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Article: Debitum obedientie: Heloise and Abelard on governance at the Paraclete.(Peter Abelard)
- Article from:
- Parergon
- Article date:
- January 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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One of the many issues facing women's monastic life in the twelfth century was governance, both its principle and implementation. (1) The debate concerning governance, and its subsequent realization, was carried out in the contexts of a variety of monastic experiments (for example, at Fontevraud and Premontre), papal and episcopal constraints on nunnery life, the enterprises of individual communities, and the commitments of some remarkable women. The spiritual requirements of nuns necessitated their interaction with male religious, and in many cases women's communities were expected to accept male oversight of their practical affairs. Alternatively, local monks or small ...