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Even though Cistercian preaching was exceptional, on at least three occasions, Aelred of Rievaulx preached at Synods. The abundant literature on Aelred lacks an in-depth analysis of these texts. This article aims to answer the question why a Cistercian abbot was invited to preach in an assembly of secular priests and bishops and focuses on the longest of Aelred’s synodal sermons, directed to the clergy at the synod of Troyes (ad clerum in synodo Trecensi). A discussion of the misattribution of this sermon is followed by an analysis of Aelred’s argumentation, This brings to light his unwillingness to abandon basic moral values, a dimension of his character that has so far been ignored, as historical research has often wrongly presented him as a gentle, always indulgent abbot.
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