ABSTRACT
In a letter to Abbot Hilduin of St Denis, the Frankish liturgist Amalarius of Metz recalled his memories of a voyage to Constantinople. The putative text of the treaty that Amalarius must have been carrying in his luggage is not the subject of this inquiry; neither is his direct involvement in the politics of the day. The relationship between the two events may best be understood, by starting with the identity of the archbishop and the reason why he is mentioned. The reasons why the unnamed deacon refused ordination by Amalarius' collocutor can only be inferred, since there is simply not enough information available to establish whether this rejection was linked to his understanding of particular practices and customs. The proposed sacerdotal ordination could certainly appear problematic from a traditional perspective. Different forms of local memory have preserved the image of Bishop Donatus as travelling far and wide, shuttling between Diedenhofen and Constantinople and interceding between emperors.
