Lives of the Saints: The Medieval French Hagiography Project
Project Aims
The Lives of the Saints Project aims both to make easily accessible the information that is currently known about medieval French hagiography and to make evident the substantial holes in that knowledge. By providing this information, and by demonstrating the central role of hagiography in medieval French culture and the inherent appeal of the works, we hope to stimulate and facilitate further research, especially the preparation of editions and translations that will make the Lives accessible to all readers.The search tools we are developing will also permit more accurate and comprehensive comparative studies of hagiography. Users will be able to find answers to questions such as
- Into what types of manuscripts (size, expense, contents) were Lives of female virgin martyrs written before 1300 versus after 1300?
- Is there a correlation between the choice of verse or prose and type of saint or of manuscript?
- What changes are there in the terms authors use to refer to their works over the course of the Middle Ages, and is there a correlation to the type of saint about whom they write?
- Which Lives were copied by identified scribes or in identified scriptoria? For which patrons?
- In what manuscripts are there images of female-to-male transvestite saints?
- How many versions are there of the Life of St. M__, what manuscripts contain them and what else do those manuscripts contain?
- How do depictions of St. M__ in manuscripts compare to statuary representations of the saint?
- In what regions was St. M__ particularly venerated? By what professions or groups of people?
In the second phase, the project will grow to include images and transcriptions of the full manuscripts of selected Lives, which will permit users to read and compare copies, and search for thematic, linguistic and rhetorical elements.
At a more theoretical level, we aim to explore the multidimensionality of the electronic medium as a means of conveying the transcendent character of hagiography. As the name "Lives" implies, these narratives exist in a complex relationship to the biological existence of their subjects: they are not static texts, but rather each manuscript copy is a prolongation of the saints' presence in the terrestrial world which records and solicits audiences' responses. The project will embody, in its very construction, this interactive quality and will articulate ways of representing the Lives that do not suppress their quintessential variability and do respect the inherent value of each unique manuscript.
About the Project
Contributors
Amy V. Ogden: Project Director & IATH FellowWorthy Martin: Database & interface design
Daniel Pitti: Database & interface design
Caroline Gates: Database & interface design, project construction
Robbie Bingler: Database design & construction
Felicia Johnson: Interface design
Research Assistants: Margaret Caldwell, Kate DeNeveu, Rachel Geer, Tiffany Stull
Funding & Support
Lives of the Saints: The Medieval French Hagiography Project is made possible by grants and support from the following sources:- The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
- The UVA Department of French
- The Offices of the Dean of Arts and Sciences
- The Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies
Project Practices
See a list of project practices hereContact Information
Email Us or Contact us via the mailing address below:The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities
Lives of the Saints
Alderman Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400115
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4115
