A letter from Almodis

Translated letter:

God father omnipotent, etc.  Therefore in the name of God I, Almodis, countess by the favor of God, and my son Raymond, the most noble count of Rouergue, Nîmes, and Narbonne, for the remedy of lord Pons, count, and for the remission of our sins and those of living and dead relatives, and the salavation of our faithful magnates, we hand over and give and grant the abbey of St. Giles and the place and all things pertaining to it to God and lord Hugo, present abbot of Cluny and his successors; so that we retain the usage and tributes which we have in our domain there except that we shall not hinder or dishonor the abbot or the monks in the future but the power and jurisdiction and ordination of the abbots and monks of St. Giles and of the things they are accustomed to hold remain in the power of the lord abbot Hugo and his successors; to the extent that he and his successors dispose and hold said place and all places appertaining to it regularly to their ability and will according to the rule of St. Benedict for eternity.  So that the memory of us and our relatives be held perennially at Cluny, we retain only this in the gift to said abbey, that said successors of the abbot accept from us or our successors the gift of said abbey without any profit or price.  If our successors did not wish to give freely to the successors of the said lord abbot, as we have said, nothing could be denied to the abbots, but the place and all things which we have said would be in their possession in the service of God, our gift, shall remain whole and inviolate perennially.  Let this however be known to all, that the said place and said abbey are the allod of St. Peter, whatever we hold by gift of the lord pope of Rome, and whatever we have recently handed over to said abbot Hugo and his successors saving loyalty to the Roman church and the lord pope, is to be held perennially and ordered by rule, so only that an owed fee of 10 solidos be paid every year to the Roman church.  This donation was done in the 1066th year of the lord’s Incarnation, on the octave of the 10th kalends of January, in Nîmes, at the church of St. Baudilio, in the reign of Philip king of the Franks;  in the presence and with the approval of bishops, namely lord Raimbald archbishop of Arles and vicar of the Roman church, and lord Durand of Toulouse, and Hugo of Uzès, Rostaing of Avignon, Bertran of Maguelone; abbots Bernard of Marseilles, Frotard of Thomières, Bernard of La Vaivre; Peter cleric, subdeacon of the Roman church; clerics of Nîmes, Salomon and Bertran; knights, Pons-Gerald viscount of Girona, Tridmund Elisiarn, William and Emenon his brother of Sabran, Peter of Aix, Rostaing of Posquières and his brother Rainon, Rainouard of Médis, Bertran of Cabrières, and his brother Peter, and Hugo of Caissargues, and Segar Salomon, and William Belliroti, Umberto Gauzbert; morever with the noble Adela, countess of Substantion willing and approving, and several other good men known to God.  If anyone of whatever order or dignity might come to oppose this donation to break or disturb or contradict it, etc.  Sign of lady Almodis, countess, and sign of her son, lord Raimond, count, [we] who ordered this charter of donation to be written and asked witnesses to sign.  Sign of Rostaing of Posquières.  Sign of Adalbert Guitard of Barcelona.  Sign of Berengar of Barbarano.  Sign of Elisiar of Dalmati.  Sign of John, capiscolus /choir leader of Girona.  Sign of Bernard, chaplain.  Sign of Fredelon Raymond.  Bernard, monk of Auch, wrote this as ordered on the day and year above.  Given by the hand of monk Henry in the place of the chancellor. 

Original letter:

DEUM Patrem omnipotentem, &c. Ideo in Dei nomine ego Almodis nutu [Dei] comitissa, & filius meus Raymundus comes Rutenensis & Nemosensis Narbonensiumque nobilissimus, pro domni Pontii comitis remedio, & pro remissione peccatorum nostrorum atque parentum vivorum ac defunctorum, atque salute fidelium nostrorum optimatum, abbatiam Sancti Aegidii & locum omniaque sibi pertinentia Deo & domno Hugoni praesenti abbati Cluniensi & ejus successoribus tradimus, & donamus, atque concedimus; ita tamen ut in praedicta abbatia, in dominicatura quam ibi habemus, & usus & usaticos retineamus, excepto quia neque abbatem nec monachos posthac distringemus neque dehonestabimus, sed potestas & districtio & ordinatio abbatum & monachorum Sancti Aegidii & eorum, quae soliti sunt tenere, in domni Hugonis abbatis & successorum ejus potestate consistat; quatenus ipse & successores ejus locum praedictum, & omnia loca pertinentia, pro posse suo & voluntate secundum regulam sancti Benedicti regulariter ordinent & teneant in aeternum. Ut vero nostri parentumque nostrorum memoria Cluniaco perenniter habeatur, hoc in dono abbatiae praedictae solummodo retinemus, ut suc­cessores praedicti abbatis a nobis vel a successoribus nostris donum praedictae abbatiae absque ullo lucro & pretio accipiant. Quod si successores nostri succes­soribus domni abbatis praedicti expedite, ut diximus, dare noluerint, nihil abbatibus obsistat, sed locum & omnia quae praediximus ipsis in Dei servitio possidentibus donum nostrum integrum inviolatumque perenniter maneat. Hoc autem omnibus notum sit, locum praedictum & abbatiam praedictam alodium esse sancti Petri, quaeque dono domni papae Romani tenemus, quaeque denuo praedicto abbati Hugoni & ejus successoribus salva fidelitate Romanae Ecclesiae & domni papae tradimus, perenniter habendam & regula­riter ordinandam, ita tamen ut census X solidorum debitus omnibus annis Roma­nae Ecclesiae persolvatur. Facta est autem haec donatio anno M LXVI dominicae Incarnationis, octavo X kalendas januarii, juxta Nemausum civitatem, secus ecclesiam Sancti Baudilii, regnante Philippo rege Francorum; videntibus atque laudantibus episcopis, scilicet domno Raimbaldo Arelatensi archiepiscopo atque Romanae Ecclesiae vicario, & domno Durando Tolosano, & Hugone Uzeticensi, & Rostagno Avinionensi, Bertranno Magalonensi; abbatibus Bernardo Massiliensi, Frotardo Tomeriensi, Bernardo Vabrensi; Petro clerico Romanae Ecclesiae subdiacono; Nemosensibus clericis Salomone & Ber­tranno; militibus Pontio-Geraldi Gerundensi vicecomite, Tridmundo Elisiarni, Willelmo & Emenone fratre ejus de Sabran, Petro Aquiniensi, Rostagno de Poskeriis & fratre ejus Rainone, Rainoardo de Medenis, Bertranno de Capraria & Pe­tro fratre ejus, & Hugone de Kassanguis, & Segario Salomonis, ac Willelmo Belliroti, Umberto Gauzberti; insuper volente & laudante nobili Adala Substantionense comitissa, & aliis quamplurimis bonis hominibus Deo cognitis. Si quis vero cujuslibet ordinis seu dignitatis contra hanc donationem venerit ad irripendum vel ad inquietandum aut contradicendum, &c. Signum domnae Almodis comitissae, & signum domni Raimundi comitis filii ejus, qui hanc cartam donationis scribere jussimus & testes firmare rogavimus. S. Rostagni de Poskeriis. S. Adalberti Guitardi Barchinonensis. S. Berengarii de Barbarano. S. Elisiarii Dalmatii. S. Joannis Gerundensis capiscolii. S. Bernardi capellani. S. Fredeloni Raimundi. Bernardus monachus Auxiensis scripsit jussus die & anno quo supra. Datum per manus Henrici monachi ad vicem cancellarii.

Historical context:

The countess and a son from her second marriage donate an abbey to Hugh, abbot of Cluny.

Printed source:

HGL 5.542-44, #276.

Date: