There was in the twentieth century a particular category of abbey -- a
canonical status of the institution, as opposed to the personal status of
the abbot -- called the "abbatia nullius" [sc. dioecesis], in which the
abbey and some surrounding territory and its parishes were canonically
independent of the local ordinary. In the US, the abbot was a member of
the national bishops' conference. The category was suppressed in the late
1970s; there were two such institutions in North America, Belmont Abbey in
NC and St Peter's in Saskatchewan. IN the NC case, abbey nullius status
came in conjunction with the consecration of an early twentieth-century
abbot, Leo Haig, as bishop of the missionary territory of North
Carolina. Later abbots were ordinaries, but not consecrated as bishops.
One can see echoes here of medieval "immunity" (a topic that seems to grow
more complex by the year! -- B. Rosenwein's book is on my desk, waiting for
me to crack the cover). My question is when this canonical status was
first defined, or how it evolved, and what its medieval precedents
were. (See, this really was a medieval question . . . ) I'm wondering if
it was a post-Tridentine development, a sudden definition of something
pretty novel, or a gradual evolution. Is the connection with medieval [I
think we're not alowed to say "Cluniac" anymore . . .] immunity merely one
of resemblance, or of historical development?
Patrick Nugent.
At 11:30 AM 2/5/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>At 02:35 PM 2/4/01 -0600, you wrote:
>>Dublin provides an interesting example. ...
>>Does anyone know of other sees in medieval Christendom with more than one
>>cathedral chapter?
>>--Maeve
> The medieval diocese of Valva and Sulmona, on the border between
>Lazio and the Abruzzi, had two cathedrals--a consequence of the melting
>away of the original cathedral city.
> On another matter under discussion, it might be noted that in
>medieval Europe not only were there mitered abbots who had the right to
>wear this episcopal regalia but also, in Germany and in Italy, some mitered
>abbesses. These were superior mother superiors in whose presence even the
>more rowdy magnates were presumably well behaved.
> --John Howe, Texas Tech
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