 Almost simultaneously to the development of the College of Cardinals as a body of papal advisors, the popes started to elevate to the cardinalate some "external" abbots. After such appointments, they continued to reside in their abbeys and did not become members of the Papal curia. On the other hands, the elections of the cardinals to the posts of abbots of external monasteries were also ratified by the popes. The main goal of such appointments was probably to strengthen the ties between some important monastic centers with the Roman Church. The first known instances of such appointments concerned the abbey of Montecassino, one of the main centers supporting reform of the Church. In 1057 cardinal-deacon Frederick de Lorraine (the future pope Stephen X) was elected abbot of Montecassino; Pope Victor II confirmed his election and simultaneously named him cardinal-priest of S. Crisogono. His successor as abbot of Montecassino, Desiderio, was also quickly promoted to the cardinalate, but continued to act also as abbot. From 1057 until 1259 / 62 at least eight abbots of Montecassino were simultaneously members of the College of Cardinals. Also some other Italian (e.g. Subiaco, Farfa, Vallombrosa, S. Sophia in Benevento) and French abbeys (St. Victor at Marseille) were for some time ruled by the cardinal-abbots.
