Saints and Sanctity in the Early Middle Ages

Damian Tyler

Saints and their cults have been an important, integral part of Christianity since its beginnings, and this was especially so in the early middle ages. There are hundreds of surviving accounts of the lives early-medieval saints. Who were these holy men and women, what made them ‘holy,’ and why did people revere them so much, both while they were alive and after they were dead? This course considers these questions by examining the lives of a range of British and European saints, their contexts and the ways in which they have been used and manipulated by subsequent generations. Saints discussed will include St Martin, St Benedict, St Patrick, St Cuthbert and St Wilfrid.

Recommended reading:

No supplementary reading is necessary for this course, but those wishing to investigate more deeply might look at the following:

M. A. Stouck, A Short Reader of Medieval Saints, University of Toronto Press, 2008.

P. Brown, The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise And Function In Latin Christianity, University of Chicago Press; Enlarged Edition, 2014.

D. H. Farmer, The Age of Bede, Penguin Classics, 1998.

Day:  Fridays  Time: 11.00-13.00

5 week course from Friday 19th January to 16th February 2018

Venue:
The Library,
St Peter’s House,
Oxford Road (Precinct Centre),
Manchester,
M13 9GH

Price Concessions Minimum No. Maximum No.
£50 n/a 8 14

To book, complete the MANCENT booking form and send it with payment to

Dr Damian J. Tyler, 63 Cuckoo Lane, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 6WD Email: dagoberht@hotmail.com