medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
St. Ivo of Chartres came from a background as a secular canon, and rose
through the Ranks to become the Abbot of the collegial of St. Quentin of
Beauvais.
when he was elected Bishop of Chartres, it seems that he had this Bee in his
Bonnet for reforming secular collegials, and he lost no time reforming the
collegial abbey of St. John (“Saint-Jean-en-Vallée,” down the hill from
his city in the early 1090s), and seems to have done the initial spadework for
the reform the major institution in the third most important town in his
diocese, Saint Mary Madeleine of Châteaudun (which, for local political
reasons, was only brought to fruition by his successor, Bishop Godfrey of
Lèves at the end of the 1130s).
continuing what appears to be a pattern of reform of these institutions, in
1105 he gave notice that he had reformed (reformatam) the church of St. Mary
of “Bourgmoyen” (so called because of its placement in the town, between
the castrum and the burg near the river Loire), the major collegial church in
the second most important town of the diocese, Blois (itself the seat of a
county).
in a rather standard clause in this charter, he threatened with
excommunication anyone who violated the “liberty” or boundaries
(liminibus) of this church and then added the following somewhat unusual
provision:
In infirmitate a presbyteris non visitentur, in hora mortis, corpus et
sanguinem Christi non suscipiant, in coemeterio Christianorum non sepeliantur,
aeternas gehennae flammas incurrant….
[see complete text below]
which I take to mean that any sick person who is not visited by a priest at
the moment of their death and does not accept the body and blood of Christ
shall not be buried in a cemetary of Christians and shall suffer the eternal
flames of Gehenna (BOO! Suckers!!).
if it were a century later, and in Southern France, I would understand this as
an admonition aimed at heretics but, as far as I know, there was no serious
infestation of Cathars in the Blesois or Chartrain at the beginning of the
12th century (or any other time).
such not being the case, this appears to be just a rather straightforward,
shameless and thus perfectly typical exploitation of the pathetic Sheeples’
terrible Fear by a member of the Hierarchy of Holy Mother Church.
however, I know of no other similar provision in any 12th century charter from
the region, so does this clause ring a bell with anyone?
under those circumstances, how might we account for it?
thanks to all for any insights.
c
complete text of the charter, from the PL 162.289 (after Jean Bernier,
Histoire de Blois [Paris: Muguet, 1632]), p. 8 Preuves, p. viii, “ex archivo
monasterii Burgimedii”
http://books.google.com/books?id=pRhDAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP7#v=onepage&q&f=false) :
Ego Ivo, Dei gratia Carnotensis episcopus, notum esse volo cunctis Ecclesiae
fidelibus, tam praesentibus quam futuris, quia Adela comitissa, Stephani
comitis uxor, divini amoris igne succensa, augmentandae religionis desiderio
inflammata, humilitatem nostram humiliter adiit petens ut libertatem ecclesiae
Sanctae Mariae de Burgomedio, ejus canonicorum et aliorum clericorum eidem
ecclesiae famulantium, nec non eorum servientium, ab Odone comite et Bertha
uxore ejus olim factam per antiquitatem aliquantulum imminutam, sed per eam
diligentissime [Col.0289D] reformatam, auctoritate nostrae excommunicationis
confirmaremus. Nos itaque justae petitioni, justisque desideriis assensum
praebentes cum grege nobis commisso, violatores ejus libertatis
excommunicamus, et a liminibus sanctae dictae ecclesiae sequestramus, tam eos,
quam eorum ad praedictam libertatem infringendam fautores. In infirmitate a
presbyteris non visitentur, in hora mortis, corpus et sanguinem Christi non
suscipiant, in coemeterio Christianorum non sepeliantur, aeternas gehennae
flammas incurrant, nisi resipientes ad emendationem et satisfactionem
[Col.0290C] confugerint, et, ut hoc per succedentis tempora firmatum et
stabile permaneat, hanc chartam manu propria firmavimus, et manibus
praelatorum Ecclesiae nostrae firmandam tradidimus. Signum Ivonis episcopi.
Signum Arnaldi decani. Signum Helduini cantoris. Signum Wilelmi archidiaconi.
Signum Serani subdecani. Signum Warini subcantoris. Signum Anselmi
Cantuariensis archiepiscopi. Signum Fulconis archidiaconi. Signum Arlonis
archidiaconi. Signum Odonis archidiaconi. Signum Andreae archidiaconi.
[Col.0290D] Signum Hugonis praepositi. Signum Gerosii camerarii. Data
Carnotis, octavo Kalendas Julii, anno ab Incarnatione Domini 1105, indictione
XIII, regnante Philippo rege Francorum, anno regni ipsius XLVI.
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