Letter 1009: Gregory, a servant of God, presbyter and abbot of the monastery of Saint Theodore in the province of Sicily constituted in the territory of Panormus, has given us to understand that men of the farm of Fulloniacus, which belongs to the holy Roman Church, are endeavouring to encroach on the boundaries of the farm of Gerdinia, bordering on the said...

Pope Gregory the GreatPeter|c. 590 AD|Pope Gregory the Great|Human translated
imperial politicsmonasticismproperty economics
Economic matters; Miracles & relics

Gregory to Peter, Subdeacon.

Gregory, servant of God, presbyter and abbot of the monastery of Saint Theodore in the province of Sicily, located in the territory of Palermo, has informed us that tenants of the farm of Fulloniacus -- which belongs to the holy Roman Church -- are attempting to encroach on the boundaries of the farm of Gerdinia. This neighboring farm, which borders the property of the holy Roman Church, has been in the monastery's undisputed possession for countless years.

We therefore direct you to go to Palermo and investigate the matter as follows: if you find that the monastery of Saint Theodore has held the disputed boundaries without challenge for forty years, you are not to allow it to suffer any loss -- even if the claim would benefit the holy Roman Church. Ensure the monastery's possession remains entirely secure. If, however, the agents of the holy Roman Church can demonstrate that the monastery has not held undisputed possession for the full forty years, and that a challenge was raised within that period, then the matter should be settled peacefully and lawfully through appointed arbitrators.

We have no wish to raise accusations of wrongdoing where none have previously existed. We do, however, want disputes raised by others to be resolved promptly. See to it, therefore, that everything is settled so thoroughly that no further question on this matter ever comes back to us.

Additionally, we direct that the will of the late Bacauda, former xenodochus, remain in full force as originally executed.

The month of November; ninth indiction.

Human translation - New Advent (NPNF / ANF series)

Latin / Greek Original

Gregorius Petro subdiacono.

Gregorius servus Dei, presbyter et abbas iona-
slerii sancti Theodori in Sicilia provincis, territorio
Panormitano constituti, insinuavit nobis homines
fundi * Fulloniaci, juris sanctiz Ecclesis® Romana,
fines ſundi Gerdimiz, collimitantis eidem praefato
ſundo Ecclesiz sanctz Romanz, - quos quieto- jure
per innumeros annos possederuut, velle pervadere.

; 2. quando jungualur ,
jta ut una Sit inſerior , altera superior , quo casu
vicario opus est, cap. Exsilirpande, s (ui vers,
de Prezbendis; 3. quando ambabus suum titulum
dumque retinentibus idem minister preſficitur.
xtra Ne sede vacante, cap. 1 et 16, q. 1, et cap. Et
lemporis. Episcopatuum unio soli Romano pontiſici
tandem reservata. Vide extra lib; 1, tit. 7, de trans-
latione episcopi, cap. 1, 2 el 4, et cap. Quod trans-

dicitur , sed et ryvwpuevov

lem te ad Panormilanam civitatem, quzstionem
ipsam tali ratione discutere, dominio rei apud pos-
ses80rem, Sicuti hactenus possessum es, videlicet
permanente, ut 8si monasterium preſatum sancti
Theodori fines, de quibus Þ causatio mota est, in-
conecussis © quadraginta annis possedisse repereris,
nullam deinceps, etiam si quid AY sancizz Roma-
ue Ecclesiz compelere potuit, patiaris sustinere 4
calumniam, sed quietem eorum inconcussam modis
omnibus procurare. Sin vero © actores sanctz Eccle-
si non eos possedisse quadraginta annos incon-
cuss0 jure monst(raverint, sed aliquam - intra hee
tempora motam ſuisse aliquaado quzxstionem eorume
dem finium, electis arbitris, tranquille et legaliter
SOpiatur. Nos enim non solum nunquam mola susCie
tari volumus, verum etiam quz prava foris admo-
ventur, sopire modis omnibus festinamus. Jta ergo
experientia tua cuncta faciat effectibus mancipari,
ne qua post hac hujus rei ad nos quzslio reverta-
tur. Testamentum autem Bacandze quondam xenodo-
chi in ea qua conditum est volumus - firmitate persi-
slere. |

Revision history

  1. 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import

    Initial corpus import from New Advent / NPNF.

    Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360201009.htm

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