Anchoritic Traditions of Medieval Europe

Description

The practice of anchoritism – religious enclosure which was frequently solitary and voluntarily embraced – was widespread in many areas of Europe throughout the middle ages. Originating in the desert withdrawal of the earliest Christians and predating even the monastic life, anchoritism developed into an elite vocation which was popular among both men and women; in the later period it was particularly associated with pious laywomen, who opted for this extreme way of life in substantial numbers throughout western Europe, often as an alternative to marriage or remarriage. This volume brings together for the first time in English much of the most important European scholarship on the subject. Anneke B. Mulder-Bakker Anchorites in the Low Countries Gabriela Signori Anchorites in German-Speaking Regions M. Sensi Anchorites in the Italian Tradition G. Cavero DomÍnguez Anchorites in the Spanish Tradition P. L’Hermite-Leclercq Anchoritism in Medieval France Mari Hughes-Edwards Anchoritism: The English Tradition ColmÁn Ó Clabaigh OSB Anchorites in Late Medieval Ireland Anna McHugh Anchorites in Medieval Scotland Liz Herbert McAvoy Anchorites and Medieval Wales