Medieval Christianity and Women

An abbess is not just a female Abbott, though the roles are somewhat similar.

A description of the office of anchoress, especially related women's medieval history.

A definition of the Ancrene Wisse, rule for anchoresses.

Francis C. Lowell in 1896 compared Joan of Arc and Catherine of Siena, religious mystics who lived at about the same time.

Pope Joan is a legend about a woman pope in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Is the story of Pope Joan true?

Julian of Norwich biography - a profile of Julian of Norwich, medieval British saint and religious recluse who published her revelations.

Margery Kempe biography - a profile of medieval mystic and author Margery Kempe of England, who wrote an autobiography.

Marozia was trained by her mother Theodora to be a major player in papal politics. Marozia was allegedly the mistress of one Pope, mother of another and grandmother of yet another.

Popess Joan, a female pope: the legends persist, though there's little evidence for them.

Theodora wielded power in a period of notable corruption in Rome. Allegedly the lover of Pope John X, Theodora was more certainly the grandmother of Pope John XI and great-grandmother of Pope John XII.

St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila were both made Doctors of the Church, a title meaning their doctrines are valid and they serve as teachers.

Today, women composers of the medieval and Renaissance periods are becoming better known. Many were women leading religious lives who had the time and education to devote to composition. Here are some picks of music by women composers or with female subjects and performers, selected for diversity and quality.

Esther Lombardi, About's Guide to Classic Literature, presents an excellent summary of the relationship between a well-educated woman of the 12th century and her mentor/husband, the philosopher Peter Abelard. After the tragic twist in their relationship, Heloise's family forced her into the religious life.

An essay by Bruce L. Venarde documenting the roles that abbesses sometimes played in medieval France, managing religious communities.

An overview of women's role in medieval religion, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. (A ThinkQuest project.)

Women went on religious journeys to many of the important sites of early Christianity. Birgitta, Margery and Julian are also mentioned.

A fourteenth century prayer book of Jeanne d'Evreux, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's online exhibits.

Eastern Orthodox writer of the ninth century. Background, bibliography, translations.

Lives of medieval saints, and the anorexic behavior they engaged in to prove their sanctity -- and similar self-mutilation among girls today. (Registration may be required.)