A letter from Joan of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders (1233, November)

Translated letter:

Joan, countess of Flanders and Hainaut, to all who will view the present letters, greeting. May all know that the renowned and dearest lord and our husband Ferdinand, of happy memory, formerly count of Flanders and Hainaut, after he returned from prison, was striving with pious and fervent desire for the construction of a hospital, but finally he himself and we began a certain hospital with our own hands, by allotting a spacious place for it, beyond Ghent on our own estate in honor of the Blessed Virgin, in which (place) it has been established with both properties and revenue assigned, and so that the same hospital might be managed both in secular and spiritual matters according to God in future times, within the border of this same hospital the lord count himself and we have had begun also a monastery of nuns, of the Cistercian order, and (had it) called the haven of the blessed Virgin. Moreover we have ordered that the hospital itself be a division of that same monastery, and the goods belonging to the hospital should be managed by the provision of the monastery itself and should be distributed for the needs of the sick and the poor, guests and travelers, for whose uses the allotted (goods) are assigned; and we wish that it be known to all both present and future that we have had begun the above-said monastery specially and principally for the purpose of the promotion and guidance of the hospital and in this the chief and special intention and firm will of the lord count himself, and ours, was that in the aforesaid monastery, while it should be abundant with secular (people), only a few nuns would be received there in the future, such that the number of them, unless for clear and very urgent reason, should not exceed the number of twenty-five sisters; also lay sisters should not be received there unless insofar as a few might be able to supply the services to be procured from the monastery and hospital; and whatever goods of this same place will be left over, beyond the necessity of all the nuns, should be transferred for the use of the sick and indigent, such that the chief concern of the inhabitants in this same place should always be for the poor and sick. Therefore we ask and beseech and as powerfully as we can command and exhort in the Lord that the male and female rectors of the monastery itself diligently attend to the promotion of the aforesaid hospital always out of charity according to God, as we have said above, and they should strive to manage the hospital itself in spiritual matters according to the discipline of the order and to promote (it) in temporal (matters), and at no time should they neglect to observe firmly and faithfully our chief intention and pious desire concerning the receiving of few nuns and a generous provision for many sick and poor. Also with all affection we humbly beseech the venerable lord father abbot of Clairvaux, who at the request of the lord count himself and us has received as daughter the aforesaid monastery, that he strive to maintain the aforesaid place in the discipline of the order and of hospitality and that he himself cause to be observed firmly in the future our aforesaid order which we have made with pious intention for the beginning of this same place, and that he wish to confirm it with his letters. Therefore so that these things might remain sure in the future and not depart from the memory of people, we have had the present letters written and strengthened by the protection of our seal. Granted in the year of the Lord 1233, in the month of November.(1)

Original letter:

J[ohanna], Flandrie et Haenoie comitissa, omnibus presentes litteras inspecturis salutem. Noverint universi quod illustris et carissimus dominus ac maritus noster F[errandus], felicis memorie, quondam Flandrie et Haenoie comes, postquam de prisonia rediit, ad construendum unum hospitale pio et ferventi desiderio hanelabat, tamdem vero ipse et nos extra Gandavum in proprio fundo nostro nostris propriis manibus in honorem beate Virginis quoddam inchoavimus hospitale, locum ei spaciosum, in quo ipsum fundatum est ac possessiones et redditus assignando, et ut idem hospitale tam in temporalibus quam in spiritualibus secundum Deum futuris temporibus regeretur, infra ambitum eiusdem hospitalis monasterium quoque monialium, cistercierisis ordinis, ipse dominus comes et nos fecimus inchoari et portum beate Virginis appellari. Ordinavimus autem quod ipsum hospitale eiusdem monasterii menbrum esset et bona ad hospitale pertinentia ipsius monasterii provisione regantur et distribuantur in necessitates infirmorum et pauperum, hospitum et transeuntium, quorum usibus assignata noscuntur; cunctisque tam presentibus quam futuris volumus esse notum quod supradictum monasterium specialiter et principaliter fecimus inchoari propter promotionem et regimen hospitalis et ipsius domini comitis et nostra in hoc precipua fuit et specialis intentio ac fixa voluntas ut in sepedicto monasterio, quamvis temporalibus habundaret, non reciperentur in posterum nisi pauce moniales, ita quod earum numerus, nisi ex evidenti et urgentissima causa, non excederet numerum vigenti et quinque sorores; quoque converse non reciperentur ibidem nisi quanto pauciores possint sufficere ad monasterii ac hospitalis ministeria procuranda; et quicquid ultra necessitatem tot monialium de bonis eiusdem loci poterit esse residuum, in usus infirmorum et indigentium convertetur, ita quod precipua solicitudo habitantium in loco eodem sit semper erga pauperes et infirmos. Rogamus igitur et obsecramus et quanto efficacius possumus contestamur et exhortamur in Domino quatinus rectores et rectrices ipsius monasterii ad promotionem sepedicti hospitalis caritative semper secundum Deum, sicut prediximus, diligenter intendant et secundum disciplinam ordinis ipsum hospitale in spiritualibus regere et in temporalibus studeant promovere, nostramque precipuam intentionem ac pium desiderium super receptionem paucarum monialium et larga provisione multorum infirmorum et pauperum nullis temporibus pretermittant firmiter et fideliter observare. Venerabili quoque patri domino Clarovallensi abbati, qui prefatum monasterium ad preces ipsius domini comitis et nostras recepit in filiam, cum omni affectu humiliter supplicamus quatinus predictum locum in disciplina ordinis et hospitalitatis manutenere studeat et predictam ordinationem nostram, quam in inchoatione eiusdem loci pia intentione fecimus, ipse decetero firmiter faciat observari, suisque velit litteris confirmare. Ut hec igitur in posterum firma permaneant et ab hominum memoria non recedant, presentes tamdem litteras scribi fecimus et sigilli nostri munimine roborari. Datum anno Domini MoCCo triceimo tertio, mense Novembri.

Historical context:

The countess declares the purpose of a hospital and its attendant monastery of Cistercian nuns which she and her husband, the late count Ferdinand, established for the care of the poor and the sick and travelers. Any left-over money is to be spent on the needy, not to enrich the monastery, which is to be kept just large enough to minister to the hospital.

Scholarly notes:

1 This translation was provided by Ashleigh Imus.

Printed source:

Johanna van Constantinopel, Gravin van Vlaanderen en Henegouwen ed. Theo Luykx, Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Vlaamsche Academie voor Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schoone Kunsten van Belgie, Klasse der Letteren, VIII.5 (1946), 570-72, ep.42.

Date:

1233, November