Table Of ContentA Companion to the Abbey of Le Bec in the Central Middle Ages
(11th–13th Centuries)
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Brill’s Companions to
European History
VOLUME 13
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/bceh
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Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Lat. 2342, fol. 3r, reproduced by
permission of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
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A Companion to the Abbey of
Le Bec in the Central Middle Ages
(11th–13th Centuries)
Edited by
Benjamin Pohl and Laura L. Gathagan
LEIDEN | BOSTON
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Cover illustration: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Lat. 2342, fol. 163r, reproduced by permission
of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available online at http://catalog.loc.gov
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2017029859
Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”. See and download: brill.com/brill-typeface.
issn 2212-7410
isbn 978-9004-34993-3 (hardback)
isbn 978-9004-35190-5 (e-book)
Copyright 2018 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi and
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Contents
Acknowledgements IX
List of Illustrations X
List of Abbreviations XI
List of Contributors XIii
Introduction 1
Laura L. Gathagan and Benjamin Pohl
1 The Foundation and Early History of Le Bec 11
Jean-Hervé Foulon
2 The Role of the Abbots of Le Bec (1034–1281) 38
Véronique Gazeau
3 Anselm of Le Bec and Canterbury: Teacher by Word and Example,
Following the Footprints of His Ancestors 57
Sally N. Vaughn
4 Robert of Torigni and Le Bec: The Man and the Myth 94
Benjamin Pohl
5 The Writing of History at Le Bec 125
Elisabeth van Houts
6 Manuscripts and Book Production at Le Bec 144
Jenny Weston
7 The Monastic Library at Le Bec 171
Laura Cleaver
8 Theology at Le Bec 206
Giles E. M. Gasper
9 Custom and Identity at Le Bec 228
Steven Vanderputten
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viii contents
10 Education and Schooling at Le Bec: A Case Study of Le Bec’s
Florilegia 248
Elizabeth Kuhl
11 The Use of Space and the Religious Life at Le Bec 278
Leonie V. Hicks
12 Medical Knowledge and Practice at Le Bec (c. 1050–c. 1300) 307
Elma Brenner
13 The Ecclesiastical Patrons of Le Bec 318
Richard Allen
14 The Monks of Le Bec and Their Benefactors: The Nature and Meaning
of Religious Patronage 343
Julie Potter
Bibliography 367
General Index 399
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Acknowledgements
It is no secret that editing a companion is never an easy undertaking. In the
case of this Companion to the Abbey of Le Bec in the Central Middle Ages, how-
ever, our task as editors was made extremely enjoyable thanks to the help and
support of a number of people to whom we would like to express our grati-
tude. First of all, we would like to thank our contributors, whose exemplary
commitment and dedication has turned this volume into what we believe,
and hope, to be a collection of inspiring, state-of-the-art scholarship dedicated
to one of the most important and influential monasteries—if not indeed the
most important one—in the Anglo-Norman world. We could not have wished
for a finer crew of colleagues with whom to embark on this exciting and re-
warding (ad)venture. The same holds true also for the support that we have
received from the kind people at Brill, starting with Julian Deahl, who first
approached and commissioned Benjamin Pohl with the idea for this volume.
Kate Hammond and Marcella Mulder supervised and guided the production
process with patience and flawless competence, while Saskia Dirkse translated
the volume’s first two chapters expertly from French into English. We would
also like to extend our warmest thanks to the two anonymous peer-review-
ers, whose insightful comments and suggestions have been of great help in
assuring the quality of this Companion. On behalf of both ourselves and our
contributors, we thank the libraries and archives who kindly gave permission
for reproducing images of their valuable material. Every effort has been made
on the part of the publisher, the editors and the contributors to identify the
copyright holders and obtain their consent and permission prior to the book’s
publication.
On a more personal note, Benjamin Pohl would like thank Laura L. Gathagan
for agreeing to be co-editor of this Companion, as well as for being such a for-
midable partner in crime, whose spirit, humor and friendship have been of in-
estimable value throughout. His thanks also go to his wife, Leah Tether, whose
edition of a Handbook of Arthurian Romance coincided with the preparation
of the present volume and provided a welcome and healthy dose of friendly
competition.
Laura L. Gathagan would like to express her personal thanks to her husband,
Kevin Sheets, for his unwavering support and for keeping the daily distractions
of life at bay. Her affectionate thanks also go to Benjamin Pohl for inviting her
along on a thoroughly gratifying project, and for being not only a friend but
somehow family as well.
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List of Illustrations
Frontispiece Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Lat. 2342, fol. 3r,
reproduced by permission of the Bibliothèque nationale de France IV
2.1 Map: The medieval abbeys of Normandy © Véronique Gazeau/
Jean-Claude Fossey 39
4.1 Imaginary portrait of Robert of Torigni by Édouard de Bergevin (1889),
Joseph-Marie Gauthier, Marquis de Tombelaine, Le Mont Saint-Michel et
ses merveilles: L’abbaye, le musée, la ville et les remparts, d’après les notes
du marquis de Tombelaine, Paris 1889, p. 59, out of copyright 97
4.2 Robert of Torigni’s grave as discovered by Édouard Jules Corroyer in
1876, Saint-Lô, Archives départementales de la Manche, 28 Fi 87,
reproduced by kind permission of the Conseil départemental de la
Manche 113
4.3 Robert of Torigni’s ‘funeral disc’ as discovered by Édouard Jules Corroyer
in 1876, Saint-Lô, Archives départementales de la Manche, 28 Fi 90,
reproduced by kind permission of the Conseil départemental de la
Manche 115
4.4 Robert of Torigni’s ‘funeral disc’ as drawn and described by Édouard
Jules Corroyer in 1876, Saint-Lô, Archives départementales de la
Manche, 28 Fi 5, reproduced by kind permission of the Conseil
départemental de la Manche 116
6.1 Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek, MS BPL 20, fol. 9v, reproduced by
permission of the Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden 151
6.2 Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek, MS BPL 20, fol. 60r, reproduced by
permission of the Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden 156
7.1 Avranches, Bibliothèque municipale, MS 159, fols. 1v–2r © Ville
d’Avranches 174
7.2 Avranches, Bibliothèque municipale, MS 159, fols. 2v–3r © Ville
d’Avranches 175
7.3 Cologne, Museum Schnütgen, M 147 © Rhenisches Bildarchiv,
rba_111204 185
13.1 Map: Bishops commemorated in the necrology of Le Bec (11th–13th
centuries) © Richard Allen 331
13.2 Map: Monastic communities (France and Belgium) in confraternity with
Le Bec © Richard Allen 334
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