The Cistercians, the papacy and reform in Rome around the mid-twelfth century. The abbey of SS. Vincenzo e Anastasio

Abstract

The paper examines the Cistercian presence in the Roman abbey of SS. Vincenzo e Anastasio alle Acque Salvie in the framework of the complex process of ecclesiastical reform between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, within which monastic reform, the elaboration of papal primacy and the territorial consolidation of the Patrimonium sancti Petri coexisted. The research outlines the profiles of the first group of reforming monks in the wake of the establishment of the Cistercian settlement in 1140. The fact that exponents of such a rigorous and reformist form of monasticism were intellectuals or, in any case, men with an excellent cultural background, who came from remarkable milieux and centers (as in the case of the Pisans) or exceptional as in the case of Nicolò Maniacutia, certainly gave additional value to the papal choices around the mid-twelfth century. In fact, the popes felt the need to foster the proliferation of the centers of religious and cultural reform by relying on trustworthy and rigorous churchmen when it came to constructing and administering the territory, economy and politics of the Patrimonium sancti Petri.