Daily Medieval

Priscillian (c.340 - 385) was a good enough theologian that he was made Bishop of Ávila Spain in 380, but controversial enough that he had m...

Although we use the term "renaissance" to refer primarily to a rebirth of art and culture that started in 14th century Italy and s...

One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland who studied under Finnian , Columba is best known for his time spreading Christianity in Scotland (you...

Finnian of Clonard was an Irish cleric who built schools, monasteries, and churches to spread Christianity. His schools thrived for centurie...

St. Martin of Tours as a young man was a cavalryman, and likely a member of the  Equites cataphractarii.  Of all the cavalry styles Rome use...

In "The Shipman's Tale" of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales , a monk gains the trust of a friend's wife by invoking St. Mart...

American author Henry James took a six-week tour of France in 1883, in which he mentions the "chatty nun" who guided him through M...

Yesterday I presented a series of facts (as we know them) about the founding of Battle Abbey . Today we take a look at a story of the found...

You would think that the name "Battle" for a religious house must be an abbreviation of some more appropriate term, and you would ...

We are now in the Christian season of Advent, from the Latin adventus,  meaning "coming." It comprises the four Sundays leading...

rom a 14th century Welsh Book of Hours, this is thought to depict Maximus [ link ] Yesterday we introduced Magnus Maximus, a general wh...

Yesterday's post on St. Menas and the flasks of water leads to a discussion of oleum martyris , literally "oil of martyrs" bu...

In April 2013, near Meßkirch in southern Germany, construction will start on a monastery. It is expected to take 40 years to complete, ...