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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Someone dropped a comment in passing on another mailing list about the idea that nuns didn't wear belts (she was asking how a paternoster or rosary would have been carried). This baffled me, since I'd never heard of such a thing -- I'd always assumed that like monks, nuns wore leather or woven belts or girdles, the Franciscans being an exception in wearing a knotted cord instead. Anyone have information on nuns' belts? I was further confused by reading descriptions of a monastic overgarment known as the "cucullus," which according to the encyclopedia I consulted said was "never cinched in at the waist." The description made it sound as though this was the ordinary outer tunic of the habit. My correspondent said: > >Just >>out of interest, if nuns weren't supposed to wear belts (as they were a >>sign of independence outside the religious house walls) what did they >>do with their beads when not in use? A necklace seems out of the > >question, as does the large bandoler versions. I asked for further clarification on nuns not wearing belts, and she said: > I was discussing the nuns habit with a very knowledgeable man >called Dave Rushworth of Petty Chapman fabrics. The >conversation ran along the lines of . . as the Prioress/Mother >Superior, like the Abbot is supposed to be the physical and spiritual >benefactor of the members of her convent, then they should want for >nothing. If all your needs are catered for then you won't need a >script (the little pouch) to put money or goods in. Hence you won't >need the belt to attach it to. Those poor souls who lived outside the >confines of the religious house had to care for themselves, and needed >the comfort of such physical necessities! Digging abit into the rules >of St Benedict, this theory did seem to hold water and I have yet to >see any pictures of nuns with belts. Another contributor, writing about St. Teresa of Avila's Carmelites, said: >Regarding belts... while nuns wouldn't generally be allowed leather belts, >they would still wear a cincture... frequently a piece of rope wrapped >around the waist. -- _________________________________________________________ O Chris Laning | <[log in to unmask]> + Davis, California _________________________________________________________ ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html