A letter from Gregory I, pope (November 602)

Translated letter:

Gregory to Brunhild queen of the Franks.

This holds the principle place with you before others, that in the midst of the floods of this world which usually confound the spirits of rulers with turbulent vexation, you so guide your heart to love of divine worship and arranging peace for venerable places, as if you had no other care. Whence since this kind of action by their leaders is great protection for their subjects, we assert that the nation of the Franks is happy before others which has deserved to have a queen so endowed with all goods.

Learning from the declaration of your letters that you had built a church of St. Martin just outside Autun as well as a monastery for handmaidens of God and a hospital within the city, we were very happy and gave thanks to almighty God who spurs the sincerity of your heart to doing these things. For this reason, so that we may be participants to some extent in your good things, we have indulged privileges to those places for the peace and protection of the inhabitants, as you wished, and we did not allow even the slightest delay in embracing the desires of your excellence. Moreover sending the paternal charity of greeting, we declare through our sons, servants indeed and legates of your excellence, Burgoald and Guarmaric, the secret conversation we offered according to your writings. They are known to have disclosed to us by subtle suggestion everything they were charged with. About which it will be our care to indicate to your excellence at a later time what will be done. For we wish to carry out with devotion whatever is possible, whatever is useful to keep peace between you and the state, with God’s will. We found Mena, our most reverend brother and cobishop, guilty in nothing, after we looked into the things that were said about him. Moreover since he made satisfaction by swearing on the most sacred body of the blessed apostle Peter, showing himself alien to those ideas which were charged to his opinion, we allowed him to return there purged and absolved. Since it would have been right had he been guilty in anything to have punished him canonically, so it was not right that we should retain him or afflict him in any way, in his innocence. About a certain bishop, however, whom infirmity of the head does not permit to administer his office, as said distinguished men told us, we have written to our brother and cobishop Aetherius that if he has [clear] intervals in that sickness he can profess himself insufficient and request that his place be filled, but sacred canons in no way permit that another be ordained to that church with the bishop living whom not guilt but illness removes from the administration of his office. If indeed he returns at no time to the function of a healthy mind, a person should be sought adorned with the life and customs that would dispose him to care for souls and the cause and needs of the church in a beneficial way, who might succeed to that place if he outlived him. But if there are those in sacred orders or to be promoted to clerical ministry in that diocese, we decreed to said most reverend brother and cobishop Aetherius that it should be reserved and announced that after the usual examination if they are subject to no fault which the sacred canons censure, he should ordain them. Therefore let the care of your excellence join our disposition so that the benefits of the church, which is your greatest love, not perish and the increases of your excellence’s reward grow in your goods. You also asked whether a certain bigamist could attain holy orders, which we forbid altogether according to canonic rule. Let it not be that in your time in which you do so many pious and religious things, you permit something to be done against ecclesiastical institutions. Said distinguished men our sons also asked among other things that that they be ordered by your command to have someone sent from us to Gaul who with the chapters specified could correct by the authority of almighty God what was done in the synod against the most sacred canons. In which we know it is a concern to your glory as much as you think about the life of the soul and the stability of your kingdom, you do this fearing our redeemer and preserving his commands in all things, that the helms of your kingdom endure and after long courses of years you cross over from the earthly kingdom to the heavenly. At a suitable time, if it pleases God, we will take care to fulfill the venerable desires of your excellence. We have been zealous to order all things for the protection of the places about which your excellence wrote, as desired. But in case our commands should be suppressed at some time by the leaders of those places, because of certain things they know to be forbidden, this constitution is to be inserted into public deeds so that it is contained in royal papers as it is in ours. May almighty God keep your excellence always in fear of him and fulfill your desires for our most excellent sons the kings your grandsons with blessed Peter prince of apostles interceding to whom you commend them, so that he grant that you have continuing joy always from their safety as you desire.

Original letter:

Gregorius Brunigiildae reginae Francorum. Inter quae hoc apud vos tenet prae ceteris principatum, quod in mediis huius mundi fluctibus, qui regentis animos turbulenta solent vexatione confundere, ita cor ad divini cultus amorem et venerabilium locorum disponendam quietem reducitis, ac si nulla vos alia cura sollicitet. Unde quia huiusce modi praepositorum actio subiectorum magna solet esse munitio, prae aliis gentibus Francorum gentem asserimus felicem, quae sic bonis omnibus praeditam meruit habere reginam. Epistolis autem vestris indicantibus agnoscentes ecclesiam vos sancti Martini in suburbano Augustodonensi atque monasterium ancillarum Dei nec non et xenodochium in urbe eadem construxisse valde laetati sumus et gratias omnipotenti Deo retulimus, qui cordis vestri sinceritatem ad haec operanda compungit. Qua de re ut et nos bonis vestris in aliquo participes haberemur, privilegia locis ipsis pro quiete et munitione illic degentium, sicut voluistis, indulsimus nec excellentiae vestrae amplectenda nobis desideria vel ad modicum differre pertulimus. Paterna praeterea caritate salutationis praemittentes alloquium indicamus inlustribus filiis nostris, vestrae vero excellentiae famulis ac legatis Burgoaldo et Vuarmaricario nostrum nos secundum scripta vestra praebuisse secretum. Qui omma quae sibi iniuncta dixerunt suptili nobis insinuatione reserasse noscuntur. De quibus curae nobis erit sequenti tempore excellentiae vestrae, quid actum fuerit, indicare. Nam nos, quicquid possibile, quicquid est utile et ad ordinandam pacem inter vos et rempublicam pertinet, summa Deo auctore cupimus devotione compleri. Menam vero reverentissimum fratrem coepiscopumque nostrum, postquam ea quae de eo dicta fuerant requirentes in nullo invenimus esse culpabilem, qui insuper ad sacratissimum corpus beati Petri apostoli sub iureiurando satisfaciens ab his quae obiecta eius opinioni fuerant se demonstravit alienum, reverti illic purgatum absolutumque permisimus, quia, sicut dignum erat, ut, si in aliquo reus existeret, culpam in eo canonice puniremus, ita dignum non fuit, ut eum adiuvante innocentia diutius retinere vel affligere in aliquo deberemus. De quodam autem episcopo, quem capitis infirmitas, sicut nobis praedicti magnifici viri dixerunt, amministrare suum non sinit officium, fratri coepiscopoque nostro Aetherio scripsimus, ut, si intervalla eiusdem infirmitatis habuerit, data petitione ad implendum se locum suum profiteatur non posse sufficere, sed alium ecclesiae suae postulet ordinandum, quia vivente episcopo, quem ab amministratione officii sui non culpa, sed aegritudo subducit, alium loco ipsius sacri nullo modo permittunt canones ordinari. Si vero nullo tempore ad mentis sanae redit officium, quaeri persona debet vita et moribus decorata, quae et animarum curam gerere et eiusdem ecclesiae causam utilitatesque salubri valeat ordinatione disponere talisque, si superextiterit, eius possit loco succedere. Sed et si qui in sacro sunt ordine vel ad clericatus ministerium promovendi, antefato reverentissimo fratri nostro Aetherio, si tamen ipsius est dioceseos, reservandum renuntiandumque decrevimus, ut de habita inquisitione, si nulli culpae quam sacri canones insequuntur subiecti sunt, ipse eos debeat ordinare. Excellentiae ergo vestrae cura nostrae se dispositioni coniungat, quatenus nec ecclesiae utilitates, quarum vobis maximus amor est, pereant et bonis vestris excellentiae vestrae mercedis augmenta succrescant. Similiter vero de quodam bigamo requisiti, an ad sacrum ordinem potuisset accedere, iuxta canonicam regulam omnino vetuimus. Absit enim, ne vestris temporibus, in quibus tam multa pia ac religiosa agitis, aliquid contra ecclesiasticum institutum fieri permittatis. Praefati autem viri magnifici filii nostri dato capitulari inter cetera petierunt, quod sibi ex vestra perhibuere iussione mandatum, ut talis debeat in Galliis a nobis persona transmitti, quae facta synodo cuncta quae contra sacratissimos canones perpetrantur omnipotente Deo possit auctore corrigere. In qua gloriae vestrae curam cognovimus, quantum de vita animae et de regni vestri soliditate cogitatis, quia redemptorem nostrum formidantes eiusque in omnibus praecepta servantes et hie agitis, ut diu regni vestri gubernacula subsistant, et post longa annorum curricula vos quoque de terreno regno ad regnum caeleste transeatis. Apto autem tempore, si Deo dictum placuerit, veneranda excellentiae vestrae desideria implere curabimus. Nos itaque pro munitione locorum, de quibus excellentia vestra scripsit, omnia, sicut voluit, sancire studuimus. Sed ne fortasse ab eorum locorum praepositis eadem decreta nostra quoque tempore supprimantur, pro eo, quod eis quaedam interdicta esse noscuntur, haec eadem constitutio gestis est publicis inserenda, quatenus, sicut in nostris, ita quoque in regalibus scriniis teneatur. Omnipotens Deus excellentiam vestram in suo semper timore custodiat atque ita vota vestra in filiorum nostrorum excellentissimorum regum nepotum vestrorum intercedente beato Petro apostolorum principe, cui eos commendatis, adimpleat, ut stabile vobis gaudium de eorum semper incolumitate, sicut cupitis, habere concedat.

Historical context:

Gregory grants concessions to a church and monastery and hospital founded by her, tells her he will send secret mandates by his legates, that he has found one bishop innocent and that another who is ill can be only temporarily replaced, and that a bigamist has not been permitted to take sacred orders.

Printed source:

MGH, Gregorii Pape Registrum Epistolarum, ep.13.7, 2.371-73, HGF4 ep.36 p.33-34

Date:

November 602