CORPUS DOMINI
An enclosed convent in the center of society
An enclosed convent in the center of society
‘A prison’ or a ‘monastic hell’: these definitions were (and still are) often used to describe the convent-life for women in the late middle ages, by the nuns themselves as well as by their observers. The life of nuns was ought to be characterized by isolation and enclosure from the outside world so they could focus on their prayers to god. Enclosure would also protect the women (who were considered the weaker sex) from sinful worldly temptations. Several papal rules forbade nuns to have any contact beyond the convent walls unless absolutely necessary.
Though these strict standards seem to exclude any existence of a social network in late-medieval women-convents, the opposite appears to be true. Women-cloisters often played a central role in elite networks. For my research I have studied a source from the 14th-century Venetian women-convent Corpus Domini to analyze this paradox between on the one hand strict enclosure and on the other influential networks.
Though these strict standards seem to exclude any existence of a social network in late-medieval women-convents, the opposite appears to be true. Women-cloisters often played a central role in elite networks. For my research I have studied a source from the 14th-century Venetian women-convent Corpus Domini to analyze this paradox between on the one hand strict enclosure and on the other influential networks.
"Corpus Domini was a convent of scrict cloister, closed off from the outside world by a protective wall and sealed by a triple-locked gate, with the keys held by three different women." Daniel Bornstein, "A Small World" in: Life and death in a Venetian Convent (2000), p. 10.
When she joined Corpus Domini in the late 14th century, Bartolomea Riccoboni decided to write down a chronicle of this convent, containing its history and important events and a necrology, containing a brief description of nearly fifty nuns who died in the convent between 1395 and 1436. The source (translated in English by Daniel Bornstein) offers its reader a glimpse into the daily convent-life and into the views of the nuns on several worldly and religious matters. Studying it brought me to the following conclusions regarding the network of Corpus Domini.
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2. Being part of this network allowed the nuns, in spite of their enclosed position, to influence worldly business like politics through
influential links in this network. This influential position in society was exceptional for women, who in most cases were excluded from powerful positions. 3. Bartolomea writes openly about patronage, family-visits and letter writing, but is at the same time convinced of the importance of the absolute enclosure and divine devotion of the nuns of Corpus Domini. This suggests that for her the paradox between enclosure and networking did not exist. Being part of an influential network was an obvious part of convent-life and was for Bartolomea not in contrast with the enclosure-ideal of cloister-life. F.M. |
Sources
Bornstein, Daniel, “A Small World: the Venetian convent of Corpus Domini” in Life and death in a Venetian convent: the chronicle and necrology of Corpus Domini, ed. Daniel Bornstein, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Bornstein, Daniel, “Women and religion in Late Medieval Italy: History and Historiography” in Women and religion in Medieval and Renaissance Italy, ed. Daniel Bornstein en Roberto Rusconi. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Evangelisti, Silvia, Nuns: a history of convent life 1450 – 1700. New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 2007.
Riccoboni, Bartolomea, “The chronicle and necrology of Corpus Domini, 1395 – 1436” in Life and death in a Venetian convent: the chronicle and necrology of Corpus Domini, ed. Daniel Bornstein, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Strocchia, Sharon, Nuns and nunneries in Renaissance Florence, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.
Images
The image used on this page is a detail of a map of Venice from 1500 by Jacopo de' Barberi.
Source: http://www.churchesofvenice.co.uk/demolished.htm