Pope Benedict I officially sanctions the transfer of the episcopal see from Aquileia to Grado; 11th-century forgery included in the Chronicle of Grado.
Hisdem autem temporibus proceres eta dux Metamaucensiumb cum quibusdam tribunis et nobilibus suis ad universalem Romane sedis pontificem nomine Benedictum adgressic sunt iter, atd quem cum pervenissent, suppliciter fusis precisbus, quatinuse Gradense castrum novam Aquileiamf institueret et tocius Venetię et Hystrię metropolim ordinaret deprecabantur.
[om.]g
Tunc idem sanctissimum Benedictus summus Romanę sedis pontifex, benignitatis clemencia motus, dignis eorum condescendit precibus, communicatoque XXXVIIIIh episcoporum concilio, Gradensem civitatem novam Aquileiami constituens, ex collaudatione supradictorum episcoporum et omnium sanctę Romanę ęcclesię cardinalium tocius Venetię et Hystrię metropolim ordinavit, accersitoque duce et qui cum eo erant:
“Per privilegii”—inquit—“preceptum sancte Romane ęcclesię et collaudatione ac confirmatione omnium istorum fratrum, tam episcoporum quam cardinalium, tocius Venetię nec non etj Hystrię Gradensem ęcclesiam metropolim vobisk ordinamus; eiusdem vero presulis electionem clero et populo liberam faciendi tribuimus facultatem. Prefate preterea regionis duci post factam electionem investicionis potestatem committimus, qua ab ipso duce accepta, eiusdem suffraganeis consecrandi licenciam concedimus. Quibus expletis, ad huius sanctę Romane ęcclesię sedem ad pallii benedictionem suscipiendam properare iniungimus.”
Hec omnia per privilegii paginam ducibusl et cunctis eorumm successoribus concessitn, ad huius confirmationem recto, ut supra dictum est, ordineo quendam Paulum cardinalem sancte Romane ecclesie, facta electione ab ipsis tribunis et nobilibus, qui cum prefatop duce aderant, a prefato quoque duce accepta investicione, patriarcham consecravit atque cum palli benedictione in novam Aquileiamq cum eis remisit.
a) proceres et] Beatus C et ed. Cessi. b) Methamaucensium C. c) aggressi C. d) ad C. e) quatenus C. f) Aquilegiam C. g) Nomina quoque patriarcharum — Aquileiam destinati sunt om. C; cf. ed. Monticolo. h) triginta novem C. i) Aquilegiam C. j) om. C. k) vobis metropolim inv. C. l) duci Beato C. m) eius C. n) seq. et add. C. o) seq. declarandam add. C. p) Beato C. q) Aquilegiam C.
This is the first official explication of the "Grado as the New Aquileia" argument. As Cessi demonstrated, the argument was born in the 11th century from the competition between the patriarchs of Grado and of Aquileia for the metropolitan jurisdictions over the former province of Venetia et Histria. In the fourteenth century, the passage containing the forged privilege of Benedict I was copied in the Liber pactorum of the Venetian Republic. The forgery marks but one episode in the long diplomatic war between the metropolitan sees of Aquileia and Grado. See more comments on this struggle here.
The images from the Vatican library are available for consultation online, but the library's copyrights prevent the posting of these images on other webpages. The users are thus directed to this page.