Alberic of Trois-Fontaines

Albericus Trium Fontium.

(c. 1241)

Cistercian chronicler.

Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium.

Latin.

In partibus Asie Maioris versus Mesopotamiam et Armeniam quidam Ionas vir venera bilis patriarcha erat in civitate Susis. In huius Ione manibus, dum missam celebraret more sue gentis ,hoc est secundum consuetudinem Surianorum, tale fertur accidisse miraculum, quod panis ille magnus fermentatus, unde fiebat sacrificium, in parvam et pulchram convertitur hostiam ad morem sacrificii Latinorum, et calix ligneus adnichilatur cum cochlearibus, recepto vero sanguine in argenteo calice; et hoc accidit in festo beati Iohannis baptiste huius anni, unde plures Surianorum ecclesie, Armenii, Georgiani, Lubiani, Nubiani et Iacobite ad consuetudinem sancte catholice et Romane ecclesie de die in diem per hoc miraculum ceperunt converti. Et iste Ionas patriarcha magno concilio Romano, de quo suo loco tractabitur, interfuit et postmodum in patriarcham Alexandrinum promotus est.

...

In partibus transmarinis tempore induciarum veniebant multi de remotis terris ad sepulchrum Domini; et inventum est novem esse leges seu novem speciales esse ordines christianitatis, de quibus singulis ad sepulchrum Domini peregrini ibi more suo celebrant presbiteri de omnibus videlicet ordinibus istis … Septimus ordo dicitur Nubianorum christianorum, quorum terra maxima est, et multa ex eis tributarii Sarracenorum sunt. Octavus ordo totam illam multitudinem christianorum continet, que presbitero Iohanni subiecta est.

(In the parts of Asia Minor towards Mesopotamia and Armenia a certain Jonas, a venerable man, was Patriarch in the city of Susa. In the hands of this Jonas, while he was celebrating mass in the custom of his people, that is according to the rite of the Syrians, a miracle is said to have occurred in this manner, that the loaf of leavened bread with which the sacrifice was being made was changed into a small and beautiful host in the manner of the sacrifice of the Latins, and the wooden chalice together with the spoons was destroyed when the true blood was received in a silver chalice. And this happened on the feast of St. John the Baptist of this year [1205], and as a result many of the Church of the Syrians, of the Armenians, of the Georgians, of the Libyans, of the Nubiani and of the Jacobites were converted by this miracle day by day to the rite of the holy Catholic Church. And this Jonas the Patriarch attended the great council of Rome… and afterwards he was promoted to be Patriarch of Alexandria.

...

In the parts across the sea many come to the sepulcher of our Lord at the time of the truce; and there was found to be nine laws or special orders of Christians, separated by custom, each is a pilgrim to the tomb of our Lord, this is the order of them ... The seventh order are called the Nubian Christians, whose land is very great, and many of them pay tribute to the Saracens. The eighth is the order of a multitude of Christians, who are subject to Prester John.)

Selected editions

Monumenta Germaniae Historia, Tomus XXIII (Hannover: 1874).