Baptism in the Carolingian Times

With the will of Charlemagne to get the practice of the Frankish Church united all over the Empire, a letter of Charlemagne -to Bishop Abalar of Trier- and a one by Alcuin -to a priest named Oduin- are extant, which are describing the ritual of the Christian baptism. Those letters are due to that the clerics, during that time of reform, were allowed to write to the emperor, or his counselors, to ask for a better understanding of the new rites. The emperor and his court were answering to such questions. At the time of Charlemagne, the baptism of the children had become frequent as the catechumenate of the grown-ups -which had been the custom since the end of the 4th century- kept only in the lands of mission, like, for example, in Germany

A baptism, at the Carolingian times, does unfold this way

• the catechumene (or his patrons, in case of a child) says that he renounces to the Devil
• the priest blows to have the devil to leave and he pronounces an exorcism; he them imposes salt, which is the symbol of wisdom
• the persons being there recite the Credo, that summary of the Roman Catholic faith
• the catechumene (of his patrons) is questioned about his sincerity (the ritual is called 'making the polls')
• the priest confers the onction unto the catechumene, with sacred oil on his chest and shoulders
• the catechumene, at last, is 'submersed' three times; the priest spreads sacred water unto him
• the new baptized dons then a white cloth as he gets unto his head an unction with the Sacred-Chrism, at the ends that he 'bears the crown of the Kingdom of the Heaven, and the dignity of a priest')
• the priest closes the ritual as he imposes his hands, thus confering to the new baptized person the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit
  Website Manager: G. Guichard, site Learning and Knowledge In the Carolingian Times / Erudition et savoir à l'époque carolingienne, http://schoolsempire.6te.net. Page Editor: G. Guichard. last edited: 12/28/2010. contact us at ggwebsites@outlook.com