SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

THE CATHEDRAL PRIORY OF ODENSE IN THE
MIDDLE AGES
A
By PETER KING
s an English foundation, which preserved the native
institution of a cathedral priory in alien surroundings,
the priory of St Knud in Odense is of special interest to
English medievalists. 1 There are, however, difficulties
in writing its history. It is not as rich in records as other
Danish religious houses. The Odensebog preserved in
Upsala" is a late medieval collection of documents,
roughly set out for a fair copy which, if it was ever made,
has disappeared. It contains a number of early documents,
but no other historical information. More can be
gleaned from the numerous official documents, papal,
royal, and episcopal, which refer to the priory, and from
the notes which Cornelius Hamsfort, the Odense antiquary,
made in the sixteenth century. The single leaf
in the Copenhagen state archives, giving the privileges
of Pope Paschal IP may be from an early "Liber
Authorizatus'"." In 1469 the bishop of Slesvig was
shown a book belonging to the monks, on the last 14
folios of which were copies of their privileges, and the
records of the priory." This book is no longer in
existence.
There is a certain amount of information in the
chronicles of the Odense bishops which were compiled
1 I should like to express my thanks to Dr Niels Skyum-Nielsen for his
help and advice on "very aspect of this article. My errors, however. are
lnvown.
2 Stephanius MS - Cod. Ups. D.G. 3q. I have used the photocopy in
Copenhagen Royal Librarv. All the contents of the Odensebog are in print.
3 Printed in Di!,ln;Wltarillln Danirum (abbreviated DD hereafter) I, 2,
:"0.42.
4 See Kr. Erslev, Repertori1t111 Diplomatic1Im Regn; Daniri Medi{fevalis
1. I; TV, 3q n. 1.
S ibid. '2 r., IT, No. 2627.