Sidonius of Constance

Sidonius von Konstanz († July 4, 760 on the island of Reichenau ) was from 746 to 760 Bishop of Konstanz and abbot of the Reichenau monastery .

background

“In the Constance list of bishops, there was still dire confusion throughout the 7th and most of the 8th century; [...] it is only from Sidonius onwards that we stand on solid ground in history. We only see this prince of the church exercising his jurisdiction. ”In the early Franconian period the bishops had“ unlimited power over the monasteries ”, but“ this legal relationship suffered a significant shift when the Columbank monasteries broke into the Franconian empire. ”It was founded“ without the otherwise prescribed Approval of the bishops; Even in disciplinary, property and even liturgical questions, these monasteries are as independent as possible and claim freedom of property rights and free election of abbots. ”As soon as bishops tried to enforce their jurisdiction, conflicts arose and only when“ the policy of Karl Martell and especially Pippin This resulted in a consolidation, universal recognition and expansion of the episcopal rights [...] the Bishops of Constance in the 8th century effortlessly made the two most powerful foundations of monasteries in the vicinity of their seat dependent, Reichenau and St. Gallen . "

Life

Sidonius was a monk in the Reichenau monastery. After Arnefried's death in 746, Sidonius was both his successor as Bishop of Constance and abbot of the monastery.

In May 757 he was in Compiègne one of the co-signers of a privilege of Chrodegang , Bishop of Metz and Archbishop of Austrasia , for the Gorze Abbey . He was probably also a participant in the Frankish Imperial Synod, which was taking place there at the same time.

Presumably, Constance, which was previously granted to the diocese of Besançon , was added to the Mainzer Sprengel under Sidonius.

Sidonius against St. Gallen

“The dispute broke out under Bishop Sidonius; its actual course can only be overlooked in vague features, since there are very contradicting representations of one party, St. Gallens. The cause of the catastrophe seems to have been the removal of goods by the [Franconian] Counts Warin and Ruthart ; When the able abbot Otmar lodged a complaint, Bishop Sidonius had him arrested on the island of Werd near Stein , allegedly on charges of moral misconduct , where he died in the same year (759). ”Sidonius then set on November 16, 759 invited the monk Johannes to become abbot in St. Gallen. With the mediation of Bishop Heddo of Strasbourg , Sidonius and Johannes signed a contract either at the end of 759 or at the beginning of 760, which regulated the institutional position of the monastic community in St. Gallen, in order to manifest the pertinence of the Bishopric of Constance and to give the Carolingians access . King Charlemagne confirmed this contract in 780 in Worms.

Sidonius died in 760, his successor "was Johannes, the previous abbot of St. Gallen, who also became abbot of Reichenau, so that he united the management of the two most important monastic branches in one hand."

annotation

1. ↑ That there must have been violations of property by Warin can be seen from the fact that his son Isanbard made large donations to the monastery in 806 as atonement for the injustice inflicted on him. (J. Sauer: Beginnings of Christianity in Baden , 1911, p. 83 f.)

literature

• Helmut Maurer : Sidonius of Constance. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Helmut Maurer: The Bishops of Constance from the end of the 6th century to 1206 ( Germania sacra ; NF 42.1; The dioceses of the ecclesiastical province of Mainz. The Diocese of Constance ; 5). Walter de Gruyter , Berlin / New York 2003, ISBN 3-11-017664-5 , pp. 44-48. ( Digitized version )
• Josef Sauer: The beginnings of Christianity and the church in Baden. New Year's Sheets of the Baden Historical Commission, New Volume 14, Carl Winters University Bookstore, Heidelberg 1911.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Helmut Maurer: “The Bishops of Constance from the end of the 6th century to 1206”, Walter de Gruyter 2003, page 48
2. ↑ Josua Eiselein: “History and description of the city of Constance and its immediate surroundings”, Meck 1851, page 11
3. ^ Josef Sauer: The beginnings of Christianity and the church in Baden. New Year's Sheets of the Baden Historical Commission, New Series 14, Carl Winters University Bookstore, Heidelberg 1911, p. 81 f.
4. ↑ Helmut Maurer: “The Bishops of Constance from the end of the 6th century to 1206”, Walter de Gruyter 2003, page 45
5. ^ Jenaische Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung. Year 1- [38. With] intelligence sheet. Year 1- [38. And] supplementary sheets. Volume 1- [29], April 9, 1804, page 124
6. ↑ Andrea Zur Nieden: "The everyday life of the monks: Studies on the monastery plan of St. Gallen", Diplomica Verlag 2008, page 181
7. ↑ Herwig Wolfram: "The Birth of Central Europe", Kremayr and Scheriau 1987, page 243
8. ↑ Christian Krepold: “Of free farmers and unfree court servants. The manorial rule of St. Gallen Abbey in the Early Middle Ages ”, GRIN Verlag 2005, page 8.
9. ↑ J. Sauer: Beginnings of Christianity in Baden , 1911, p. 84.

predecessor	Office	successor
Arnefried	Bishop of Constance 746–760	John
Arnefried	Abbot of Reichenau 746-760	John