Women and the church in medieval Ireland, c.1140-1540

Type

Book

Authors

Hall, Dianne

ISBN 10

1851826564

ISBN 13

9781851826568

Tags

Church History, Europe, Women in History, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Women's Studies, Women and religion, Ireland, History, Women in the Catholic Church, Monasticism and religious orders for women, Women and the law

Abstract

A major study of women and the medieval Irish church, this book includes groundbreaking investigations of medieval nunneries in Ireland, their personnel, patrons, buildings and estates and their strategies for ensuring the productivity of their resources. The author argues for the existence of close ties between the supposedly cloistered nuns and the surrounding lay communities. Medieval women not among the small number who actually joined nunneries channeled their pious energies towards such activities as patronage of local churches and monasteries, pilgrimage and requests for papal and Episcopal privileges. These pious activities are examined in detail and placed within their European context. This exploration into a previously neglected aspect of the history of monastic and church life in medieval Ireland is a major contribution to the history of women in Ireland and Europe.

Description

1. Lay Women's Piety
2. Women's Patronage of Religious Institutions
3. Foundation of Nunneries in Medieval Ireland
4. Convent Buildings and Estates
5. Income, Management and Conflict
6. Permeable Cloister
7. Elicia Butler and Kilculliheen
8. End of the Medieval Period
App. 1. Convents in medieval Ireland
App. 2. Names of individual women

Biblio Notes

Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-243) and index.
Item donated by Graham Price.

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