Tarraconense / Tarragona
Provincial Council in Ostrogothic / Visigothic Hispania; 516
This council met on 6 November 516 [Era 554] in the sixth year of the reign of the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great of Italy during the consulate of Petrus in the coastal city of Tarragona. Five councils met from 516 to 546 in Tarragona, Gerona (Girona), Toledo, Barcelona, Lérida (Lleida), and Valencia (València). They are not dated to any year of a Visigothic king, because they had not yet established themselves fully in Hispania. They were recent arrivals who were in a power struggle for hegemony among themselves, the rival Sueves, and the Ostrogoths. The years from 516 to 546 that extended from the reign of Theodoric to Theudis is known as the ‘intermediate’ Ostrogothic period. It was not until 549 under King Agila I that Visigothic kings began to free themselves of Ostrogothic rule. He was overthrown by Athanagild who became sole Visigothic ruler of Hispania and Septimania from 554 onward and who established Toledo as the sedes regia. John the Bishop of the Metropolitan See of Toledo presided over the council that was attended by nine other bishops from Cartagena, Girona, Barcelona, Granada, Zaragoza, Tortosa, Ausona [Vic]), and Terrassa. No presbyters and deacons are specifically mentioned present; some probably were there to assist their bishops as was customary, however. A total of thirteen canons all directed at clergy were issued by the attending bishops.
Canon 1 regulated the conditions when clergy visited women even if related to them. It should be brief with the accompanying fellow person known for their fidelity and maturity. Clergy in violation of this norm lost their standing for an unspecified time. If it was a monk, the Abbot was to confine him to his cell to do penance and placed on a diet of bread and water; the time limit was not specified. The concern was obvious, to prevent actual lapses of the flesh or rumors alleging sexual improprieties. Canon 2 forbade clergy from buying any goods at a low price in order to sell them a higher one to make a dishonest profit. Clergy were not to engage in merchant activity, especially in a corrupt form. Those who insisted in the practice were expelled from the clergy. Canon 3 stayed on the issue of money; this time forbidding charging of interest on money that was loaned by clergy. On the day of repayment, they were to accept the equivalent amount in the form of wine and wheat in keeping with current prices, or if paid with money it had to be interest free. Usury was consistently condemned and it was apparently an incessant problem that had to be addressed at times in the councils. Canon 4 dictated that clergy could not decide on any judicial matter on a Sunday, they were to dedicate the day for religious solemnities only. It was appropriate to do so on the other days of the week, however. One caveat was, they were prohibited from judging cases involving criminal behavior – that was the domain of the civic authorities. They were encouraged to judge justly in all cases.
Canon 5 stipulated that when a bishop was not ordained in the Metropolitan See, he was after two months to present themselves in person to the Metropolitan bishop to receive his pastoral charge. Having failed to do so, at the next council he was subjected to reprimand and correction by their fellow brothers. If they could not fulfil it because of illness or other legitimate circumstances, he was to inform the Metropolitan in writing. One way or another they would answer to the Metropolitan who was determined that all bishops under his authority recognized his primacy. Canon 6 added to the authority of the Metropolitan over all bishops in his diocese. Whenever the Metropolitan called a council, the bishops were expected to be present, except for a grave corporal impediment – nulla gravi intercedente necessitate corporali venire contemserit. Any who simply refused to be present were excommunicated until another council was convened. The reason for this expectation is that the Metropolitan with his bishops gathered in a council was the highest expression of unity.
Canon 7 ordered that presbyters and deacons alternate weekly in assisting the clergy, but on Saturdays they should all gather together for the Vigil that will be celebrated together on the Day of the Lord. Also, that daily Vespers and Matins were to be observed, an unspecified punishment was meted out to the negligent. Canon 8 sought to maintain the healthy state of a diocese by requiring bishops to visit the churches in their diocese once a year, they said it was based on an ancient custom. This was especially apt for smaller churches that were usually in disrepair – ut si qua basilica repperta fuerit. If any were found in that state, it was the duty of the bishop to have them repaired – ordinatione ipsius repparetur – and he should only receive from them a third – tertia – of their rent so as not to unduly burden them financially.
Canon 9 shifted attention to questions of sexuality of lectors and ostiaries who had sex with or wanted to marry an adulterous woman – adulterae mulieri. No room for negotiation here, they were to be expelled from the clergy – aut a clero habeatur extraneus. Similis sententia ostiariorum manebit schola. Canon 10 prohibited any bishop or priest, in imitation of secular judges, – more secularium iudicum audeat accipere – to receive gifts for judging cases. An exception were offerings given in church in gratitude for spiritual services offered by the clergy. Any clergy who received unacceptable gifts was demoted in rank for acting as a usurer and lender – exactores foenoris aut usurarum possessores.
Canon 11 clarified the behavior that was permissible of a monk who travelled outside of the monastery. They were forbidden to exercise any ministry without the mandate of the Abbot. They could become involved in judicial affairs or business that affected the monastery but only if the Abbot had given them such authority. The bishops said these norms were based on canons from the Church in Gallia – canonum ante omnia Gallicanorum de eis constitutione servata. There are other councils from Hispania that refer to the councils of Gallia as a source of authority. Canon 12 regulated on the delicate matter when a bishop died having not left a Testament. One issue that was foremost was to prevent stealing of property of the bishop’s personal goods or of the church in his care. After his burial, presbyters and deacons were charged to immediately take an inventory – presumably in writing – of his property. Anyone – clergy or family members – caught stealing anything from his property was to be treated as thief and all items had to be returned. One must assume that if an item were unrecoverable, they would have to pay the amount of its value. The canon does not indicate any further punishment. This seem to have been a recurring incident at the death of a bishop, as other councils legislated about it (some examples are in, Council of Lérida (546), Canon 16; Council of Valencia (549), Canon 3).
Canon 13 ordered that after the Metropolitan sent letters to his bishops to meet in a council, the latter should not just be accompanied by presbyters from the cathedral churches – non solum a cathedralibus ecclesiis presbyteris – they should also bring presbyters from the rural churches and faithful secular sons – et aliquos de filiis ecclesiae secularibus secum adducer debeant. Here we see an attempt to narrow the gap that existed between urban and rural clergy, with the latter being viewed as inferior.
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QQ.: Vives/Marín Martinez/ Martínez Díez, Concilios Visigóticos e Hispano-Romanos, 34-38; Weckwerth, Clavis Conciliorum Occidentalivm, 196-197.
Lit.: Orlandis/Ramos-Lissón, Concilios de la España Romana y Visigoda, 102-109; Schäferdiek, Die Kirche in den Reichen der Westgoten und Suewen, 82-104.
Alberto Ferreiro
April 2026
Empfohlene Zitierweise:
Ferreiro, Alberto, "Tarraconense / Tarragona: Provincial Council in Ostrogothic / Visigothic Hispania; 516", in: Lexikon der Konzilien [Online-Version], April 2026; URL: http://www.konziliengeschichte.org/site/de/publikationen/lexikon/database/602.html
