1 Prime pagine ok.indd - accademia degli intronati

72
John Koenig
that same Virgin,” where Pecci sang a solemn Mass of the Immaculate
Conception, during which, we shall see, the donazione took place.
The Concistoro deliberation of 22 July begins with an (undated)
decision of the Balia (not to be confused with its record of events) to
renew the key offering for the purpose of countering an attack by enemies
Florence and Pope Clement against Siena, which, it added, echoing
Pecci, had suffered many past dangers and disasters, in addition to this
present gravest one, “because of our many sins.” This document is not
of much use, except that it signals a significant change to the submission
ritual. The prior (as we have just seen) would not this time be handing
the keys directly to the Virgin but to a “priest to be named,” acting in her
stead. This change was, in all likelihood, a response to the fact that the
city had in Pecci a flesh-and-blood representative of the Virgin (who is
not here identified as this priest). Also, for reasons discussed below, the
said recipient is instructed to dispose of the keys “as inspired by God and
the glorious Virgin.”
As the canon celebrated mass (“celebrante missam”) – a Mass of
the Immaculate Mary – the Concistoro approached the (chapel) altar,
where a) the chief prior surrendered to him “all the keys to the city” by
placing them in his hands and b) confirmed the “concessio” made in
1260 of the city, jurisdictions, and dominion of Siena to the Immaculate
Virgin, which the canon accepted on her behalf. 48 Pecci then restored
the keys to the prior by putting them in his hands, and, thus, did Siena’s
new Popolari government come to govern by a higher authority. As
for the public record of the key offering, this hand over of sovereign
authority (“acta… ante altare Domine gratiarum”) was recorded by the
notary of the Balia and witnessed by the rector of the university and a
representative of the podestà.
Here, Siena’s submission ritual once more entered new territory,
in addition to the fact that for the first time the full ceremony took place
at the chapel of the Madonna. As noted, the prior did not, as the prior
48 Ibid., 35-36. The Balia’s record of the ceremony has the key offering taking place after the
mass, ibid., 43.