The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Privilege of Pope Adeodatus II (JE 2105; JH 3454) (excerpts)

Dilectissimis fratribus, uniuersis episcopis in Galliae partibus, Adeodatus. Aequitatis nos ammonet norma, quam aprime custodire precepimur, ut canonica sanctorum patrum consulta, presertim a beatissimis apostolice sedis presulibus, predecessoribus scilicet nostris, qui auctoritatem, succesione ac uice sacratissimi apostolorum principis Petri per diligentem sollertiam nancti sunt, quemadmodum statuta repperimus intemerata atque inlibita custodia conseruamus [...] Qua ex re, dum ill. [Aegiricus] religiosus presbyter et abbas monasterii Sancti illius [Martini], in quo et uenerabilis corpus eius est situm, uisendas ex desiderio ueniens apostolicas confessiones et atria, nostris se representaret obtutibus commendationemque fratri nostri illi [Crotperti], illius [Turonensis] ecclesie presuli, obtulisset, sublici uoci precatus est, ut priuilegium apostolica auctoritate subnixum ob munitionem uenerabilis monasterii, quam beate recordationis confessor Christi ill. [Martini] et presul illius [Turonensis] ecclesie in Galliganis partibus ad conuersorum salutem sui sanctissimi corporis consecratione decorauit [...] ei concedere deberemus. [...] Propterea et nos, erga quod idem fratres nostri, reuerentissimi presules, conferre prouiderunt, simili censura ex auctoritate profecto apostolorum principis, cui clauis ligandi atque soluendi Conditor ac Redemptor omnium tribuit, idemtidem firmari concessimus [...]

'To his most beloved brothers, all the bishops in the region of Gaul, Adeodatus. We are admonished by the rule of equity, which we especially are enjoined to safeguard, that we ought to keep safe in unshaken and inviolate custody the carefully deliberated canons of the holy fathers, especially those of the most blessed prelates of the apostolic see - namely our predecessors, who obtained their authority through diligent skill in succession to, and in place of, the most sacred Peter, prince of the apostles - in whichever way we find them established... Concerning which, when (Aegiricus), the religious priest and abbot of the monastery of Saint (Martin), where his venerable body lies, came here out of a desire to see the apostolic shrines and atria, he presented himself before us, and brought forward a letter of commendation from our brother (Chrodebert), bishop of the church of (Tours), and he entreated with a humble voice whether, with apostolic authority, we might grant him a supporting privilege for the strengthening of that venerable monastery, which the confessor of Christ of blessed memory (Martin), bishop of the church of (Tours) in the region of Gaul, honoured with the consecration of his own most holy body for the salvation of the converted... And therefore we have granted that what our brothers, the most reverent bishops, saw fit to confer, is to be confirmed once again, according to a like judgement made with, assuredly, the authority of the prince of the apostles, to whom the Creator and Redeemer gave the keys of binding and loosing all things...'


Text: Zeumer 1886, 496-8.
Translation: B. Savill.

Cult building - monastic
Burial site of a saint - unspecified

Monastery

Awarding privileges to cult centres
Pilgrimage
Visiting graves and shrines

Bodily relic - entire body

Ecclesiastics - Popes
Ecclesiastics - bishops
Ecclesiastics - abbots

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

Source

Discussion

Bibliography