The ''Actus pontificum Cenomannis in urbe degentium'' ("Acts of the bishops dwelling in the city of Le Mans") is a series of short biographies of the

Bishops of Le Mans A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, starting with the first legendary bishop Julian, one of the

Seventy Disciples The seventy disciples (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, ''hebdomikonta mathetes''), known in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκον� ...

. The core text was written in the middle ninth century, probably by a cleric or clerics of the cathedral of Le Mans, though it had several subsequent continuations into the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

. Much of the information this core contains, including several charters and diplomas, is partly or wholly fictitious. The ''Actus'' were probably part of an ambitious campaign to extend the bishop's rights over neighbouring monasteries, particularly the Benedictine abbey of

Saint-Calais Saint-Calais () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. Prior to the French Revolution it was known for its Benedictine abbey named after the Anisola stream (modern Aniole, a tributary ...

, though the attempt collapsed at the royal council of

Verberie Verberie () is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department in northern France. It lies southwest of Compiègne on the main road to Senlis, Oise, Senlis and Paris. The railway station is on the line from Compièg ...

in 863. The text is important as evidence for late Carolingian episcopal ideology.

References

*English-language discussion of the text can be found in W. Goffart, The ''Le Mans forgeries : a chapter from the history of church property in the ninth century '' (Cambridge, Mass, 1966). *The best and most recent edition of the ''Actus'' and related texts, superseding all previous, is M. Weidemann,'' Geschichte des Bistums Le Mans von der Spätantike bis zur Karolingerzeit : Actus Pontificum Cenomannis in urbe degentium und Gesta Aldrici'' (Mainz, 2000). {{Subject bar , portal1= Catholicism , portal2= France 9th-century books in Latin 9th-century Christian texts 9th-century history books Biographies in Latin Writers from the Carolingian Empire

See also

References