Bodily suffering and patient, Christlike attitudes towards that suffering were among the key characteristics of sainthood throughout the medieval period. Drawing on new work in medieval dis/ability studies, this book analyses the meanings given to putative saints' bodily infirmities in late medieval canonization hearings. How was an individual saint's bodily ailment investigated in the inquests, and how did the witnesses (re)construct the saintly candidates' ailments? What meanings were given to infirmity when providing proofs for holiness? This study depicts holy infirmity as an aspect of sanctity that is largely defined within the community, in continual dialogue with devotees, people suffering from doubt, the holy person, and the cultural patterns ascribed to saintly life. Furthermore, it analyses how the meanings given to saints' infirmities influenced and reflected society's attitudes towards bodily ailments in general.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Approaching Holy Infirmity
- Canonization Processes as Sources for Holy Infirmity
- Infirmitas Leading to Saintly Life
- Infirmity, Conversion, and the Path to Sainthood
- Ailing Health and Chastity in Marriage
- Patientia and the Borders of Holy Infirmity
- (Un)diagnosing Holy Illness and Impairment
- Old Age and Infirmity
- Infirmity, Raptures, and the Marks of Passion
- The Saint and the Suffering Family
- Abstinence, Devotional Practices, and Social Control
- Harmful penitentia and Discretion
- Controlling Austerity
- Holy Infirmity and the Devotees
- Encountering the Infirm Saint
- The Saint as a Medical Practitioner
- Cure and the Benefits of Infirmity
- Conclusions
- Bibliography
- Manuscripts
- Printed Sources
- Literature
- Index
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