GUADAGNARSI LA SALVEZZA: IL ΣΙΓΙΛΛΙΟΝ DI ELEAZAR DI MALLABRET E IL SUO PREAMBOLO (SICILIA, MAGGIO 1116)

Abstract

The donation by Norman Eleazar of Mallabret in favour of the monastery of St. Philip of Fragalà, already published by Salvatore Cusa, is republished here accompanied by an Italian translation and studied as an example of a semi-public sigillion. The document stands out for its content and form, especially the arenga with which it opens, and is written in a correct and elegant hand. Laced with quotations and sententiae that can be traced back to the Church Fathers, particularly John Chrysostom and Ephrem the Syrian, it sheds light on the cultural and monastic milieu in which the anonymous scribe, serving the Latin lord on this occasion, was likely educated.