The will of Lando, bishop of Reims (mid-7th c.), leaves property to many churches of Reims. Will of mid-7th c.; summary, written in Latin in the 940s by Flodoard, in his History of the Church of Reims (2.6).
E08398
Documentary texts - Will
Will of Lando, from Flodoard 2.6:
Summary:
Lando makes the cathedral church of Reims responsible for his will.
To the basilica of *Remigius (bishop of Reims, ob. c. 533, S00456), where he wished to be buried, he granted estates and gifts.
'To the basilica of saint *Gaugeric (bishop of Cambrai, ob. 623/629, S02205) and saint Quintinus (martyr of Saint-Quentin, S00379), various gifts of silver' (Basilice sancti Gaugerici et sancti Quintini argenti varia dona).
Bequests to basilicas and poor-reliefs (matriculis) of Reims:
Of *Timotheus and Apollinaris (martyrs of Reims, S00329).
Of *Martin (ascetic and bishop of Tours, S00050).
Of *Nicasius (bishop of Reims, 5th c., S02061).
Of *Genovefa (ascetic of Paris, ob. c. 502, S01156).
To the monastery of *Theoderic (monastic founder near Reims, early 6th c., S03040) and *Theodulf (abbot near Reims, 6th c., S03041).
To the basilica of *Germanus (probably Germanus, bishop of Paris, ob. 576, S01166) and its poor-relief (matricola).
Of *Julian (martyr of Brioude, S00035).
Of *Cosmas and Damianus (brothers, physician martyrs of Syria, S00385)
Of *Peter (the Apostle, S00036) 'ad cortem'. [This is assumed to be the same church as that of Peter 'in civitate' in the will of Somnatius, E08397.]
Of Peter at the female monastery.
Of *Symphorianus (martyr of Autun, S00322), 'which is called at the *Apostles' (S00084) (que vocatur Ad apostolos).
Of *Medard (bishop of Vermand buried at Soissons, ob. c. 560, S00168), and of *Crispinus and Crispinianus (martyrs of Soissons, S01174).
Of *Victor (probably the martyr of Marseille, S00382).
Of *Maurice (commander of the Theban Legion, martyr of Agaune, S00339).
Also many gifts to the basilica of *Basolus (monastic founder at Verzy, late 6th c., S03043).
An estate to the cathedral church (ecclesia) of Laon and to the basilica of Genovefa established there.
'Also a gold tower, which he had made as a votive offering, placed on the altar of Saint *Mary (mother of Christ, the cathedral church of Reims, and three patens and a gold armlet (Turrim quoque auream, quam ad votum suum fabricari fecerat, super altare posuit sancte Marie Remensis ecclesie et patenas tres ac brachiale aureum).
This was in the time of King Sigebert [Sigebert III, 633/634-656].
Text: Stratmann 1998, 147-8.
Summary: Bryan Ward-Perkins.
Cult building - independent (church)
Cult building - monastic
Non Liturgical ActivityBequests, donations, gifts and offerings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Cult Related ObjectsChalices, censers and other liturgical vessels
Precious material objects
Source
Flodoard, who was a priest and canon of the cathedral of Reims, wrote his Historia Remensis Ecclesiae (History of the Church of Reims) in the 940s, telling the story of the see in the form of an account of each bishop's episcopacy, up to the year 948. He was a well-informed writer and had access to the archives of the church.Since he was a tenth-century writer, we have not included in our database every piece of evidence that Flodoard provides regarding the early cult of saints at Reims, although much of it may well be accurate. But we have included three passages where it is clear that he is summarising original documents: the will of Bishop Romulf of 590/596 (E08396), that of Bishop Somnatius of c. 620 (E08397), and that of Bishop Lando of the mid-7th century (presented here).
Discussion
The will of Lando can be dated to the years between 633/634 and 656 on the basis of Flodoard's statement that he was bishop in the time of King Sigebert III.The identification and location of the churches mentioned in Lando's will are discussed by Schenk zu Schweinberg (1971, 133-34), as well as in a general discussion of all three episcopal wills by Sot (1993, 676-79). Those in Reims are also considered in Pietri and Neiss 2006.
The large majority of the churches that were to receive legacies were in or near Reims, including two monasteries in the city's territory: that founded by abbot Theoderic (Saint Thierry in modern French, supposedly a follower of Remigius of Reims) to the north-east, whose second abbot, Theodulf (or Saint Thiou) was also venerated as a saint; and that founded by Basolus (Saint Basle) at Verzy to the south-west (for which see Sot 1993, 423-26). Three of the urban churches - those of Genovefa, of Cosmas and Daminaus, and of Victor - are here mentioned for the first time. The basilica of Germanus was probably the same as the oratory dedicated to the saint in the atrium of the church of Remigius (Saint-Remi) by Bishop Romulf (Flodoard, Historia Remensis Ecclesiae 2.4).
The record of Lando's gift of a gold 'tower' for the altar of the cathedral of Reims, includes the earliest attestation of the dedication of the cathedral to Mary.
The one puzzling beneficiary of a legacy is 'the basilica of saint Gaugeric and saint Quintinus'. There is no evidence of such a church at Reims, and no obvious reason why these two saints (the first a seventh-century bishop of Cambrai, the other the martyr of Saint-Quentin) might have shared a church. Perhaps Flodoard's summary records legacies to two separate churches, neither in Reims itself.
Bibliography
Edition:Stratmann, M., Flodoard von Reims, Die Geschichte der remser Kirche, (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores 36, Hannover 1998).
Further reading :
Pietri, L and R. Neiss, "Reims," in: N. Gauthier, B. Beaujard, and F. Prévot (eds.), Topographie chrétienne des cités de la Gaule des origines au milieu du VIIIe siècle, vol. 14: Province ecclésiastique de Reims (Belgica Secunda) (Paris, 2006), 21-45.
Schenk zu Schweinsberg, G., Reims in merowingischer Zeit: Stadt, Civitas, Bistum (Bonn 1971), 133-34.
M. Sot, Un historien et son église au Xe siècle: Flodoard de Reims, (Paris 1993), 672-78.
Bryan Ward-Perkins
20/03/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00035 | Julian, martyr of Brioude (southern Gaul) | Iulianus | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Petrus | Certain | S00050 | Martin, ascetic and bishop of Tours, ob. 397 | Martinvs | Certain | S00168 | Medard, bishop of Vermand buried at Soissons, ob. c. 560 | Medardus | Certain | S00322 | Symphorianus, martyr of Autun | Simphorianus | Certain | S00329 | Timotheus and Apollinaris, martyrs of Reims | Timotheus, Apollinaris | Certain | S00339 | Theban Legion, commanded by Maurice, martyrs of Agaune, Gaul | Mauricius | Certain | S00379 | Quintinus, martyr of Saint-Quentin | Quintinus | Certain | S00382 | Victor, martyr of Marseille, and his companion martyrs | Victor | Certain | S00385 | Kosmas and Damianos, brothers, physician martyrs of Syria | Cosma et Damianus | Certain | S00455 | Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 448 | Germanus | Uncertain | S00456 | Remigius, bishop of Reims, ob. c. 533 | Remigius | Certain | S01156 | Genovefa/Geneviève, ascetic of Paris, ob. c. 502 | Genovefa | Certain | S01166 | Germanus, bishop of Paris, ob. 576 | Germanus | Uncertain | S01174 | Crispinus and Crispinianus, martyrs of Soissons | Crispinus et Crispinianus | Certain | S02061 | Nicasius, bishop of Reims, 5th c. | Nichasius | Certain | S02205 | Gaugeric/Gauricus, bishop of Cambrai, ob. 623/9 | Gaugericus | Certain | S03040 | Theuderic, monastic founder near Reims, early 6th c. | Theodericus | Certain | S03041 | Theodulf, abbot near Reims, 6th c. | Theodulfus | Certain | S03043 | Basolus, monastic founder at Verzy, late 6th c. | Basolus | Certain |
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