A letter from Gregory IX, pope (4/9/1237)

Translated letter:

To his beloved daughters enclosed in the monastery of St. Francis of Prague of the order of St. Damian, greetings and apostolic blessing. Since, as was set forth before us, because of the excessive cold and inclemency of air, you can not sustain the severities of the order in all things, and since service should be reasonable which a creature ought to offer the creator, we grant you by the authority of the presents, that the abbess of your monastery may by counsel of the visitor dispense you as seems useful from fasting certain days according to the statutes of the order on bread and water and in the use of shoes and pelts and because of weakness relaxing the continuous fast to which you are held according to the aforesaid statutes. Dated at Viterbo, 5th ides of April in the 11th year of our pontificate.

Original letter:

Monialibus inclusis monasterii sancti Francisci Pragensis, ordinis sanctii Damiani. Cum, sicut fuit propositum coram nobis, propter nimium frigus et aeris intemperiem non possitis in omnibus asperitates ordinis sustinere, nos quia rationabile decet esse obsequium, quod creatura debet impendere creatori, presentium vobis auctoritate concedimus, ut super eo, quod secundum statuta eiusdem ordinis in pane et aqua certis diebus ieiunare debetis et usu calciamentorum et pellium ac propter debilitatem relaxando continuo ieiunio, ad quod tenemini iuxta statuta predicta, ... abbatissa monasterii vestri de visitatoris consilio valeat, prout expedire viderit, dispensare. Datum Viterbii V idus aprilis, anno undecimo.

Historical context:

The pope grants the abbess the ability to dispense the monstery from certain parts of the Rule because of their climate.

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolarius Regni Bohemiae, ed. Gustavus Friedrich (Prague: Wiesner, 1942), 3.1, ep.156; Bullarium Franciscanum, 1, p.215, ep.225.

Date:

4/9/1237