A letter from Gregory IX, pope (12/18/1238)

Translated letter:

... to the abbess and convent of the enclosed nuns and of St. Francis of Prague of the order of St. Damian. On the part of his dearest daughter in Christ Agnes, sister of your monastery, and yours, it was put forth before us that having put aside the vanity of the world for the glory of the redeemer, you assumed the habit of religion and obligated yourselves to a certain observation of fasting, that is fasting by the sisters who are healthy and strong, always on holidays or festive days, except Sundays and the Nativity of the Lord, daily with Lenten food, so on Easter and the solemnities of the blessed Virgin and the apostles, unless they occur on the sixth day [Friday], they are held to fast the minimum; on the fifth [Thursday], except in greater and lesser Lent(1), if they do not wish to fast, they do not fast; this law of fast and abstinence, the sick or weak of body are permitted to observe minimally, but according to their weakness or sickness they may be mercifully dispensed by the abbess or a major sister in food and in fast. We therefore desiring that you have peace of conscience to advance from good to better, grant to your community by the authority of the presents, that fast of this kind be observed by you, the fast contained in the rule handed down to you not opposing. To no one therefore ... of our concession. If any ... Dated at the Lateran, 15th kalends of January, 12th year.

Original letter:

abbatisse et conventui monialium inclusarum monasterii sancti Francisci Pragensis, ordinis sancti Damiani. Ex parte karissime in Christo filie Agnetis, sororis monasterii vestri, et vestra fuit propositum coram nobis, quod cum, seculi vanitate postposita, pro Redemptoris gloria religionis habitum assumpsistis, vos ad certam ieiunii observantiam obligastis, videlicet ut a sororibus, que sane sunt et valide, omni tempore tam diebus ferialibus quam festivis, exceptis diebus dominicis et die Nativitatis Domini, cotidie in cibis quadragesimalibus ieiunetur, ita tamen, quod in omni Pascha et sollempnitatibus beate Virginis ac etiam apostolorum, nisi forte in sexta feria venerint, ieiunare minime teneantur; in quinta vero feria, preterquam in maiori quadragesima et minori, que ieiunare noluerint, non ieiunent: hanc enim ieiunii et abstinentie legem corpore imbeccilles aut debiles observare minime permittantur, set secundum earum infirmitatem vel imbeccillitatem tam in cibariis quam ieiuniis cum eis ab abbatissa seu maiori sorore misericorditer dispensetur. Nos igitur cupientes, ut habendo quietem conscientie de bono in melius proficere valeatis, universitati vestre presentium auctoritate concedimus, ut a vobis dumtaxat huiusmodi forma ieiunii, non obstante ieiunio, quod continetur in regula vobis tradita, observetur. Nulli ergo, etc., nostre concesisonis, etc. Si quis autem, etc. Datum Laterani XV kalendas ianuarii, anno duodecimo.

Historical context:

The pope dispenses the nuns from the rigor of fasting.

Scholarly notes:

(1) Greater is the  Lent before Easter, lesser, for the Advent.

Printed source:

Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolarius Regni Bohemiae, ed. Gustavus Friedrich (Prague: Wiesner, 1942), 3.2, ep.203; Bullarium Franciscanum, 1, p.258-59, ep.286.

Date:

12/18/1238