A letter from Gregory I, pope (602, November)

Translated letter:

When with divine grace anticipating, the hearts of Catholic kings are inflamed with such ardent desire toward things that should be encouraged by pontifical advice, such that they (kings) demand them of their own accord, such things should be granted with cheerful and joyful mind all the more as the very things they desire should have been asked had they been unwilling to do them. Therefore, according to the letters of our eminent royal children Brunhild and her grandson Theoderic, we indulge, grant and confirm by decree of our present authority to the monastery of holy Mary, where a congregation of God’s handmaidens is established in the city of Autun, founded by the bishop Syagrius of venerable memory, where you are known to preside, privileges of this sort: we establish that no king, no bishop, no one endowed with any dignity, or anyone else, under appearance of any reason or occasion, may diminish or remove or apply to his own uses or grant as if to other pious causes to excuse his own avarice, anything of what was already given to the same monastery by our above-noted royal children or that will be granted in the future by any others from their own property, but everything that has been offered there or may be offered we wish to be possessed both by you and by those who will succeed in your duty and place from the present time unharmed and without any disturbance, for the benefit in every way of those for whose sustenance and government they were granted. We also establish that when the abbess of the aforesaid monastery dies no other should be ordained there by any cleverness of scheming, but one whom the king of the same province, with the consent of the nuns according to fear of God, will choose and provide to be ordained. Also in this present section we add, in order to prevent an opportunity for avarice, that none of the kings, none of the priests, or any other either in person or by representative should dare to receive anything in gold or any other type of profit for the ordination of the same abbess or for any cause pertaining to that monastery, and the same abbess should not presume to give for the sake of her ordination, so that on this account things offered or that already have been offered by the faithful to pious places are not wasted. And since corrupt men seek many opportunities to deceive religious people there, as is said, we resolve that the abbess of the aforesaid monastery in no way should be deprived or deposed, unless a case of wrongdoing specifically requires it. So it is necessary that if any complaint of this sort will arise against her, not only the bishop of the city of Autun should examine the case, but he should diligently examine it through careful investigation with six of his other co-bishops summoned to him, so that with all judging harmoniously a decision of canonical rigor can smite her if guilty or absolve her if innocent. Therefore we determine that all these things that the document of this our precept and decree contains must be observed eternally both for you and for all who will succeed in that rank and place where you are and for those whom it will concern. But if any king, priest, judge or secular person, aware of this document of our disposition will attempt to come against it, let him be deprived of the dignity of his power and honor and know that he stands guilty in divine judgment for the wickedness committed, and unless he will either restore what he wrongly took or lament what was done unlawfully with worthy penitence, he should be barred from the most sacred body and blood of our God, the Lord Jesus Christ the redeemer, and in eternal judgment he should be subject to strict vengeance. Moreover may there be peace of our lord Jesus Christ to all who observe justice for this same place, so that they both receive here the fruit of good deeds and they find with the strict judge the rewards of eternal peace.1

Original letter:

GREGORIUS TALASIAE ABBATISSAE. Quando ad ea quae catholicorum regum corda pontificalibus sunt monitis provocanda ita ardenti desiderio divina praeveniente gratia succenduntur, ut ab eis ultro poscantur, tanto sunt alacri et laeto animo concedenda, quanto et ea ipsa quae cupiunt, si nollent facere, peti debuerant. Proinde iuxta scripta filiorum nostrorum praecellentissimorum regum Brunigildis ac nepotis ipsius Theoderici monasterio sanctae Mariae, ubi ancillarum Dei est congregatio constituta, in urbe Augustodonensi a reverendae memoriae Syagrio episcopo condito, cui praeesse dinosceris, huius modi privilegia praesentis auctoritatis nostrae decreto indulgemus, concedimus atque firmamus statuentes nullum regum, nullum antistitum, nullum quacumque praeditum dignitate vel quemquam alium de his quae eidem monasterio a suprascriptis filiis nostris regibus iam donata sunt vel in futuro a quibuslibet aliis de proprio fuerint iure collata, sub cuiuslibet causae occasionisve specie minuere vel auferre et sive suis usibus applicare vel aliis quasi piis causis pro suae avaritiae excusatione concedere, sed cuncta quae ibi oblata sunt vel offerri contigerit, tam a te quam ab eis quae in tuo officio locoque successerint a praesenti tempore inlibata et sine inquietudine aliqua volumus possideri, earum tamen usibus pro quarum sustentatione gubernationeque concessa sunt modis omnibus profutura. Item constituimus, ut obeunte abbatissa praedicti monasterii non alia ibi quacumque obreptionis astutia ordinetur, nisi quam rex eiusdem provinciae cum consensu monacharum secundum Dei timorem elegerit ac praeviderit ordinandam. Hoc quoque capitulo praesenti subiungimus, ut locum avaritiae secludamus, nullum de regibus, nullum de sacerdotibus vel quemcumque alium per se suppositamve personam de ordinatione eiusdem abbatissae vel quibuscumque causis ad monasterium ipsum pertinentibus audere in auro vel alia qualibet specie commodi quicquam accipere neque eandem abbatissam ordinationis suae causa dare praesumere, ne hac occasione ea quae a fidelibus piis locis offeruntur aut iam oblata sunt consumantur. Et quoniam multae occasiones in deceptione religiosarum personarum a pravis illic, ut dicitur, hominibus exquiruntur, abbatissam praedicti monasterii nullo modo privandam deponendamque censemus, nisi causa specialiter criminis exigente. Unde necesse est, ut, si qua contra eam huius modi querella surrexerit, non solus episcopus civitatis Augustodonensis causam examinet, sed adhibitis sibi sex aliis coepiscopis suis suptili hoc investigatione perquirat, quatenus cunctis concorditer iudicantibus canonicae districtionis censura aut ream ferire aut innocentem possit absolvere. Haec igitur omnia quae huius praecepti decretique nostri pagina continet tam tibi quam cunctia quae in eo quo es ordine locoque successerint vel eis quorum interesse potuerit in perpetuum servanda decernimus. Si quia vero regum, sacerdotum, iudicum atque saecularium personarum hanc constitutionis nostrae paginam agnoscens contra eam venire temptaverit, potestatis honorisque sui dignitate careat reumque se iudicio divino existere de perpetrata iniquitate cognoscat et, nisi vel ea quae ab illo sunt male ablata restituerit vel digna paenitentia inlicite acta defleverit, a sacratissimo corpore ac sanguine Dei domini redemptoris nostri Iesu Christi alienus fiat atque in aeterno examine districtae ultioni subiaceat. Cunctis autem eidem loco iusta servantibus sit pax domini nostri Iesu Christi, quatenus et hic fructum bonae actionis recipiant et apud districtum iudicem praemia aeternae pacis inveniant.

Historical context:

The pope grants the request of queen Brunhild and her grandson to confirm a privilege to the monastery of St. Mary, that none of its property, present or future, may be touched, that only the king with consent of the nuns may appoint its abbess, that no one may accept a bribe for the nomination, and no one may depose the abbess without the judgment of a panel of bishops.

Scholarly notes:

1 Ashleigh Imus provided this translation.

Printed source:

Gregorii I Papae Registrum Epistolarum, ed. Paulus Ewald and Ludovicus Hartmann (Berlin: Weidmann, 1887-91, MGH, 123-24, ep.13.12.

Date:

602, November