Site logo

The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


A probably partly authentic papal letter of privilege issued by Pope John IV grants special rights to the monastery at Luxeuil (eastern Gaul) dedicated to *Peter (the Apostle, S00036). Written in Latin at Rome, 640/2.

Evidence ID

E06973

Type of Evidence

Documentary texts - Charter or diploma

Documentary texts - Letter

Privilege of Pope John IV (JE †2045; JH ?3312) (excerpts)

Dilectissimis fratribus uniuersis episcopis per Galliam constitutis, Iohannes episcopus seruus seruorum Dei [...] Quoniam igitur excellentissimus filius noster rex Francorum pia et religiosa deuotione prospicuus suis nos scriptis postulasse dinoscitur, ut apostolicae sedis priuilegium impertiremur monasterio Beati Petri apostolorum principis in loco qui dicitur Luxouium [...] dum profecto cuncti usque ad fines terrae et oceani terminum sub Beati Petri apostolorum principis dicione consistunt, et oportet omnes omnino medullitas obedire quae per Beati Petri auctoritatem apostolica sedes postulata dinoscitur indulgere. Ergo [...] postulata concessimus, interdicentes omnibus episcopis uicinis uel procul a predicto monasterio contitutis, nichil usurpare [...]

'To his most beloved brothers, all the bishops situated throughout Gaul, John, bishop, servant of the servants of God... Since therefore our most excellent son Clovis (II), king of the Franks, famous in his pious and religious devotion, is known to have asked us by letters, that we might grant a privilege of the apostolic see to the monastery of the blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, in the place which is called Luxeuil... (And) since indeed all things up to the ends of the earth and the boundary of the ocean exist under the authority of the blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, it is fitting to obey absolutely and most thoroughly all those things which the apostolic see is known to grant in response to requests through the authority of blessed Peter. Therefore... we grant what has been asked, forbidding all bishops situated near or far from the aforesaid monastery from usurping anything...'


Text: Bouchard 2004, no. 167.
Translation: B. Savill.

Cult Places

Cult building - monastic

Places Named after Saint

Monastery

Non Liturgical Activity

Awarding privileges to cult centres

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - Popes
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Monarchs and their family

Theorising on Sanctity

Considerations about the hierarchy of saints
Using saints to assert ecclesiastical/political status

Source

This privilege survives fragmentarily in the twelfth-century cartulary of Montier-en-Der (north-east Gaul), founded in 672. The authenticity of this document has long been contested, but Anton has argued for its broad underlying trustworthiness.

Discussion

For apparently contemporary privileges with very similar formulations, see E06971 (Bobbio), E06972 (an unidentifiable women's monastery in Gaul) and E06974 (Rebais).

Bibliography

Edition:
Bouchard, C.B., The Cartulary of Montier-en-Der, 666-1129 (Toronto, 2004).

Further reading:
Anton, H.H., Studien zu den Klosterprivilegien der Päpste im frühen Mittelalter unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Privilegierung von St. Maurice d'Agaune (Berlin and New York, 1975).

Anton, H.H., ‘Der Liber Diurnus in angeblichen und verfälschten Papstprivilegien der früheren Mittelalters,’ in
Fälschungen im Mittlelalter: Internationaler Kongreß der Monumenta Germaniae Historica, München, 16.-19. September 1986, 5 vols (Hannover, 1988), 3. 115-42.

Morelle, L., 'La liberté de Luxeuil et son expression diplomatique. À propos d’une charte épiscopale absente et d’un privilège pontifical encombrant (Jean IV, 640-642),’ in S. Bully, A. Dubreucq and A. Bully, eds.,
Colomban et son influence. Moines et monastères du haut Moyen Âge en Europe (Rennes, 2018), 239-60.


Record Created By

Benjamin Savill

Date of Entry

13/10/2022

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S00036Peter, the ApostlePetrusCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Benjamin Savill, Cult of Saints, E06973 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E06973