The canons of a church council held at Orléans (western Gaul) in 533 include martyrarii (attendants at shrines of the martyrs) among classes of lesser clergy forbidden from issuing letters of recommendation. Written in Latin at Orléans in 533.
Evidence ID
E08387
Type of Evidence
Canonical and legal texts
Council of Orléans (533), canon 13
Abbates, martyrarii, reclusi uel presbyteri apostolia dare non praesumant.
'Abbots, martyrarii, hermits or presbyters may not presume to issue apostolia.'
Text: De Clercq 1963, 101.
Translation: David Lambert.
Cult Places
Burial site of a saint - unspecified
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - lesser clergy
Source
This council was held in Orléans on 23 June 533, with the participation of thirty bishops or their representatives (De Clercq 1963, 98).Discussion
The canon includes martyrarii among the classes of lesser clergy forbidden to issue letters of recommendation (apostolia), a privilege reserved for bishops (De Clercq 1963, note ad loc.). The word martyrarius denoted a cleric responsible for attending and overseeing the tomb of a saint: although it must evidently have originated from the tombs of martyrs, it may later have been applied to attendants at any saint's tomb. Its appearance in this canon alongside such widespread classes of ecclesiastic as abbots and presbyters seems to suggest that it was a common word, but in fact it is extremely rare, with only a handful of instances in early medieval texts. For other examples of its use, see E05266, E06895, E07736, E07753.Bibliography
Edition:De Clercq, C., Concilia Galliae, a. 511-a. 696 (Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 148A; Turnhout, 1963).
Record Created By
David Lambert
Date of Entry