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Anchoritic Traditions of Medieval Europe
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Edited by:
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Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2010
About this book
An examination of the growth and different varieties of anchoritism throughout medieval Europe.
The practice of anchoritism - religious enclosure which was frequently solitary and voluntarily embraced, very often in a permanent capacity - was widespread in many areas of Europe throughout the middle ages. Originating in the desert withdrawal of the earliest Christians and prefiguring even the monastic life, anchoritism developed into an elite vocation which was popular amongst both men and women. Within this reclusive vocation, the anchorite would withdraw, either alone or with others like her or him, to a small cell or building, very frequently attached to a church or other religious institution, where she or he would - theoretically at least - remain locked up until death. In the later period it was a vocation which was particularly associated with pious laywomen who appear to have opted for this extreme way of life in their thousands throughout western Europe, often as an alternative to marriage orremarriage, allowing them, instead, to undertake the role of "living saint" within the community.
This volume brings together for the first time in English much of the most important European scholarship on the subject to date. Tracing the vocation's origins from the Egyptian deserts of early Christian activity through to its multiple expressions in western Europe, it also identifies some of those regions - Wales and Scotland, for example - where thephenomenon does not appear to have been as widespread. As such, the volume provides an invaluable resource for those interested in the theories and practices of medieval anchoritism in particular, and the development of medieval religiosity more widely.
Dr LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY is Professor of Medieval Literature at Swansea University.
CONTRIBUTORS: Anneke B. Mulder-Bakker, Gabriela Signori, M. Sensi, G. Cavero Dominguez, P. L'Hermite-Leclercq, Mari Hughes-Edwards, Colman O Clabaigh, Anna McHugh, Liz Herbert McAvoy.
The practice of anchoritism - religious enclosure which was frequently solitary and voluntarily embraced, very often in a permanent capacity - was widespread in many areas of Europe throughout the middle ages. Originating in the desert withdrawal of the earliest Christians and prefiguring even the monastic life, anchoritism developed into an elite vocation which was popular amongst both men and women. Within this reclusive vocation, the anchorite would withdraw, either alone or with others like her or him, to a small cell or building, very frequently attached to a church or other religious institution, where she or he would - theoretically at least - remain locked up until death. In the later period it was a vocation which was particularly associated with pious laywomen who appear to have opted for this extreme way of life in their thousands throughout western Europe, often as an alternative to marriage orremarriage, allowing them, instead, to undertake the role of "living saint" within the community.
This volume brings together for the first time in English much of the most important European scholarship on the subject to date. Tracing the vocation's origins from the Egyptian deserts of early Christian activity through to its multiple expressions in western Europe, it also identifies some of those regions - Wales and Scotland, for example - where thephenomenon does not appear to have been as widespread. As such, the volume provides an invaluable resource for those interested in the theories and practices of medieval anchoritism in particular, and the development of medieval religiosity more widely.
Dr LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY is Professor of Medieval Literature at Swansea University.
CONTRIBUTORS: Anneke B. Mulder-Bakker, Gabriela Signori, M. Sensi, G. Cavero Dominguez, P. L'Hermite-Leclercq, Mari Hughes-Edwards, Colman O Clabaigh, Anna McHugh, Liz Herbert McAvoy.
Author / Editor information
Contributor: Liz Herbert McAvoy
LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY FLSW is Professor Emerita of Medieval Literature at Swansea University and Honorary Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol.
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Contributor: Liz Herbert McAvoy
LIZ HERBERT MCAVOY FLSW is Professor Emerita of Medieval Literature at Swansea University and Honorary Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol.
Topics
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Frontmatter
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Contents
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Acknowledgements
vii -
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List of Contributors
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Abbreviations
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Editor’s note
xiii -
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Introduction
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1. Anchorites in the Low Countries
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2. Anchorites in German-speaking regions
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3. Anchorites in the Italian tradition
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4. Anchorites in the Spanish tradition
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5. Anchoritism in medieval France
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6. Anchoritism: the English tradition
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7. Anchorites in late medieval Ireland
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8. Anchorites in medieval Scotland
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9. Anchorites and medieval Wales
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Index
217
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
January 30, 2024
eBook ISBN:
9781846157868
Original publisher:
Boydell Press
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781846157868
Keywords for this book
Anchoritic traditions; Medieval Europe; Anchoritism; Religious enclosure; Solitary life; Permanent capacity; Reclusive vocation; Pious laywomen; Living saint; Western Europe; Medieval anchoritism; Medieval religiosity
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
