Carolyn Muessig has on a couple of occasions re-posted to the list some
medieval-religion messages that have been particularly interesting,
informative and appropriate to discussions at hand. In this case, I wish
to follow this example by re-posting a message sent to the list last year at
this time.
Following the post I had made for the feasts of 2 November, Richard Landes
asked the list whether anyone had information at hand regarding the feast
of All Souls and Cluny. Isabelle Cochelin kindly provided the following
reply, which can be consulted at our Web archives; the precise location of
this message is:
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion/1995-11/0017.html
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On the subject of All Souls,
The information is given in a Vita of Odilo and in the customaries. For
instance, in the Vita by Pierre Damien (PL 144, col.936-37), you can read:
Tunc venerabilis pater Odilo per omnia monasteria sua constituit generale
decretum ut, sicut primo die mensis Novembris, juxta universalis Ecclesiae
regulam, omnium Sanctorum solemnitas agitur, ita sequenti die in psalmis et
eleemosynis et praecipue missarum solemniis omnium in Christo quiescentium
memoria celebretur.
The other Vita of the saint is by the monk Jotsaud (PL 142, col.897-14,
plus 2 chapters edited by E. SACKUR in Neues Archiv, 15 (1890): 118-21) I
re-read it quicklu and did not see any mention of the Feast. But I might
have gone through it too quickly. You have a chapter of the Liber tramitis
reserved to this subject: the fact that Odilo created the feast of all
souls: ed. P. Dinter, Liber tramitis aevi Odilonis Abbatis, (Corpus
consuetudinum monasticarum, X), 1980, 138,p.199. It is then mentioned again
in the customaries by Ulrich (PL 149, I,xlii,col.688-89 with a reference to
the Vita) and Bernard (ed. M. Herrgott, Cura disciplina monastica, 1726,
II,xxxii,p.353-54).
Doing my Ph-D on cluniac sources (customaries and Vitae) from 909 to 1156,
I have everything photocopied at home, as we say in french "under the
hand". So, if I can be of help to anyone...
Isabelle Cochelin [log in to unmask]
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As it turns out, it has come to my attention that Isabelle recently
defended her doctoral dissertation at the Universite' de Montre'al with
great distinction, and is presently on a post-doctoral fellowship in
Paris. Fe'licitations, Isabelle!
George Ferzoco
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