The Life of Christina of Markyate: A Twelfth Century Recluse (MART: The Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching)

About this book

"The Life of Christina of Markyate" a twelfth-century English recluse and later abbess of Markyate near St Albans is a remarkable example of late medieval hagiography. Originally written at the time of or soon after Christinas death in the twelfth century the Life is unusual both in its relative lack of miracles and in the unknown authors decision to write Christinas life factually rather than gathering together stock elements from previously written saints lives as was the custom. First published in 1959 this edition contains the original Latin text with a facing-page English translation. It is accompanied by a comprehensive Introduction that discusses the codicological problems of the text and provides other contextual and background material. One of the great virtues of this Life is its vivid revelations of Christinas personal circumstances which must have been based on her own reminiscences. Although doubts have been cast on her veracity ... they do not affect the main lines of the extraordinary story she told the author. From the General Editors Note