A letter from Pope John 13 (972)

Translated letter:

The peace of God. John, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to my beloved, and daughter in spiritual matters, lady Adelaide Augusta, most serene empress. Since those things are to be conceded which are known to pertain to reasonable desires, by the authority of our apostolate, ought least to be denied in offering privileges of constructing holy places to be strengthened with pious devotion. 1. Therefore the gentleness of your praiseworthy excellence asked of us that the monastery of God and our Lord Savior, located not far from the city of Pavia, which to the praise and glory of his name was once built, renovated, and constructed, and religious monks cultivated it in a flock under the regular institution of a venerable abbot, and which you seem to have endowed with your own things, now adorned in every way with the privileges of the holy church and apostolic see, and established under the patronage and protection of our holy Church which we serve by the authority of God, be submitted to the rule and authority of no Church. And therefore favoring your pious desires, we determine by our apostolic authority that that foresaid monastery of our Lord Savior from now to the end of the world belongs to the patronage and protection of holy Roman Church and apostolic mother Church, with all things which pertain to it. We have established under the adjuration of divine judgment and the interdiction of blessed Peter prince of apostles and our humility, that no one, ever, of men constituted in whatever order and ministry, of emperors, kings, bishops and dukes, marqueses, counts, vicecounts, chamberlains/prefects (gastaldionum), should dare to do harm to that monastery, in its things and possessions, or presume to carry off or in any way alienate utensils and ornaments which seem to pertain to it. Nor attempt to do any malice and harm of damage there, whether in time of peace or war. Truly, we declare, confirm, and grant that it will always remain, as was said above, with firm stability, under the patronage and protection of our holy mother Roman Church. 2. Baptism, for those pertaining to the churches of the monastery we also permit to be freely performed, with apostolic authority; chrism/consecration or whatever pertains to the holy order from whatever church they wanted, they may accept with our authority. 3. After the death of an abbot, no one may be appointed abbot unless the consent and common will of the brothers of that congregation elected him. When the abbot is elected, indeed, let there be at all times the ability to choose a bishop to confer the gift of the symbols of consecration on himself and the other brothers with the fear of God and the concurrence of the whole congregation wherever they want, by the privilege of this our authority and without any [other] authority. 4. By similar decree, according to your desire, most excellent daughter, we declare that the surrenders of the tithes of said monastery of the Lord Savior founded by you may be exacted by the bishop of no church by any artifice. 5. Promulgating, further, by the authority of the most blessed Peter prince of apostles, before God and the terrible future judgment, through the establishment of this our apostolic privilege, we sanction that all things which are offered and conceded by us in mobile and immobile things to said monastery, as well as possessions which are conferred by kings and princes or whomever faithful of Christ, or shall be in the future, should continue with unchanging stability under its control perpetually. Nor is it permitted, as was said, to anyone of great or small person to tear or carry away anything pertaining to that holy monastery so that indeed to the praise of God we have declared it to remain secure and tranquil, fortified according to that patronage, with the protection of the holy apostolic see, well endowed and always better endowed. If anyone, however, which we do not desire, should presume by impious boldness to transgress those things which are established by us for the stability of that monastery to the honor of the Lord God our Savior, let him know he [will be] fastened by the chain of anathema and excommunication, and destined to the most atrocious punishment of eternal fire with all the impious. 6. But truly, whoever is a guardian and observer/overseer with pious intent, will merit the grace of every kind of benediction, absolution and indulgence of all his sins, and beatitude of heavenly life with the saints and those chosen to attend him by the most merciful our Lord world without end. Amen Written by the hand of Stephen, archivist of the holy Roman Church, in the month of April, of the above written indiction 15. Be well. Peace Given on the 8th calends of May by the hand of bishop Guido, librarian of the holy apostolic see in the above year and month of the pontificate of our lord John XIII the most holy and religious pope, 15th indiction, of the imperium of lord Otto the Great, 11, of Otto the Younger 5.

Original letter:

Pax Dei. Joannes episcopus, servus servorum Dei, dilectae meae, et in spiritualibus filiae domnae Adelaidae serenissimae Augustae imperatrici. Quoniam concedenda sunt quae rationalibus desideriis pertinere noscuntur, nostri apostolatus auctoritate, ad roboranda pia devotione sancta loca construentium, in praestandis privilegiis debet minime abnegari. 1. Igitur excellentiae vestrae laudabilis mansuetudo postulavit a nobis, quatenus monasterium Dei, et Domini nostri Salvatoris, situm non longe a Ticinensi civitate, quod ad laudem et gloriam nominis ejus modo aedificasse, renovasse, et exstruxisse, religiososque monachos aggregatione, sub venerabilis abbatis regulari institutione excoluisse, et ex propriis rebus ditasse videmini, privilegiis sanctae Romanae et apostolicae sedis, modis omnibus decoretur, ut sub patrocinio, et tuitione sanctae nostrae, cui Deo auctore deservimus, Ecclesiae constitutum, nullius Ecclesiae juri et ditioni submittatur. Et ideo vestris piis desideriis faventes, hac nostra apostolica auctoritate decernimus, id ipsum praefatum Domini nostri Salvatoris monasterium amodo, et usque in finem saeculi, sub patrocinio et tuitione sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, et apostolicae matris Ecclesiae, cum omnibus quae ad illud pertinent, pertinendum. Statuimus namque sub divini judicii obtestatione et beati Petri apostolorum principis, nostraeque humilitatis interdictione, ut nullus unquam, imperatorum, regum, episcoporum et ducum, marchionum, comitum, vicecomitum, gastaldionum, nullusque hominum in quolibet ordine et ministerio constitutus, audeat moleste causis eidem monasterio incumbere, videlicet de rebus et possessionibus, de ustensilibus et ornamentis quae ei pertinere videntur quoquomodo auferre aut alienare praesumat. Nec quamlibet malitiam, et jacturae molestiam, ibidem sive pacis tempore, sive belli ipsi inferre conetur. Profecto eum semper, ut praedictum est, firma stabilitate, sub patrocinio et tuitione sanctae nostrae Romanae matris Ecclesiae permanendum decernimus, confirmamus et concedimus. 2. Baptismum etiam in eisdem ecclesiis monasterii pertinentibus, licenter fieri, apostolica auctoritate, permittimus; chrisma vero vel quidquid ad sacrum ordinem pertinet, a quaecunque ecclesia, voluerint, nostra auctoritate accipiant. 3. Post obitum autem abbatis nemo ibi abbatem constituat, nisi quem consensus et communis voluntas fratrum ex ipsa congregatione elegerit. Electo vero abbate, sit facultas omni tempore praesulem eligere, qui tam sibi quam caeteris fratribus cum timore Dei, totiusque congregationis conniventiam, ubicunque voluerint consecrationis insignia, hujus nostrae auctoritatis privilegio absque ullo praetextu conferat datione [sic]. 4. Simili quoque definitione, juxta desiderium vestrum praecellentissima filia, decernimus, ut decimae reddituum praedicti monasterii Domini Salvatoris a vobis fundati, a nullius ecclesiae praesule, quovis ingenio exigantur. 5. Promulgantes nempe, et auctoritate beatissimi Petri apostolorum principis, coram Deo et terribili futuro examine, per hujus nostri apostolici privilegii constitutionem, sancimus, ut universa quae a nobis in rebus mobilibus et immobilibus praefato monasterior oblata et concessa sunt, necnon et possessiones quae a regibus, et principibus, sui quislibet Christi fidelibus collatae sunt, fuerintve in posterum, inconcussa stabilitate ad ejus et dominium ipsum perpetuis temporibus perseverent. Nec licentia sit, ut dictum est eidem sancto monasterio pertinentibus, cuiquam magnae parvaeque personae diripere aliquid et auferre ut profecto ad Dei laudem securum et tranquillum, juxta id, quo munitum patrocinium, tuitione sanctae sedis apostolicae fore decrevimus, bene dotatum, et in melius dotandum permaneat. Si quis autem, quod non optamus, nefario ausu, praesumpserit haec, quae a nobis ad honorificentiam Domini Dei Salvatoris nostri, pro stabilitate ipsius monasterii statuta sunt, transgredi, sciat se anathematis vinculo, et excommunicationis innodatum, et cum diabolo, et omnibus impiis aeterni incendii atrocissimo supplicio deputatum. 6. At vero, qui pio intuitu custos et observator eorum exstiterit, omnimodae benedictionis gratiam, omniumque suorum peccatorum absolutionem et indulgentiam, et coelestis, vitae beatitudinem, cum sanctis et electis a misericordissimo Domino nostro consequi mereatur in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Scriptum per manus Stephani scriniarii sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, in mense Aprili, indictione suprascripta 15. Bene valete. Pax. Data VIII Kal. Maii per manus Vuidonis episcopi bibliothecarii sanctae sedis apostolicae anno pontificatus domni nostri Joannis sanctissimi ac religiosissimi XIII papae, imperii vero domni Ottonis majori XI, junioris autem V, in mense, et indictione 15 suprascripta.

Historical context:

The pope extends privileges to a monastery built by the empress.

Printed source:

PL135 ep.30 c993-5

Date:

972