A saint, an abbot, his documents and her property: power, reform and landholding in the monastery of Homblières under Abbot Berner (949–82)
Change log
Authors
Abstract
The monastery of Homblières, after 949, when it was turned from a community of nuns into a reformed Benedictine monastery under the rule of Abbot Berner, left a surprisingly large amount of tenth-century written material, producing both a Vita and a Translatio of Homblières ’ patron saint Hunegund, as well as a large collection of charters. These documents allow us crucial insights into how a small monastery managed its possessions and its connections to patrons. This trail permits a closer view of strategies of landholding than can be had with many West Frankish monasteries. This article argues that the community at Homblières acted over several decades to consolidate its lands in speci fi c locations. By producing such extensive documentation of his activities, Berner both solicited further donations for his monastery and protected its existing patrimony from potential threats.
Description
This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03044181.2015.1026380#.VVnOaC73Q80.
Keywords
Journal Title
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
1873-1279