The three privileges « Attendentes quomodo » of Alexander III. Revision, use and tradition of papal documentation among the Cistercians

Between 1169 and 1173 Alexander III sent Alexander, abbot of Cîteaux, and all the other abbots of the order three general privileges Attendentes quomodo. These privileges, similar, but not identical to one another, were an absolute innovation for the order and allowed the Cistercians to derogate to normal practice the correction or dismissal of abbots which cannon law granted to the local bishop or, in appeal, to the metropolitan, or to a synod of bishops or to the Roman Church itself. Neither Walter Holzmann in his accurate census of the decretals, nor Chrysogonus Waddell, who analysed the Cistercian papal documentation in relation to manuscript traditio noticed the existence of the three documents in some way different and independent, but they were satisfied, despite the different dates, with tracing all the copies preserved of the Attendentes quomodo to the privilege of 4 July 1169, catalogued as JL 11632. Actually the three versions of the papal document for centuries took parallel paths. While version 2 entered legitimately in the official bullaria of the order, version 1 (15 January 1169), similar in contents to version 3 (16 January 1173), left its indelible traces in canon law and assumed validity for all religious life. Thus the transmission of documents of considerable importance has proven to be intricate and took unexpected and undesired paths, even for an order such as the Cistercians which tried with difficulty to make unanimitas one of the best instruments for its development.