   |
Handout #97 |
|
Bishops of Le Mans in the tenth century |
|
The Lord Mainard, bishop (from 951 to 971
A.D.), who was one of the nobility of Maine, was the brother of the Viscount
of the city of Le Mans. Having originally led a secular life, he had
numerous children, sons and daughters. He was judged so ignorant that he was
taken for a layman rather than a clerk. Anyway, since the city of Le Mans
had long been without a pontiff, as many wanted to obtain the bishopric for
money, but some, astutely demonstrating their learning, set themselves forth
as being worthy of the bishopric, the Lord, who has chosen weakness to
confound strength, chose a man who was aware of his ignorance and was an
unlettered sage, namely the Lord Mainard, in accordance with the word of
scripture according to which modest rusticity is preferable to pride in
science. With the consent of the clergy and of the king who ruled over the
people at that time, Mainard was consecrated bishop by the will of God
because of his great humility and his great innocence.
On the death of Bishop Mainard, the Lord Sifroi a man of deplorable behavior and blameworthy in every respect, seized hold of the vacant see. Although he was born of noble parents, he did base deeds during his episcopate. He set himself to tearing down everything that his predecessor had built up. Sifroi began to be a destroyer of the church even before being consecrated bishop. Specifically, he gave away land known as Coulaines, which belonged to his predecessors in the see, worth a thousand pounds and more, along with the tow of Dissay on the Loir, to the Count of Anjou, Foulque. This was so that he would intervene with the king of France to secure the bishopric for Sifroi. Then, whereas he should have acknowledged his guilt in respect of the property of the church that he had plundered and should have repented of his sins after having committed such a crime, alas, he capped all his wickedness by taking in his old age a woman called Audeberge who had sexual relations with him, conceived, and bore him daughters. These died, but he had a son Aubri who survived. When this son had grown up, his father heaped on him gifts belonging to the church ... |
