Nuns A History of Convent Life

by Evangelisti, Silvia

• ISBN13: 9780199532056
• ISBN10: 0199532052
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Praised in The Atlantic Monthly as an "engrossing narrative," Nuns tells the fascinating stories of the women who have lived in religious communities during some of the most tumultuous years in European history. Drawing particularly on the nuns' own words, Silvia Evangelisti reveals theirideals and achievements, frustrations and failures, and their attempts to reach out to the society around them. She explores how they came to the cloister, how they responded to monastic discipline, and how they pursued their spiritual, intellectual, and missionary activities. Indeed, nuns oftenfound a way to contribute to their communities by creating charities and schools, while a few exceptional women made names for themselves for their artistic talents or for establishing new convents. This book features the individual stories of some of the most outstanding historical figures,including Teresa of Avila, who set up over seventeen new convents. Evangelisti shows how these women were able to overcome some of the restrictions placed on women in their societies at large. In doing so, she provides a fascinating and rarely seen glimpse into their intriguing world.

Author Biography

Silvia Evangelisti is Lecturer in Early Modern History in the School of History at the University of East Anglia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Figures

Introduction

On Nuns and Nunneries

Cloistered Spaces

Voices from the Cloister

Theatre and Music

The Visual Arts

Expansion: Nuns across the Globe

Open Communities for Women

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Photographic

Acknowledgements

Index

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