A Pilgrim from Xanadu: How A Christian Monk Discovered Medieval Europe
The first-hand records of Bar Sauma’s amazing mission allow us to trace his odyssey from Beijing to Baghdad, and on to Rome and Bordeaux.
What the St Gall Plan tells us about Medieval Monasteries
This 9th-century plan reveals much about the spiritual and practical life going on behind a monastery’s walls.
Who did what in a Medieval Monastery?
Here is a quick guide for understanding the hierarchy and various roles monks and nuns would have in a medieval monastery.
Plan for the Dissolution of the Monasteries discovered
A previously unseen historic document giving vital insight into the Dissolution of the Monasteries has been uncovered at the National Archives. Overlooked for almost 500 years, the document details the process of suppressing Furness Abbey, the first of England’s “greater” monasteries to be destroyed.
How to live like a monk, with Danièle Cybulskie
Can medieval monastic practices, with their emphasis on a healthy soul, mind, and body, inspire us to live fuller lives today? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle is the guest as she talks about her new book How to Live Like a Monk: Medieval Wisdom for Modern Life.
Medieval tannery discovered at Fountains Abbey
The largest tannery yet discovered at a monastic site in Britain has been identified at Fountains Abbey in northern England, revealing some remarkable new evidence about the community of monks and lay brothers who lived there.
The Scone Cartularies with Richard Millar
Kate Buchanan is joined by Richard Millar to discuss Richard’s research on Scone Abbey and their cartularies that have survived.
Social distancing in early Byzantium, with Ellen Muehlberger and David Brakke
What did it take, and what did it do to you, to avoid the company of others in Byzantium? How far did you have to pare your life down, and how reliant were you still on networks of support and supply?
Templar Banking: How to go from Donated Rags to Vast Riches
While the Crusades gave the Templars a stage to project their might, their true source of power lay within a revolutionary new financial system: the Templar Bank.
The Knights Templar and Historical Revisionism in the Modern Era
As early as the nineteenth century, many political extremists have modelled themselves upon the Templars. Today, both the US and UK are home to groups that imitate these medieval knights, pledging to fight a ‘new crusade’ against multiculturalism, ‘cultural Marxism’, or a ‘New World Order’.
The Protector of Mount Athos
The Moldavian rulers, and in particular Prince Stephen III (r. 1457–1504), took an increasingly active interest in the monastic communities on the Holy Mountain.
The Life and Liturgy of Saint Birgitta of Sweden
When studying the relationship between women, music, and the medieval church, one of the most influential and prominent figures is Birgitta of Sweden.
How the Mount Athos monasteries prospered for centuries
Mount Athos—the peninsula in Greece that is home to one of the oldest Eastern Christian monastic communities—has received support from an array of patrons over the course of its long history
The Rise, Fall and Rediscovery of Lenton Priory
Natasha Hodgson explores the dramatic backdrop of religious turmoil, treason and insurrection which lead to the priory’s destruction during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Miracle Stories
It’s medieval storytime! This week, Danièle reads from Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogue on Miracles, including the story of a sinful student, and the woman who took the baby Jesus hostage, as well as a few other fun tales from this thirteenth-century book for monastic novices.
Forgeries in the Middle Ages with Levi Roach
Over the past few years, the world has regularly been abuzz with claims of forgery and fake news. At some points in the Middle Ages, forgery was disturbingly common, often committed by the people we might least expect. This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Levi Roach about medieval forgery, and how to spot it.
‘Remarkable women’: Female patronage of religious institutions, 1300-1550
This conference seeks to explore the ways in which women patronised and interacted with monasteries and religious houses during the late Middle Ages, how they commissioned devotional and commemorative art for monastic settings, and the ways in which these donations were received and understood by their intended audiences.
The monastic experience, with Alice-Mary Talbot
A conversation with Alice-Mary Talbot on the experience of communal monastic life in Byzantium, ranging from its organization and rules to its religious goals, engagement with society, and differences between monasteries for men and women.
From Politics to Monastic Houses and What They Did With All That Land, with Victoria Hodgson
Kate Buchanan is joined by Victoria Hodgson to discuss Victoria’s journey to studying medieval Scottish monastic houses and their lands. Victoria Hodgson specializes…
Medieval African monastery reconstructed virtually
How did medieval monasteries in Africa look? A new project from the University of Warsaw has been able to digitally reconstruct a monastery from Nubia.
The Monks of Bury St Edmunds
What was life really like within a medieval monastery? This week on The Medieval Podcast Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to take a look at the Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds. Written by Jocelin of Brakelond at the turn of the thirteenth century, it’s a surprising story of money, power and gossip within the abbey.
New book tells the story of Celtic Christianity’s centre of learning
1,500 years ago, the Welsh town of Llanilltud Fawr was regarded as the cradle of Celtic Christianity. The story of its monastery has now been told in a new book published last month.
Medieval Monks: A Beginner’s Guide
Can you tell your Benedictines from your Franciscans and Dominicans? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle gives a brief overview of the the backstory of some of the major monastic traditions, and how you can tell them apart.
Like Father, Like Illegitimate Son: Henry II and William Longespée on Monastic Patronage
Henry II now enjoys a reputation as a committed and reasonably prolific founder and serial patroniser of monasteries. He was also engaged in another widespread, not to mention potentially politically advantageous aristocratic activity – the siring of illegitimate children.