Christina of Markyate
Encyclopedia
Christina of Markyate was born in Huntingdon
, England
c. 1095–1100, and died perhaps after 1155. As a young girl or adolescent, named Theodora, she took a vow of chastity
, so her parents' attempts to force her unwillingly into marriage led her to run away from home and go into hiding under the care of a hermit, Roger, a monk and deacon of St Albans Abbey, who lived at Markyate
, Hertfordshire
. During this period of secret confinement, she experienced her first visions of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
After a protracted process, her husband freed her from her marital obligations, and she was able to emerge from hiding. As her reputation for holiness and her visionary gifts became widely known, a number of other women gathered around her at Markyate, which had been left to her by Roger when he died in 1121 or 1122. Her community received considerable financial support from Geoffry de Gorham or Gorron, Abbot of St Albans, and she formally professed as a nun, in about 1130 or 1131. In 1145, the land on which Markyate stood was formally handed over to the nuns by the canons of St Paul's Cathedral
, London
, who owned it, in exchange for a nominal rent, and her community was formally consecrated as the Priory of Markyate
and dedicated to The Holy Trinity.
There are three important records of her life:
She is also mentioned in two documents dated 1155 which suggest, but do not prove, that she was still alive in that year. [source?]
Dyckhoff, Peter, Christina, Ein Klosterleben im Mittelalter, ISBN 3-7984-0769-X; J. F. Steinkopf Verlag, Kiel; Preis 15,90 EUR
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
c. 1095–1100, and died perhaps after 1155. As a young girl or adolescent, named Theodora, she took a vow of chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
, so her parents' attempts to force her unwillingly into marriage led her to run away from home and go into hiding under the care of a hermit, Roger, a monk and deacon of St Albans Abbey, who lived at Markyate
Markyate
Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.-Geography:Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. During this period of secret confinement, she experienced her first visions of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
After a protracted process, her husband freed her from her marital obligations, and she was able to emerge from hiding. As her reputation for holiness and her visionary gifts became widely known, a number of other women gathered around her at Markyate, which had been left to her by Roger when he died in 1121 or 1122. Her community received considerable financial support from Geoffry de Gorham or Gorron, Abbot of St Albans, and she formally professed as a nun, in about 1130 or 1131. In 1145, the land on which Markyate stood was formally handed over to the nuns by the canons of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, who owned it, in exchange for a nominal rent, and her community was formally consecrated as the Priory of Markyate
Markyate Priory
Markyate Priory was a Benedictine priory in Bedfordshire, England. It was established in 1145 and disestablished in 1537.-History:The priory of Markyate was founded in the year 1145, in a wood which was then part of the parish of Caddington, and belonged to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's...
and dedicated to The Holy Trinity.
There are three important records of her life:
- a Latin manuscript containing an account of her life (first edited by C. H. Talbot; superseded by the edition of Hermite-Leclercq)
- several biographical details in the chronicles of St Albans Abbey
- the so-called St Albans Psalter, which she probably owned
She is also mentioned in two documents dated 1155 which suggest, but do not prove, that she was still alive in that year. [source?]
Further reading
- Talbot, C.H., (editor and translator), The Life of Christina of Markyate – A Twelfth-Century Recluse. Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1987. ISBN 0-19-821274-7. - Vie de Christina de Markyate, édité et traduit par Paulette l'Hermite-Leclercq & Anne-Marie Legras, Sources d'Histoire Médiévale publiées par l'IRHT, 35, 2 vols. (Paris: CNRS, 2007).
- Watt, D, Medieval Women's Writing. Cambridge, Polity, 2008.
- Medieval Women's Visionary Literature, ed. Elizabeth Petroff. Oxford University Press, 1986. ISBN 0-19-503711-1
Dyckhoff, Peter, Christina, Ein Klosterleben im Mittelalter, ISBN 3-7984-0769-X; J. F. Steinkopf Verlag, Kiel; Preis 15,90 EUR