Dear Dom Anselm,
Being somewhat hagiographically challenged myself, I cannot help directly with
your query concerning Ste-Fripette-le-bois, but I would think that the name
itself implies that there are other (presumably even grander) Sainte-Fripettes
around, either in the region (probable) or in the wide world beyond. Perhaps
you could find more information about the saint if you can find a treatment in
the secondary literature of a more
significant place carrying her name.
On the off-chance that your interest extends to the history of the
village itself, might I share my own _ad hoc_ "method" of trying to run down
the history of small/obscure places in France, in hopes that some kind soul on
this list (surely) has found a better way and is willing to share it?
The massive (8 folio vols. or so) _Dictionaire Topographic de la France_ by
Joanne is a good place to start. Your village--no matter how small--will
surely be in there, as will *all* the other various Ste- Fripettes--together
with a brief description of its condition c. 1900. Joanne also *may* note that
the place was the site of a priory of some institution whose documents *may*
have survived.
There should be a _Dictionaire Topographic_ of the _departement_ in which
the village lies, which has probably been published, but, if not, probably
exists as a manuscript in the departemental archives in the
_chef lieu_ (an excellent excuse for applying to Father Abbot for permission
to make a winter visit to balmy Tours).
The volumes in this series (begun, I believe, by Lucien Merlet, the
_archiviste_ of the Eure-et-Loir in 1861) are generally quite informative
(including references to the "ancienne" forms of the names of the
places), based on the documents in the local archives.
With luck, there might be a reference such as "site du prieure' de l'abbaye de
Marmoutier" or somesuchlike, giving you the name of the ecclesiatical "owner"
(if any).
If you strike out in the DT, a _Pouille'_ of the diocese should be published
in the series of the same name edited under the auspices of the Academie des
Inscriptions (sorry, I don't know the Touraine documents
very well at all). This will tell you the name of the institution or dignitary
(Bishop, Archdeacon, whatever) who held the _collation_ of the church.
Finally, armed with the name of the ecclesiastical "owner" (if any), you might
consult Henri Stein's _Catalogue generale des cartulaires_ (or somesuch
title), which will tell you (theoretically) if a ms cartulary existed or
exists, whether it was published before the time of Stein's writing (c. 1910?)
and whether there are documents concerning the place
in a _fonds_ in the Archives nationales or the AD.
There is here also a handy index of the multitude (hundreds) of priories of
Marmoutier (in which your place may number), together with the
location of whatever documents may have survived in the 17-18th c. ms
cartulary collections (still largely unpublished) amassed by your scholarly
Benedictine predecessors, held today in the BN.
I hope someone here can put me out of my misery and point out a more
expeditious way of navigating the thicket of French local history.
Hope this helps.
Sorry for the length.
Best to all from here,
Christopher
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