either land, legal immunities, or rights to tolls, and are preserved exclusively through interested religious institutions. For a sense, however, of the kind of Merovingian documents we may have lost, the scribal templates found in the Formulary of Marculf are suggestive (see e.g. E06231, E06233).These Stavelot-Malmedy diplomas survive in copies dating from the 10th century onwards.
Discussion
Beyond Saint-Denis, this is the only Merovingian royal diploma to mention the presence of relics (pignora) at a cult site, here apparently predating the foundation of the royal monastery.The apparent relegation of Martin, and promotion of Mary, as dedicatees in the period between the 643/8 and 679/91 documents is interesting. Stavelot-Malmedy appears to have been a so-called 'double-monastery', housing both men and women religious; if so, this diploma and several others seem to suggest a pattern by which prominent 7th century Franco-Gallic women's monasteries tended to be dedicated to Mary.
The John mentioned as one of the dedicatees of this monastery is likely to have been John the Baptist, who was more popular as a saintly dedicatee than the apostle and evangelist, and whose ascetic ways were seen as a model for the monastic life.
Bibliography
Edition:Kölzer, T., Die Urkunden der Merowinger, 2 vols. (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Diplomata; Hannover, 2001).
Further reading:
Brühl, C., Studien zu den merowingischen Königsurkunden, ed. T. Kölzer (Cologne, 2001).
Kölzer, T., Merowingerstudien, 2 vols (Hannover, 1998-1999).
Benjamin Savill
22/08/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00008 | Paul, the Apostle | Paulus | Certain | S00020 | John the Baptist | Iohannes | Uncertain | S00033 | Mary, Mother of Christ | Maria | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00042 | John, the Apostle and Evangelist | Iohannes | Uncertain | S00050 | Martin, ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397 | Martinus | Certain | S00518 | Saints, unnamed | sancti | Certain |
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