medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: jbugslag <[log in to unmask]>
>At Chartres, it would appear to have only been on popular feast days, like
the Assumption, that pilgrims would have needed to bed down in the church or
its porches, since there was an Hotel Dieu established right in front of
the cathedral in the late 11th century, which could have accommodated "the
usual" flow of pilgrims.
it has never been clear to me how/why what we might call a "pilgrims' hostel"
would have "doubled" as a hospital (or, the other way round).
_xenodochium_ is the term used in the earliest mentions of the one at Chartres
(in the cathedral necrology), which Niermeyer defines as a [emphasis his]
"*hospital, guest house* for foreigners, pilgrims, the poor and the sick,
*having the status of a religious house* and placed under the supervision of a
bishop." [some sources spell it _senodochium/sinodochium_.]
related (and in origin?) is _xenodocus_, "monk in charge of receiving guests
(in a monastery)... Greg. M., lib. 4 epist. 24, Epp., I, p. 258."
but mixing healthy (albeit poor) pilgrims/travelers with the sick would seem
to me to be a no-brainer situation inherently detrimental to both --as, i
assume, would be reflected in the existence of an _infirmarius_ in the
monastic context.
a letter of Bishop Ivo (Ep. 282, PL 162.282C, perhaps c. 1101) speaks of
"xenodochiis, ptocotrophis vel aliis religiosis domibus" which a modren editor
takes to mean that there a distinction to be made between "Xenodochium, asile
pour les pauvres voyageurs" and "Ptocotrophium, asile pour tous les autres
pauvres."
(Niermeyer is of little help, offering "almshouse" for _ptocheum_.)
this institution was at Chateaudun, where we may assume there were certainly
some poor folk, but a place not known at all as a pilgrimage site.
elsewhere (Ep. 192, PL 162.200A), he speaks of "xenodochiis, infirmis et
peregrinis..."
a keyword search of the PL database on "xenodoch*" only gets 796 hits (473 for
middlevil authors), where i'm sure the issue of the separation of the two
("hospital" and "hostel") might be made, here or there.
among the earliest hits is SANCTI AMBROSII MEDIOLANENSIS EPISCOPI DE EXCIDIO
URBIS HIEROSOLYMITANAE LIBRI QUINQUE. LIBER PRIMUS. CAPUT PRIMUM.(PL 15.1965B)
: ...Hyrcanus instituisse primus xenodochia, quibus adventum susciperet
pauperum peregrinorum....
i just don't know how to reconcile that *must* have been a practical
distinction between the two with the fact that the same word is (apparently)
used for both.
clue me, someone.
c
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