Christina of Markyate

Michael Faletra (Reed College)
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The Life of Christina of Markyate

(Latin title:

De Sancta Theodora, Virgine, quae et Christina dicitur

) is a biographical account of Theodora, later and better known as Christina, an anchoress, visionary, and prioress who operated in the vicinity of St Alban’s, England, in the first half of the twelfth century. Written in medieval Latin prose,

The Life

tells of Christina’s lifelong dedication to the religious life, of her youthful vow to devote herself to God, of her clever evasions of seduction and marriage, and of her eventual acceptance by the religious establishment as a “consecrated virgin”. The text also evinces keen interest in her intense and mystically inflected devotion to God and in her able leadership of a small community of religious women at the priory at Markyate,…

1839 words

Citation: Faletra, Michael. "Christina of Markyate". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 June 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5733, accessed 21 November 2024.]

5733 Christina of Markyate 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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