Pope Lucius III confirms to Henry Dandolo, the incumbent patriarch of Grado, the patriarchal dignity, primacy over the Archbishopric of Zadar, properties, jurisdictions and metropolitan authority over the ecclesiastical province of the Church of Grado, along with the right to bear the cross and pallium on specific feast days.
‡Lucius episcopus, servus servorum Dei, venerabili fratri Henrico Gradensi patriarche eiusque successoribus canonice substituendis in perpetuum.‡
Apostolice officium dignitatis et credite nobis dispensationis debitum utiliter exsequi comprobamur, cum collatam unicuique ecclesie dignitatem provida sollicitudine custodimus, et singulis ecclesiis iura sua illibata studemus et integra conservare, sicut enim non est concedendum alicui quod iniuste requirit, ita nemini quod sui iuris est * a nobis convenit denegari.
Eapropter, venerabilis in Christo frater Henrice patriarcha, tuis iustis postulationibus grato concurrentes assensu Gradensem ecclesiam, cui auctore Deo preesse dinosceris, sub beati Petri et nostra protectione suscipimus et presentis scripti privilegio communimus.
Igitur predecessorum nostrorum felicis memorie Pelagii1, Alexandri2, Urbani secundi3, * Adriani4 et Alexandri tertii5 vestigiis inherentes, illius precipue constitutionis tenorem servantes quam predecessor noster Leo nonus papa sanctivit et sinodali iudicio et privilegii pagina confirmavit,6 tibi tuisque successoribus canonice substituendis patriarchalem concedimus dignitatem, et magisterium Gradensis ecclesie gerendum in his tantum finibus confirmamus, qui per supradictos predecessores nostros eidem noscuntur ecclesie constituti.
Crucem quoque ante te ferendam esse concedimus, nisi cum Rome fueris aut in presentia vel comitatu Romani pontificis.
Palleum etiam plenitudinem videlicet pontificalis officii fraternitati tue ex Apostolice Sedis liberalitate largimur, quo intra ecclesiam tuam ad missarum sollempnia celebranda uti memineris eis diebus, quibus predecessores tuos * usos fuisse cognoscis, videlicet in Nativitate Domini, Epyphania, Ypopanti, tribus festivitatibus sancte Marie, Cena Domini, Sabbato Sancto, Resurrectione Domini, Ascensione, Pentecoste, in Natalicio sancti Iohannis Baptiste et Omnium Apostolorum, in festivitatibus quoque sancti Marci, sancti protomartiris Stephani, sancti Laurentii, sancti Martini, in sollempnitate Omnium Sanctorum, et principalibus ecclesie tue festivitatibus necnon in ecclesiarum, episcoporum et ceterorum clericorum consecrationibus et anniversario consecrationis tue die.
Cuius utique dignitatem in bonis per omnia te volumus vendicare, ut videlicet in corrigendis subditis plus apud te possit ratio quam potestas, atque te boni dulcem, mali vero pium sentiant correctorem. Personas diligas, * subiectorum vitia persequaris, ne si aliter agere forte volueris, transeat in crudelitatem correctio, et perdas quos desideras emendare, sicque vulnus debes abscidere, ut non possis quod sanum est ulcerare, ne si ferrum plus quam res exigit imprimatur, noceat cui prodesse festinas, sed sic alterum condiatur ex altero, quatinus et boni habeant amando quod caveant, et mali metuendo quod diligant.
Preterea, ne commissa regimini et dispensationi tue prefata Gradensis ecclesia, que de benignitate Apostolice Sedis prerogativa gaudet honoris, ex brevitate patriarchatus inferior et abiectior valeat apud simpliciores haberi, * ad ampliandam dignitatem ipsius, prioratuma ei super Iadertinum Archiepiscopatum et episcopatus ipsius apostolica auctoritate concedimus, et tam te quam successores tuos Iadertino archiepiscopo et episcopis eius, qui pro tempore fuerint, dignitate primatus statuimus presidere, et consecrationis manusb eidem archiepiscopo impertiri, Romano quidem pontifici traditione pallii reservata.
Statuimus etiam ut quecumque bona, quascumque possessiones eadem Gradensis ecclesia in presentiarum iuste et canonice possidet, aut in futurusc iustis modis, Deo propitio, poterit adipisci, firma tibi tuisque successoribus et illibata permaneant.
Porro ecclesias a religiosis viris ipsi Gradensi ecclesie oblatas per episcopatum tuum constitutas tibi tuisque successoribus libere confirmamus, ita ut nulli episcopo absque tuo assensu in eis liceat consecrationes celebrare aut sacerdotibus in eisdem Domino servientibus, donec in locis ipsis fueris, divina officia prohibere.
Decernimus ergo ut nulli omnino hominum liceat supradictam ecclesiam temere perturbare aut eius possessiones auferre vel ablatas retinere, minuere seu quibuslibet vexationibus fatigare, sed omnia * integra conserventur eorum pro quorum gubernatione et sustentatione concessa sunt usibus omnimodis profutura, salva in omnibus Apostolice Sedis auctoritate.
Si qua igitur in futurum ecclesiastica secularisve persona hanc nostre constitutionis paginam sciens contra eam temere venire temptaverit, secundo tertiove commonita, nisi presumptionem suam digna satisfactione correxerit, potestatis honorisque sui dignitate careat, reamque se divino iudicio existere de perpetrata iniquitate cognoscat, et a sacratissimo corpore ac sanguine Dei et domini redemptoris nostri Iesu Christi aliena fiat, atque in extremo examine districte ultioni subiaceat.
Cunctis autem eidem loco sua iura servantibus sit pax domini nostri Iesu Christi, quatinus et hic fructum bone actionis percipiant et apud districtum Iudicem premia eterne pacis inveniant.
‡Amen.‡ Amen. ‡Amen.‡
(R) Ego Lucius catholice Ecclesie episcopus subscripsi. (BV)
(SC) Ego Petrus Tusculanus episcopus subscripsi.
(SC) Ego Vivianus presbiter cardinalis tituli Sancti Stephani in Celio Monte subscripsi.
(SC) Ego Cynthius presbiter cardinalis tituli Sancte Cecilie subscripsi.
(SC) Ego Arduinus presbiter cardinalis tituli Sancte Crucis in Iherusalem subscripsi.
(SC) Ego Laborans presbiter cardinalis Sancte Marie Transtiberim tituli Calixti subscripsi.
(SC) Ego Rainerius diaconus cardinalis Sancti Georgii ad Velum Aureum subscripsi.
(SC) Ego Gratianus Sanctorum Cosme et Damiani diaconus cardinalis subscripsi.
(SC) Ego Ardicio Sancti Theodori diaconus cardinalis subscripsi.
Datum Velletris per manum Alberti sancte Romane ecclesie presbiteri cardinalis et cancellarii XVIII kalendas madii, indictione XV, incarnationis Dominice anno MoCoLXXVIII, pontificatus vero domni Lucii pape III anno I.
(SP D)
a) sic prioratum loco primatum A. b) sic manus loco munus A. c) sic futurus loco futurum A.
1) Doc. 579_PPG.
2) Doc. 1064_PG.
3) Doc. 1095_PG.
4) Doc. 1157_PG1.
5) Doc. 1161_PG.
6) Doc. 1053_PG.
The text will serve as a charter model for the following papal documents:
Pope Urban III’s conferral of the pallium to Patriarch Enrico Dandolo – edited here as doc. 1186_PG.
Pope Innocent III’s conferral of the pallium to Patriarch Angelo Barozzi – edited here as doc. 1213_PG.
Pope Lucius III’s grant of the pallium to the incumbent patriarch of Grado, Enrico Dandolo, is another verbatim copy of Adrian IV’s document issued to the same prelate (doc. 1157_PG1). The only noticeable difference in the two texts is the word “prioratum” instead of “primatum” in the part referring to the primacy over the Archbishopric of Zadar, a detail that engendered considerable debate in historiography.
It was already Kehr (cited above), who interpreted this change in the formulary as a purposeful, deliberate modification rather than a simple scribal error. This interpretation was accepted by all the subsequent scholars writing on the charter, although the consensus on the precise reason behind this modification was never reached. According to Kehr and Felbinger (cited above), “the deliberate use of prioratus instead of primatus simply means that Lucius III used prioratus to refer to the rights of the Church of Grado over the Church of Zadar, and primatus to refer to the rights of the patriarchs of Grado over the archbishops of Zadar” (Felbinger, cited above, p. 149). Madden (cited above), however, argued that the change in terminology “made the relationship between the two sees uncertain, as it was clearly meant to do” (p. 337). Namely, Venetian rule in Zadar ended in the 1180s when King Béla III of Hungary regained control over central Dalmatia. Venice would regain Zadar only in 1202 during the Fourth Crusade. Thus, even though the popes duly confirmed the prioratus/primatus of the patriarchs of Grado over the Archbishopric of Zadar, this prerogative was most certainly not exercised during this period of Hungarian rule.
Just as the word “sanccivit” replaced “sanctissimus” in the 1161 conferral of the pallium (doc. 1161_PG), so too did the “prioratum” replace the “primatum”, as this will now become the canonical form in all the subsequent grants of the pallium to the patriarchs of Grado. The change in terminology effectively changed nothing and it is very much questionable whether this modification was at all preconceived and deliberate as Kehr interpreted it – it very well could be a simple scribal error that simply entered the formulary because the text of the each new conferral of the pallium to the patriarchs of Grado was based on the previous one.