Montecassino and Byzantium in the tenth and eleventh centuries

Abstract

The monastery of the Theotokos Evergetis was given to that of St Benedict of Montecassino in 1206 by the papal legate in Constantinople, cardinal Benedict of S. Susanna. 1 At first sight the grant to Montecassino seems rather unusual, for while after the Latin conquest of 1204 a number of Greek monasteries in Constantinople were given to Latin monks, the usual beneficiaries were either the Cistercians (who had played such a prominent part during the Fourth Crusade) or, in three known cases, Benedictines from Venice—a natural enough reflection of the Venetian role in the Crusade and the presence of a Venetian on the patriarchal throne after 1204. 2 By contrast Montecassino had, so far as is known, played no part in the Crusade. Why then did cardinal Benedict make his grant? We have no evidence that he had any direct connection with the monastery—but then we know nothing at all of his career before he became a cardinal in the early months of 1200. 3 However, the links between Montecassino and the papal curia were very close during the pontificate of Innocent III. Abbot Roffred (1188-1209) was himself a cardinal and acted as papal legate in Apulia and Sicily in 1202, and two former Cassinese monks were also members of the college: John of Salerno, cardinal priest of S. Stefano in Celiomonte (1190-1208), and Roger, archbishop of Benevento from 1179 and cardinal priest of S. Eusebio. 4 It is therefore probable that the grant of the Evergetis monastery to Montecassino was the result of personal acquaintanceship between the cardinals.

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