The Monastic Rules of Visigothic Iberia - eTheses Repository ...

1.4.1 The De institutione uirginum et de contemptu mundi
The De institutione uirginum et de contemptu mundi (henceforth the De institutione
uirginum) deserves special attention amongst the examples of Visigothic regular literature
due to the debate over whether it can be classified as a monastic rule or not. This section will
argue that the text should not be included as a monastic rule. Written by Leander of Seville 29
sometime between 580 and 600 AD, it is one of the earliest Visigothic ascetic texts and also
the one that stands out the most from the regular tradition. It was written specifically to
Leander‟s sister, Florentina, who was a nun likely somewhere in the north of the peninsula,
and it contains a lengthy epistle and theological treatise on virginity, rather than the practical
content found in other monastic rules.
De Vogüé, in his schema of eight generations of monastic rules, did not include the
De institutione uirginum and clarifies his position in the statement: “ce traité n‟est pas, à
proprement parler, une règle, mais il se rapproche des règles monastiques” (2007: 83). De
Vogüé had here echoed the thoughts of Cocheril (1966: 41), who had stated: “ce texte [...]
n‟est pas une règle monastique à proprement parler, mais plutôt un traité redigé par l‟évêque
pour l‟édification de sa soeur qui était religeuse”. Elsewhere, Velazquez (1979: 29) opined
that the De institutione uirginum “nunca tiene la pretensión de convertirlo en una auténtica
regla monástica con poder de obligar” and Barlow (1969: 179) felt that “its terms are so
29 Leander of Seville (c. 540-601) was the elder brother of Isidore of Seville, although very few details
remain of him (see Collins 2003). Despite being “eclipsado muy pronto por su hermano Isidoro”
(Domínguez del Val 1981: 19), he was an important figure in the Visigothic Church, particularly for
his struggle against Arianism, in which he was influential in the conversion of King Reccared in 586.
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