Le testament de Géraud dit d’Aurillac. Édition et commentaire

Résumé 0

The Testament of Gerald of Aurillac. Edition and CommentaryAlthough the Vita Geraldi is well known by medievalists, historians have too often neglected the small contemporary documentary record on Gerald, the founding saint of the Abbey of Aurillac (Cantal) at the end of the 9th century. It is true that these acts have had a difficult history and are known today only through modern copies. However, they are essential for a historical approach to the person Gerald was when alive and before Odo of Cluny redrew his character as a saint. Therefore, this paper provides a critical edition of Saint Gerald’s last wishes. The commentary allows us to establish the nature of the document, which is indeed a real testament and not, as has too often been argued, a codicil. It also establishes the date of Gerald’s death, which must be October 909, and not 918 as wrongly claimed by the medieval tradition of the Abbey of Aurillac.