IMC 2006: Sessions

Abstract paper -a: My paper will argue the composition and the function of the Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Étienne (Caen, Normandy). This cartulary was made in the 12th and 13th centuries, but its manuscript had been lost since the 19th century. Now, however, we have this very manuscript, which was fortunately rediscovered at Bayeux at the end of 1996. Through codicological analyses and comparative research with other documents concerning this abbey, I try to examine the criteria for the choice of documents for this cartulary, the stages and stategy of their transcription, and the context of its compilation at the end of the 12th century.

Abstract paper -b: My paper will discuss the conditions of the textual and material tradition of monastic archival documents. Monastic administrative practices, whether in medieval or in modern times, have a decisive influence on the corpora that are to be passed over to future generations. Although this isn’t, of course, the only factor, it must be taken into consideration when trying to assess the documental value and representativity of monastic medieval sources, as I shall try to show on the basis of a few examples from several monastic families.

Abstract paper -c: MOM (www.monasterium.net) is the commonly used abbreviation in medieval charters for the Latin word monasterium and became a symbol for a project in Austria, aiming to renew the medieval networks virtually. Under the patronage of the diocesan archive in St Pölten the MOM team already made available 20000 charters of the monasteries in Lower Austria and Vienna by means of digitisation. It is possible to use the stored data of all the charters totally free of charge. At present the monasterium-project is expanding its activities in Central-Europe by creating cooperations with czech, hungarian, slovak, slovenian and bavarian eclesiastical and secular institutions.