An Anchoress in the Middle Ages

Much as Christina of Markyate concealed herself away in the hermitage of Roger, anchoresses in the Middle Ages would live a life of piety and prayer, closing themselves into an anchorhold within a church, alone and yet not away from people, being “anchored” close to the church visitors. In fact, Ancrene Wisse, the prescriptive rulebook on being an anchoress, highlights the fact that they were, at least in theory, supposed to have one window through which they could communicate with the public, offering up their knowledge as a devoted and wise servant of Christ. In some ways, rather than a “recluse,” it appears anchoresses may have been more like storehouses of spirituality, confined for the sake of preserving their spirituality but not unapproachable by the outside world. In addition, perhaps, such accessibility, which differed from those who chose to live off in remote areas of nature, like hermits, gave them a more influential role in society. In addition, they were permitted to have one window for an “assistant,” whose role, in whatever capacity her or she served, as under the command of the anchoress shows an anchoress’ authority at the time. The fact that there were expected to be even more than one window represents the idea that anchoresses were an integral part to the church, needing to participate at certain times via the windows. However, the life of an anchoress was more than likely still spent much in isolation and within close quarters, which shows finding agency in a patriarchal world was not always the most comfortable or easy path. On the other hand, the isolation would have helped in establishing an anchoress’ independence, a valuable asset to her agency. The life an anchoress chose was simultaneously situated within an urban and patriarchal world, yet permitted her to escape from and interact with it at her own will (based on her windows).

 

http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/medieval/julian/anchoress.htm


Picture: Plaque at a church in Shere, Surrey, England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Anchoress_of_shere.jpg



View of an Anchorhold from outside attached to All Saints' Church, King's Lynn in Norfolk, UK.
http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/Winstead2/716/AllSts/extne.jpg

                             

Women's Workforce in Nazi Gerrmany

The research I plan to do is on the roles women took within the workforce and military mostly within Nazi Germany. I have a primary sourcebook entitled Inside Hitler's Germany, A Documentary History of Life in the Third Reich. A couple of the articles suggest that the ideology of the Germans at the time of WWII was to get back the "German Family". In other words they wanted women to return to the homes. However, this changed drastically once Germany invaded Poland and started WWII.



As suggested by this photo, once the war started the factories were emptied of men who left to go and fight and were filled with female workers. New employment opportunities were opened all over the country for women as jobs that were once deemed masculine jobs were now available and required to be filled by women. Especially after colossal military defeats, like Stalingrad, the economy had to be redoubled to reequip the army so even more female workers were needed. Judging by all  the positions that were filled the women were very eager to help and work, despite this being contrary to the original ideology of the Country to re-establish the "German Family".

Saint Ursula

  This week in class we have briefly touched on the topic of female saints. I recently learned about Saint Ursula and I believe that her martyrdom relates to several of the topics we discussed concerning the life of Christina of Markyate.
  Ursula was the daughter of a Christian king who had determined that she would marry a pagan king, in order to form an alliance. Ursula did not contest the marriage but instead asked to postpone the wedding long enough for her to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Her father agreed and Ursula, along with 11,000 virgins, made the pilgrimage to Rome (Catholic Online). On return from their pilgrimage, the women stopped in Cologne where they were attacked and held hostage by a pagan Huns. (There are several different stories concerning why they were held hostage). In the end, all 11,000 virgins along with Ursula were massacred (Catholic Online).
   Named both a martyr and a saint, images of Ursula are plentiful within Europe. Many of the images depict Saint Ursula being shot with an arrow or shielding a host of virgins within her cloak. Also, there are several churches around Cologne that claim to have bones of the massacred virgins.
  In relation to the story of Christina of Markyate, we have read how Christina wanted to maintain her chastity that she literally ran away from her betrothed and suffered for years in order to remain hidden from her family. Ursula accepted the fact that she was to be married but she wanted to make this pilgrimage first. Is pilgrimage seen as an act of purity that only those pure in body and soul can attend? Or is it that the act of pilgrimage brings one closer to Christ (or their specific religion) that it is best to be pure?
  While researching Saint Ursula I often have the question, would she have been declared a saint if she had gone on pilgrimage after her marriage? Is the fact that she was a 'virgin' martyr that justified her reason to be named a saint? In relation to Christina, I wonder if Christina had given in to desire and lost her virginity would her spirituality still have had as great of a role in her life?
  Below are a few images of Saint Ursula:

                                                                        Works Cited

"St. Ursula." Catholic Online. Last updated 2013.https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=325. 

Saint Catherine of Siena

Since this week we are talking about female saints, I chose Saint Catherine of Siena 1347 – 1380. According to the online source, “Catherine resisted the accepted course of marriage and motherhood, or a nun's veil, on the other. She chose to live an active and prayerful life outside a convent’s walls following the model of the Dominicans. Eventually her father gave up and permitted her to live as she pleased.” In some ways Catherine is similar to our beloved Christina of Markyate, because they both resisted marriage and persuaded a marriage with Jesus. In about 1368, aged twenty-one, Catherine experienced what she described in her letters as a "Mystical Marriage" with Jesus. 

 Saint Catherine of Siena Exchanging Her Heart with Christ

What’s more interesting about her is that she claims Jesus told her to leave her withdrawn life and enter the public life. She did this by rejoining her family and began to help with ill and the poor. She was also really involved with the authorities and the Pope. According to the online source, “while in Avignon, Catherine also tried to convince Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. Gregory did indeed return his administration to Rome in January 1377; to what extent this was due to Catherine’s influence is a topic of much modern debate”. Unfortunately, she died at a young age of 33, and her body was later in corrupt in 1430.
 

Source: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=9

Beheaded

As we have been discussing the concept of women saints, I have been thinking about the images of relics within the Catholic church.  I have looked diligently at a number of images of catholic relics; however, none struck me as well as the image of Catherine of Siena.  This photograph of her head which rests in the Church of St. Dominic in Siena provides a powerful statement.  According to the source, the rest of her body is buried underneath of a Basilica in Rome.  Her head is on display for viewing pleasure, and is a frequented by tourists daily.  As we have learned, women saints were often faced with struggles in society; and there simply is not a lot of information about every woman saint.  With this being said, the display of Catherine of Siena's head sends a powerful message and has ensured her spot in history for years to come.  The fact that she is deemed a "relic" and is displayed for others to see suggests that the impact she has made on history is quit significant; not only for her own life, but also for all of women's historical studies.  Her head represents the respect in which she had obtained from the church community.  It rests in a protected cage within the church, and is laminated for all to see.  As a documented female saint, Catherine of Siena has set the standard for women's historical studies, and has contributed her legacy to all of history. 

Source: http://www.thecatholictravelguide.com/Siena.html

Emotional and Mental Love for a Virgin

(This is the image from the manuscript that shows Christina talking with Jesus - as evidenced by his crucifix halo.)

Instead of focusing on something outside of class, I decided once again to pull my topic from the readings. Within The Life of Christina of Markyate there are many various things one can focus on. Today I am relating an idea I noticed in this book with our earlier readings from Christine de Pizan. This idea is that of feminine romantic love. While the author of this book is quick to dispel any rumors about Christina’s sexual attraction for men, he does something strange when referring to women, especially the Virgin Mary. It almost seems as though Christina’s love for the virgin transcends that of adoration and moves into an emotional romantic love, without the sexual desire. There are even subtle indications that the love between Christina and the Virgin Mary is somehow different. The most powerful quote that addresses this reads, “She [Christina] did not dare speak, but in her heart she said, ‘Oh if only I were allowed to gaze upon your face.’ And immediately the empress turned her face towards her and said, with warm friendliness, ‘You may look now, and later I shall bring you into my bedchamber together with Judith, where you may have your full of contemplation,” (Talbot 26).

The reason this is such an interesting idea to think about is that largely lesbianism in history is ignored.  Sodomy or being homosexual is extremely frowned upon in almost all cultures, yet few ever blatantly prohibit lesbianism unless it translates into cross-dressing. The idea that Christina may have held romantic feelings for women, especially the most glorious of women, the Virgin Mary could make this book something completely different. It would partially explain why it was so easy for her to scorn men’s advances. But taken a step farther if she only held an emotional and mental love for women, then the denial of sexual pleasure would have also been as easy as removing a coat. The connection with Christine de Pizan comes in the form of her love of women, reading The Book of the City of Ladies exemplifies this love because she builds a city for virtuous women to live and learn together for their lives. Again, this love of women would not be one of sexual desire but of emotional and mental connections. Throughout her writing she does not say anything quite as strongly as the author of Christina’s text does, but instead consistently refers to women as “my dear ladies” or a similar description, which proves her heart holds these women close.

Citation:

Talbot, C.H., ed. The Life of Christina of Markyate. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Coursepacket, Christine de Pizan, The Book of the City of Ladies. 38-45.

On the Topic of Hermits

The Urban Hermit- Rob Marco

    The subject of hermits is fascinating because it encourages us to explore an alternative lifestyle, one that has existed for hundreds, possibly thousands of years, and across several religions and cultures. It makes us question why one would want to become a hermit and live on the outskirts of society. To better understand this question, I did a little research today. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary online entry for hermit is “one that retires from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons, a recluse.”  The Life of Christina of Markyate: A Twelfth Century Recluse gives a modern audience insight into why a woman would choose this alternative lifestyle in the early twelfth century. While the author of this biography is unknown, it is full of quotes that expose who Christina was and why she chose to be a religious recluse. For example, the author wrote that Christina “made such progress through the teaching and encouragement of Sueno that she accounted all the things of this world as but a fleeting shadow” (39). Christina may have had extenuating circumstances that led her to become a hermit besides her religious views, such as her parents, her forced betrothal, attempted rape, etc., however this quote and many others in the book show us that she was divinely inspired from an early age. She was not focused on this life or the earthly material world. Her connection to a higher power and perhaps a greater understanding of that power is what lured her to living a hermit’s life.

                I feel that the term “hermit” has a negative connotation in the modern world. Sometimes it is associated with a person who lives in the woods or in a rural area because they are anti-social or cannot get along with other people. After studying Christina of Markyate and researching the history of hermits, it seems that in reality that was not the case. Hermits were not anti-social, and those who sought a solitary lifestyle for religious purposes like Christina and some intellectuals, such as Henry David Thoreau who lived a hermit like lifestyle for a short period of time, were on a sort of pilgrimage to finding a greater truth and meaning of life.

                 I found a few interesting articles about people in the twenty-first century who have chosen to become hermits. These articles reveal the Catholic Church’s stance on modern day hermits, such as Canon 603 which describes a hermit as someone who withdraws “from the world and devote(s) their lives to the praise of God and the salvation of the world through the silence of solitude and through constant prayer and penance'' (NYT). The New York Times article discusses Richard Withers, of Philadelphia, who became a hermit “to be alone with God.” Interestingly, Withers was born Jewish but later converted to Catholicism in adulthood and took vows of “chastity, poverty, and obedience.” He lives in a row house and spends his time reading scripture, praying, doing basic chores, and one day a week he works at a local business in order to make barely enough money to live on. It took several years of him applying to the local church to become a canonized hermit, but after proving his lifestyle was legitimate, he was finally able to take his “hermit” vows publically in church with a cardinal.

      The next article I discovered was published more recently and is about a young man who was actually inspired by Richard Withers to become a hermit. Rob Marco, pictured above, also lives in Pennsylvania and he began the Urban Hermitage Project in 2008. He was inspired by his faith as well as the Vatican's progressive views on environmentalism. The newspaper calls his lifestyle “eco-piety” because Marco was in the process of making a sustainable living space out of a small bus with the intention of living in it as a hermit and devoting his life to God. It is interesting to see how living in solitude for religious purposes was appealing to people like Christina of Markyate in the 1100’s and it continues to appeal to people in the 2000’s as the church adapts to the changing world.

Richard Withers article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/30/us/a-city-dweller-chooses-the-life-of-religious-hermit.html

Rob Marco article:

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/god_and_country-38470704.html

 

Bridget and Margaret

In class today we learned about the literary tradition of the Vita, and how it can be accessed to learn about medieval religious women. Some Vitae are more historical then others; each ultimately comes at the person with a bent towards proclaiming the religiousness of the individual. Most want to perhaps entice and/or serve a propaganda for an eventual proposal of sainthood. Lives could be written to promote a culthood within an area or sent to Rome for approval for possible sainthood. What is interesting about Christina's is that it is unfinished, as far as historians are concerned--so it represents a part of the process of history-in-the-making. Why was Christina's life unfinished? What was the purpose of the text? How can we access a life story in the way that we did with Magdalena and Balthasar's letters?

I feel like my life (luckily) is filled with medieval female saints. In Rome I see the monastery of the Brigittines, founded by Bridget of Sweden (photos below). As a queen of Sweden, Bridget could have eight kids and still be considered a saint. But only after founding many monasteries, living with virtue, helping the poor, and dictating her Revelations. In these Revelations, the Lord says: "I have chosen you to be my spouse so that I may show you my secrets." Wow, so much for needing a clergyman to access religion.

This summer I reviewed the translation and introduction to The Life and Miracles of Saint Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297). Like Christina, her story is filled with tragedy, sorrow and triumph. Once the lover of a nobleman and a mother, she's left without support when he dies suddenly.  The son and mom are given a swift kick out (origin of the Disney evil step-mother?) by his family. In 1272, she came to Cortona and began to earn money as a midwife; then her visionary life led her to live in a cell and then a monastery. For twelve years this former lover and mother became the most famous citizen of Cortona, negotiating between arguing factions, telling off the bishop of Arezzo, and proving various citizens as liars. However, in his vita, written by a Franciscan friar, the Lord says: "Concerning that Margaret, I tell you that I love her more than all the women of Cortona" and "I will give her an abundance of grace" (289). Today you can still see Margaret of Cortona in the central church there, and on my office door, prostrate, visible, and clothed (on a postcard) resting before all to see, from 1297 to 2014. I plan to pay a visit to her again this summer. How often can you see a person from the thirteenth-century? Do to her agency, and the cult that continued to be perpetuated after her death, Margaret remains a powerful figure in the modern world.