State and Society in the Early Middle Ages: The Middle Rhine Valley, 400–1000 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series Book 47)

by Matthew Innes

The best starting-point for any study of gifts of land to the church in the middle Rhine is the foundation of the abbey of Lorsch by the powerful landowner Cancor and his widowed mother Willeswind in 764, on their portions of an important family centre. 16 Cancor and Willeswind gave their abbey to their kinsman Chrodegang, bishop of Metz, monastic reformer, papal legate in Francia and the driving force behind the reform of the Frankish church. 17 Lorsch was staffed with monks from Chrodegang's foundation at Gorze, led by Guntland, Chrodegang's brother, who became abbot. A stress on contemporary Roman usage lay at the heart of Chrodegang's reform agenda; Chrodegang was responsible for one of the earliest translations of Roman martyrs to Francia in 761 when he acquired the relics of Gorgonius, Naborius and Nazarius from the pope. Gorgonius and Naborius found their way to Gorze and Chrodegang's other foundation near Metz, St Avold, respectively, whilst Lorsch was dedicated to Nazarius.ls