The Priory of Saint Peter of Piolenc, 13th-15th centuries. Seal (Lead, 46 mm, 49.01 g, 1 h). Half length bust of St. Peter, nimbate, holding large key. Rev. S SCI / PETRI / PODIO/LЄИI in four lines. A highly interesting Western seal. Broken along the channel, otherwise, good very fine.



The reverse legend of this seal identifies it as belonging to 'Saint Peter of Podiolenum', which refers to the priory of Piolenc, located a few kilometers north of Avignon in Provence. This foundation first appears in documentary sources shortly before the year 1000, when it was donated by the Count of Provence to Odilon, abbot of the influential monastery of Cluny (the toponym means 'Odilon’s Hill'). The priory was dedicated to Saint Peter, the principal patron saint of Cluny, and its 11th-century church still stands today. Piolenc was one of many priories within a vast network of foundations across medieval Europe, all subject to the abbot of Cluny and the Cluniac Order - a reformed Benedictine movement centered on liturgical splendor and strict monastic discipline.