In hortis liliorum Domini: A study of feminine piety in medieval Flanders with particular reference to the vitae of the mulieres sanctae

Throughout the Middle Ages, the vocations of women were considered less significant than those of their male contemporaries, and few options were available to those women who wished to follow a religious path. As the first chapter of this thesis discusses, this situation became especially problematic in the High Middle Ages.;The second chapter focuses on the way that the holy woman was perceived by her hagiographer, with particular emphasis on his interpretation of her visionary experiences. The third chapter provides a brief history of the doctrine of Purgatory and then examines the way in which purgatorial piety is manifest in these vitae.;The vitae of the mulieres sanctae had a tremendous impact on feminine piety in the later Middle Ages. Their influence is evident both in the number of extant manuscripts and in the continuity between the religiosity emphasised in these vitae and later feminine piety, as is discussed in detail in my fourth chapter. This chapter concentrates on the beguine movement, and explores the way that the spirituality of the mulieres sanctae is reflected in beguine art and literature. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...