Gender, Miracles, and Daily Life: The Evidence of Fourteenth-Century Canonization Processes

Central to the everyday life of medieval Christians was interaction with the saints. Whilst the process of praying to a heavenly intercessor involved not only private devotion, it was also intrinsically connected with society at large. As it required the individual to communicate and negotiate both with the saint and within the group of devotees, the process of invocation exposed social processes such as community dynamics and the construction of gender. Considering these issues and others, Gender, Miracles, and Daily Life focuses on the depositions of the canonization processes of Thomas Cantilupe (1307) and Nicholas of Tolentino (1325). It explores how ordinary laypeople understood the daily responsibilities that determined their relationship to the saints, and articulates how their shared narratives contributed to the rituals which surrounded a miracle. This material has been little explored by scholars, yet offers a vivid and colourful insight into the world of men and women of the fourteenth century.