Class

Article

College

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

English Department

Faculty Mentor

Christine Cooper-Rompato

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Abstract

In Medieval Europe, the Roman Catholic Church began to shift into an established institution, which led to an increase of people becoming saints. For Roman Catholics, saints are an important part of the faith. In the medieval period, many revelations and visions of Christ became well-known amongst people throughout Europe. One famous saint, St. Bridget of Sweden, became canonized and achieve sainthood rather quickly because she had support from her community and was born into nobility, unlike the famous pilgrim Margery Kempe. Kempe is known for being the first woman to write an autobiography in the English language. Kempe did not become a saint despite experiencing many visions of Christ. In this autobiography, Kempe explains her revelations and mystic visions, which are similar to St. Bridget’s experiences. Kempe also looked up to St. Bridget because of their similar experiences as married women. In this paper, I expand on why Kempe and St. Bridget were perceived differently in Medieval Europe despite having similar celestial visions and experiences and how Kempe specifically saw herself in St. Bridget of Sweden. Presentation Time: Wednesday, 12-1 p.m.Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83570709111?pwd=dGpYQzZvT3dqdHdGNjMzaVZ3QnFLUT09

Location

Logan, UT

Start Date

4-10-2021 12:00 AM

Included in

Life Sciences Commons

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Apr 10th, 12:00 AM

The Impact of St. Bridget on Margery Kempe

Logan, UT

In Medieval Europe, the Roman Catholic Church began to shift into an established institution, which led to an increase of people becoming saints. For Roman Catholics, saints are an important part of the faith. In the medieval period, many revelations and visions of Christ became well-known amongst people throughout Europe. One famous saint, St. Bridget of Sweden, became canonized and achieve sainthood rather quickly because she had support from her community and was born into nobility, unlike the famous pilgrim Margery Kempe. Kempe is known for being the first woman to write an autobiography in the English language. Kempe did not become a saint despite experiencing many visions of Christ. In this autobiography, Kempe explains her revelations and mystic visions, which are similar to St. Bridget’s experiences. Kempe also looked up to St. Bridget because of their similar experiences as married women. In this paper, I expand on why Kempe and St. Bridget were perceived differently in Medieval Europe despite having similar celestial visions and experiences and how Kempe specifically saw herself in St. Bridget of Sweden. Presentation Time: Wednesday, 12-1 p.m.Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83570709111?pwd=dGpYQzZvT3dqdHdGNjMzaVZ3QnFLUT09