Era
Vol. 1: A seculo VI usque ad 803
Series
Date
Between 574 and 578, but in reality an 11th-century forgery
Regestum

Pope Benedict I officially sanctions the transfer of the episcopal see from Aquileia to Grado; 11th-century forgery included in the Chronicle of Grado.

Source
Chronicon Gradense, four manuscripts copies ranging from 11th to 15th centuries, the oldest of which is B (cf. Cessi's and Monticolo's editions cited below); the present edition is based on the following manuscripts:
B = Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, ms. Vat. Lat. Urb. 440, fols. 4v-5v; 11th-century copy; digitized and available online for consultation here.
C = Venice, Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Pacta e aggregati, Pactorum Liber I, fol. 132; 14th-century copy.
Previous Editions
Roberto Cessi (ed.), Documenti relativi alla storia di Venezia anteriori al mille, vol. 1: Secoli V-IX (Padua 1940), doc. 3, pp. 4-5.
Giovanni Monticolo, ed., Cronache veneziane antichissime, vol. 1, Fonti per la storia d‘Italia 9 (Rome 1890), pp. 39–40 and 55–56.
FIM Edition
Diplomatic edition based on B with variae lectiones from C reported in the apparatus criticus.
Transcription

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.

Critical apparatus

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.  jom. C.  k) vobis metropolim inv. C.  l) duci Beato C.  m) eius C.  nseq. et add. C.  oseq. declarandam add. C.  p) Beato C.  q) Aquilegiam C.

Selected Bibliography
Roberto Cessi, "Nova Aquileia," Atti del Reale Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti 88/2 (1928-1929): pp. 543-94.
Emanuela Colombi, "Storie di cronache e reliquie: La nascita del patriarcato di Grado nelle prime cronache veneziane," Cristianesimo nella Storia 3 (2010): pp. 779–825.
Peter Štih, "Gradež kot Aquileia nova in Split kot Salona nova? Lokalno zgodovinopisje in oblikovanje krajevne identitete," Zgodovinski časopis 71/3–4 (2017): 354–67.
Editor's Notes

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.

How to Cite
First citation: Josip Banić (ed.), Fontes Istrie medievalis, vol. 1: A seculo VI usque ad 803, doc. 574_PBA, fontesistrie.eu/574_PBA (last access: date).
Subsequent citations: FIM, 1: doc. 574_PBA.
Image Source and Info

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