Well,
they were known to be verly popular in England, see Ann K. Warren's book,
Anchorites (or Anchoresses?) in Medieval England, (197-something?) which I
suspect has examples, possibly also S. Elkins' book (1990/2?) on Women
Religious in Twelfth-Century England (I'm not sure that's the title, but
think the words would bring it up in a key-word search). But south of the
Channel, east of the North Sea??
Note also that Oxford Medieval Texts has reissued the life of Christina of
Markyate, who did try to become a hermit for quite some time in the early
12th c. (around Huntingdonshire and St Albans?) but like many successful
hermits ended up running a monastery (priory in her case I think) as did
people like Stephen Muret on the list below, I believe?
these would no doubt lead you to better sources of information. The
interesting thing, is that reading from the English perspective, one gets
a sense that what was going on with women in England in the anchorhold
movement is rather distinct from developments on the continent? Would
people looking at French, Flemmish, German, or ... examples agree?
Cheers for now@!
Georges
Georges Whalen
Centre for Medieval Studies
University of Toronto
On Tue, 1 Apr 1997 [log in to unmask] wrote:
> I was interested in an entry in George's 29th March daily festal calendar,
> viz.:
>
> * Diemoda or Diemut, virgin (c. 1130)
> - friend of the celebrated recluse, Herluka of Epfach, she
> in turn lived as a solitary, in a cell adjoining an abbey
> church; she passed her time as a scribe
>
> QUERY: How many solitary sisters, anchoresses, were there after c.1000 and
> before the 14thc.?
>
> Cf. A SELECT LIST OF HERMITS, HOLY MEN & WANDERPREDIGER, c.1050-1130
>
> Bernard of Tiron
> Bruno of Cologne
> Geoffrey Babion
> Geraud of Salles
> Henry of Lausanne
> John Gualbert
> Norbert of Xanten
> Peter the Hermit
> Peter Damian
> Peter Igneus
> Raoul de la Fustaye
> Robert of Arbrissel
> Robert of Molesme
> Romuald
> Stephen of Muret
> Stephen of Obazine
> Vitalis of Savigny
> William Firmat
>
> This list is by no means complete; but it contains many of the more famous
> names. It would be nice to draw up a similar list for women. Naturally,
> there would be very few, if any, 'wandering preachers' amongst them.
>
> But I'd like to see if any female solitaries went on to found monastic
> houses during this same period the way that male hermits often did.
>
> Gary Dickson
> University of Edinburgh
>
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