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From the article "Peter Cellensis (Peter de la Celle) by Michael Ott in the Catholic Encyclopeida (1917 ed.), transcribed by Joseph C. Meyer (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11762b.htm  ).

  N.b. Much of the information about Bishop Peter on this page is due to the very generous sharing of the fruits of his erudite research by Dr. Werner Robl, whose website
(http://www.abaelard.de, especially the page on Peter of Celle http://www.abaelard.de/abaelard/070306petruscellensis.htm) ostensibly devoted to Abelard is, in actuality, a veritable mine of precise and scholarly information about a whole range of topics which are broadly conceived to relate to the world of Abelard. (Any mistakes on this page are, of course, my own, not those of Dr. Robl.)

  Peter of Celle was born, of noble parentage, in Champagne (probably into the house of
Aulnoy-les-Minimes, near Provins) in about 1115; he died at Chartres, he died on 19 February, 1183, and buried on 20 February in the abbey of St. Mary of Josaphat, next to his friend John of Salisbury. (Peter's obituary notice from the cathedral necrology is published
in : Auguste Molinier, Obituaires de la Province de Sens. Tome II: Diocèse de Chartes [Paris, 1906],  II, pp. 42-43.)
  He was educated [probably guest or novice, but not student in Saint-Martin, more probably he was educated in the schools of Paris or Sainte-Genviève, as "adulescentulus" then, max. age 25!] in the monastery of St. Martin-des-Champs at Paris, became a Benedictine, and in 1150 [not 1150, but between 1139 and 1145] was made Abbot of La Celle [better: Montier-la-Celle] near Troyes, whence his surname, Cellensis [not sure, perhaps from La Celle-sous-Chantemerle, north of Romilly-sur-Seine]. In 1162 he was appointed Abbot of St. Rémy at Reims, and in 1181 he succeeded John of Salisbury as Bishop of Chartres.[1]

  Though the precise circumstances of his selection as Bishop are, typically, not at all clear in detail, it does appear that he may have had a kinsman among the Dignataries (personae) of the chapter.(2)

 

His
literary productions were edited by Janvier (Paris, 1671) and reprinted in
P.L., CCII, 405-1146. They consist of 177 epistles, 95 sermons, and 4
treatises entitled: etc.

  Newer editions of Peter's works have appeared in the last few decades :

  • Martel, Gérard de, Petri Cellensis, Commentaria in Ruth, Tractatus de
    Tabernaculo
    , CCM LIV, Turnhout 1983
  • Martel, Gérard de, "Pierre de Celle à Reims," in Mémoires de la Société
    d'agriculture, commerce, sciences et arts du département de la Marne
    ,
    LXXXIV, 1974, pp. 71-105.
  • Martel, Gérard de, L'école du cloître, Paris 1977
  • Haseldine, J., The letters of Peter of Celle, Oxford 2001

1. Many secondary sources have suggested 1180 as the date of the beginning of Peter's episcopacy at Chartres, so we must justify our assertion of 1181 as the date, which we can do, thanks, once again, to the generosity of Dr. Werner Robl, who has very kindly shared with us the results of his very careful and erudite scholarship : Though Peter's prececessor at Chartres, John of Salisbury, died on 25 October, 1180, two papal bulls indicate that Peter was Abbot of St. Remi of Reims on 15 March, 1181 (n.s.!!), but had been replaced as Abbot by a 5 May in either 1182 or 1183 (Meinert, Papsturkunden in Frankreich, bullae 188 and 213).

2. In a letter (to Bishop John of Salisbury, ep. 178 in the. Haseldine edition, dated "mid-1177 x 25 Oct. 1180") Abbot Peter of St. Remi mentions a "karissimus amicus et cognatus...G. archidiaconus uester."  The modern editior of this letter, Julian Haseldine, suggests that this "G. archidiaconus" might either be a "Gautier, archdeacon de Pinserais [citing the CND, I, p. 207]; or possibly Goslenus, [ibid]."  However, Mr. Haseltine does not appear to be aware of the later (and certainly not definitive) publication of the dignataries of the cathedral (Lucien and René Merlet. Dignitaires de L’Église Nôtre–Dame de Chartres: Listes Chronologiques. Chartres, 1900) which is ignorant of any Archdeacon "G." except for a Goslen, Archdeacon of the Pincerais, "v. 1163-1181,"  who was a "nephew of Bishop Robert whose obvituary entry in the cathedral necrology may be seen ........... His sucessor as AD of the Pincerais was Philip of Lèves, who first appears in 1190.
  There is also an Archdiacon Galterius in the lists compiled by the Merlets, who was an Archdeacon of the Dunois who is cited between 1170 and 1176, but whose sucessor doesn't appear until 1181 (ibid., p. 145).  Therefore, this Archdeacon Galterius could, as well, be the kinsman of the future Bishop Peter mentioned in his lette.

He was highly esteemed by men like John of Salisbury, Thomas à Becket, Archbishop Eskil, Eugene III, and especially Alexander III.

 

Peter of Celle :
Bishop of Chartres, was born around the year 1115 in Champagne, perhaps into the family of Aulnoy-les-Minimes, near Provins. This family had a distant relationship to the Capitians. [ 2]

Early on it appears that he was destined for a monastic career, and he tells us
himself that he turned at first to the Cluniac house of Saint-Martin-des-Champs near Paris. [ 3 ]  
It was there that he encountered his life-long friend, John of Salisbury, who later became secretary to Thomas Becket and, later, Bishop of Bischof von Chartres, and they both persued their studies on Mount Sainte-Geneviève.

Upon completing a few year of study in Paris Peter totally renounced the life of the secular schools (Oh to be packed and disappointed as much you are done to Paris in addition, the souls. In you there are networks of the vice and drop pits of the bad one; in you the arrow of hell perforates the hearts of the Toerichten... “ as he wrote frightened in one of its letters. [ 4 ] ), fully embrased the principles of the Gregorian reform and he became a Benedictine monk at the abbey of la Celle, [ 6 ] , just a few miles southwest of Troyes. It was here that he acquired his toponymic, "Celle" (Cellensis), by which he was known for the rest of his life. He was elected abbot of this house sometime between April, 1139 and 1145.
It was during his time as abbot that he

Around 1145 [ 5 ] Peter Abt of this monastery became. During this Abbaziats it operated with numerous sizes of its time. Among other things make friends himself he also with Bernhard von Clairvaux, whose Cistercian medal him wrung much admiration out. [ 7 ] Both conventions had to do in the consequence also repeated in business with one another. [ 8 ] For bishop Theobald of Paris, whom he probably in its time as Prior of Saint Martin the Champs personally know had learned, he wrote some order lectures. [ 9 ]

Fußnoten

[1] lat. Petrus Cellensis oder Petrus de Cella. Obwohl es begrifflich sinnvoller wäre, im Deutschen mit Peter von der Zelle zu übersetzen, folgen wir dem bisher üblichen Sprachgebrauch.

[2] Siehe: Godefroy, J., La Maison d’Aulnoy-les-Minimes, souche de Pierre de Celle, in: Revue Mabilllon 41, 1951, 33ff. Peters Eltern hießen Hadewidis und Lethericus, seine Brüder Engenoldus und Gaucherius. Eine Verwandte des Hauses war Agnes von Baudement, die Schwägerin König Ludwigs VII. Siehe Brief Johanns von Salisbury an Thomas Becket, in PL 199, Spalte 117B.

[3] Epistel 8, PL 202, Spalte 603.

[4] „O Parisius, quam idonea es ad capiendas et decipiendas animas! In te retinacula vitiorum, in te malorum decipula, in te sagitta inferni transfigit insipientium corda…“ Epistel 4, a.a.O., Spalte 519. Über die Situation des Schulbetriebs zu dieser Zeit siehe: http://www.abaelard.de, Peter Abaelard in Paris.

[5] Der terminus ante quem ergibt sich aus dem Kartularium von Montier-La-Celle: Eine Urkunde Heinrichs, des Liberalen, von 1145 erwähnte erstmalig Petrus, abbas Sanct Petri de Cella. Siehe: Lalore, Ch., Cartulaire de Montier-la-Celle, Paris, 1882, Seite 42. Der terminus post quem liegt im April 1139, in welchem als Vorgänger im Abbaziat ein Mönch namens Walter erwähnt ist. Siehe a. a. O., Seite 204 und 256.

[6] Der Niedergang des einst so bedeutsamen Konvents trat bereits einige Zeit vor der französischen Revolution ein. Heute sind von diesem Konvent in einem südwestlichen Vorort von Troyes nur noch geringfügige Überreste vorhanden: ein Taubenturm und ein Teil der Umfassungsmauer.

[7] Siehe: Wellstein, G., Der freundschaftlichen Beziehungen des Petrus Cellensis zu den Zisterziensern, in. Cist. Chron. 38, 1926, 213ff.

[8] Siehe z. B. Vertrag mit Bernhard von Clairvaux aus dem Jahre 1152, Lalore, Cart. Montier-la-Celle, a.a.O., 54. Und: Winkler, G. (ed.), Bernhard von Clairvaux, Sämtliche Werke, Innsbruck 1992, Band 3, Seite 832f.

[9] Theobald war bis 1142 Prior von Saint-Martin gewesen. „Tres sermones de Adventu Domini et unum de Navitate orditus sum vobis“, Epistel 1, PL 202, Spalte 421.

[9a] Obwohl Peter von Celle und Johann von Salisbury nahezu gleich alt waren, bezeichnete ersterer in seinen Briefen wiederholt letzteren als seinen magister, sich selbst jedoch als dessen discipulus. Wenn dagegen von dem Aufenthalt bei Troyes die Rede war, betitelte Peter von Celle seinen Freund als suus clericus, sich selbst als suus bbas. Siehe Haseldine, J., The letters of Pter of Celle, Oxford 2001, Seiten 652ff.

[10] Saint-Denis-de-la-Châtre in Paris, Sainte-Marie in Étampes, Sainte-Marie und Saint-Exupéry in Corbeil, Sainte-Marie in Mantes, Sainte-Marie in Poissy und Saint-Melon in Pontois.

[11] Nach der Gallia Christiana (GC), Band 9, Paris, 1751, Spalte 88ff. Nach neueren Untersuchungen soll Henri de France, wie der Bruder des Königs auch genannt wurde, im Jahre 1149 Bischof von Beauvais geworden sein. Heinrich verstarb am 13. November 1175.

[12] Siehe Briefe Peters von Celle in: GC, a.a.O. In dieser Zeit - genau im Jahre 1159 - nahmen beide auch noch an der Regelung von Pariser Angelegenheiten teil, zum Beispiel an der Neuvergabe des Dekanats von Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois. Siehe Lasteyrie, Cartulaire Générale de Paris, Seite 357f.

[13] In den Akten von Montier-la-Celle ist Peter das letzte Mal als Abt im Jahre 1161 erwähnt. Siehe Lalore, Cart. Montier-la-Celle, a.a.O., Seite 32.

[14] Es handelte sich um das Salböl der französischen Könige. Zum Werdegang Peters von Celle in Reims siehe auch die älteren Arbeiten von: Gillet, De Petro Cellensi, abbate Sancti Remigii Remensis et Carnotensi episcopo dissertatio, Paris, 1881. Und: Georges, Pierre de Celles, sa vie et ses œuvre

 

; died at Chartres, 20 February, 1183. He was educated in the monastery of St. Martin-des-Champs at Paris, became a Benedictine, and in 1150 was made Abbot of La Celle near Troyes, whence his surname, Cellensis. In 1162 he was appointed Abbot of St. Rémy at Reims, and in 1181 he succeeded John of Salisbury as Bishop of Chartres. He was highly esteemed by men like John of Salisbury, Thomas à Becket, Archbishop Eskil, Eugene III, and especially Alexander III.
His literary productions were edited by Janvier (Paris, 1671) and reprinted in P.L., CCII, 405-1146. They consist of 177 epistles, 95 sermons, and 4 treatises entitled:
(1) De panibus ad Joannem Sarisberiensem;
(2) Mosaici tabernaculi mysticæ et moralis expositionis libri duo;
(3) De conscientia;
(4) De disciplina claustrali ad Henricum I, Campaniæ Comitem.
His epistles, which are valuable from an historical standpoint, were edited separately by Sirmond (Paris, 1613).
His sermons and treatises are extremely bombastic and allegorical.

GILLET, De Petro Cellensi, abbate Sancti Remigii Remensis et Camotensi episcopo dissertatio (Paris, 1881);
GEOGES, Pierre de Celles, sa vie et ses oeuvres (Troyes, 1857);
Hist. litt. de la France, XIV, 236-67;
ZIEGELBAUER, Hist. rei literariæ O.S.B., III, 162-65;
CEILLIER, Hist. gén. des auteurs sacrés, XIV (Paris, 1863), 680-13.

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