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Popular Piety in the Lodèvois in the Early Twelfth Century: The Case of Pons De Léras

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

Derek Baker
Derek Baker*
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
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Extract

In 1854 the Congregation of Rites suppressed the feast and cult of the ‘blessed’ Pons de Léras. At its suppression the cult of ‘Saint’ Pons had been formally part of the liturgy of the diocese of Lodève for a little over a century: there are no records of any earlier popular devotions. The inclusion of Pons in the liturgy of the diocese was the work of Mgr Jean-Georges de Souillac (1732–50), the penultimate pre-revolutionary bishop of Lodève, and the composition of a liturgical office for the feast of the blessed Pons de Léras (18 September) was the work of Souillac’s successor Mgr Jean-Félix-Henri de Fumel (1750–90). It is difficult to see a pre-eminent piety at work in this distinguished patronage. Even the most assiduous of recent local historians of the Lodèvois, who makes it plain that he would be glad to see the cult re-instated, is quite clear that the eighteenth-century proclamation of the ‘blessed’ Pons was une affaire d’État et non pas d’Église, owing nothing to papal approval, which was never sought, and confined solely to Lodève.

Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in Church History , Volume 15: Religious Motivation Biographical and Sociological Problems for the Church Historian , 1978 , pp. 39 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 1978

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References

1 The most recent account of the diocese of Lodève is [Un diocèse languedocien: Lodève Saint-Ftilcran, ed Mercadier, Jean] (Millau 1975)Google Scholar. Pons de Léras is the subject of a study by Ferras, [V.], [‘Lodève et le bienheureux Pons de Léras, ermite et cistercien de l’abbaye de Sylvanès (XIIe siècle)’], Mercadier pp 52–64 Google Scholar. The bishops of the diocese are surveyed by Alzieu, [G.], [‘Le diocèse de Lodève et ses évêques’], Mercadier pp 65–88 Google Scholar. See too John McManners, ‘Aristocratic vocations: the bishops of France in the eighteenth century’, below pp 305-25.

2 Mercadier p 53.

3 For Fulcran and his cult see F. Hebrard, ‘Il y a mille ans saint Fulcran . . .’, Mercadier pp 11-51. The first Life of Fulcran, was written in the twelfth century by Peter de Milhau, who has been identified as the abbot of Mazan in the Vivarais. If this identification can be accepted then the Life of Fulcran is the production of the same milieu which produced the Life of Pons de Leras: Mazan was adopted as the mother house when the Cistercian abbey of Sylvanès was constituted from the community of hermits at Mas Théron.

4 See M. Dunn, ‘Milo of Benevento: the making of a myth’, forthcoming.

5 Baluze, [E.], [Miscellanea: Collectio Veterum Monumentorum quae hactemis latuerunt in variis codicibus ac bibliothecis], 7 vols (Paris 1678-1715)Google Scholar. The life of Pons de Léras is printed, ex veteri codice MS eiusdem monasterii [Silvanès], in vol 3 (1680) pp 205-26Google Scholar. There is no editorial introduction: [Incipit] Tractatus [de conversione Pontii de Larazio, et exordii Salvaniensis monasterii vera narratio. Auctore Hugonę Francigena monacho eiusdem monasterii.]

6 See the works cited by Ferras.

7 See Alzieu pp 71-2.

8 Cognoscebant autem eum ex multo tempore, scientes quia homo erat benevolus et laetus, et ad omne opus virtutis promptus, Traciatus cap 14, pp 216-17. For Camarès see Andrieu, A., Camarès —Mille ans d’histoire locale (Rodez 1931)Google Scholar.

9 Ferras, Mercadier p 55, compare Tractatus caps 15-20, pp 217-21.

10 See the references collected by Ferras, Mercadier pp 55-6: Hugh of Silvanès gives 1136—Tum primum Salvaniensis Ecclesia in abbatiam surrexit—Tractatus cap 22, p 222. On the name see Dimier 1 p 143.

11 Tractatus caps 20-1, pp 221-2: the Carthusian prior is not named, and there is virtually no reference to Pons de Leras in Carthusian sources. While the main conflict was between supporters of the Cistercian and Carthusian way of life—Facta est ergo contentio inter eos quis ordinum videretur esse maior—one other possibility was canvassed—quibusdam etiam sanctimonialium virginum monasterium construere dicentibus dignum. This was realised by the foundation of the nunnery of Nonenque (c1146) by Guiraud, third abbot of Silvanès (1144-61).

12 Fontfroide, founded 1093, Cistercian 1146; Valmagne, founded 1138, Cistercian c1145/53, was one of a number of houses founded by Gerald de Sales, the disciple of Robert of Arbrissel, which later affiliated to Cîteaux (for example, Cadouin—founded 1115, affiliated ? after 1154—and Loc Dieu—founded 1123, affiliated c1162); Le Thoronet, founded 1136, and Senanque, 1148, both daughter houses of Mazan; Silvacane, an eleventh-century foundation, affiliated to Cîteaux c1147; the nunnery of Vignogoul, near Montpellier, founded in the early twelfth century, followed Augustinian customs until compelled to adopt the usages of Cîteaux by pope Alexander III in 1178: affiliation probably followed soon afterwards.

13 1120.

14 A. Dimier, L’Art Cistercien 1 (2 ed La Pierre-qui-Vire 1974) p 143, following Tractatus cap 21. Other views are summarised by Ferras, Mercadier pp 56-7. Dimier asserts that the first abbot of Silvanès, Adhémar, was a ‘moine venu de Mazan’; Hugh of Silvanès implies that he was one of the original community at Mas Théron—’Ex quibus unum virum sapientem et bonum, litteris eruditum, videlicet domnum Ademarum, illis praeposuit [the abbot of Mazan], et abbatem esse constituit, domus curam illi tradidit, et dimisit’, Tractatus cap 21 p 222. Adhémar ruled for only six months, ibid cap 28 p 225.

15 Hugh of Silvanès’s brief chapter (21) could be read to imply the establishment of Cistercian facilities at Mas-Théron for the community from the original hermitage to enter after their year’s probation and training at Mazan.

16 See above n 12.

17 For recent treatment of these topics see Moore, R. I., The Origins of European Dissent (London 1977)Google Scholar; Moore, R. I., The Birth of Popular Heresy (London 1976)Google Scholar; Lambert, M. D., Medieval Heresy (London 1976)Google Scholar, and the bibliographies therein.

18 See Alzieu, Mercadier pp 65-70, and incidental references in the articles by Hebrard and Saint-Jean, R. (‘Une abbaye de l’ancien diocèse de Lodève: Saint Guilhem-le-Désert’, Mercadier pp 114-35Google Scholar) in the same volume.

19 Alzieu, Mercadier p 72.

20 See Fundado Abbathie de Kyrkestall, ed Clark, E. K., Thoresby Society 4 (Leeds 1895)Google Scholar.

21 See Saint-Jean, R., ‘Un prieuré de l’ancien diocèse de Lodève: Saint-Michel de Grandmont’, Mercadier pp 136-51Google Scholar.

22 See above, introduction.

23 See below, p 55 n 33.

24 Lawrence, D. H., Twilight in Italy, (Penguin Ed) p 36 Google Scholar.