St Ursula And The Eleven Thousand Virgins Of Cologne

The cult of St. Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgin Martyrs of Cologne was the most widespread relic cult in medieval Europe. The sheer abundance of relics of the Eleven Thousand Virgins, which allowed for the display of immense collections, shaped the notion of corporate cohesion that characterized the cult. Though the primacy of St. Ursula as the leader of this holy band was established by the tenth century, she was conceived as the head of a corporate body. Innumerable inventories and liturgical texts attest to the fact that this cult was commemorated and referenced as a collective mass - Undecim millium virginum. This group identity informed, and was formulated by, the presentation of their relics, as well as much of the imagery associated with this cult. This book explores the visual, textual, performative, and perceptual aspects of this phenomenon, with particular emphasis on painting and sculpture in late medieval Cologne. Examining the ways in which both texts and images worked as vestments, garbing the true core of relics which formed the body of the cult, the book examines the cult from the core outward, seeking to understand hagiographic texts and images in terms of their role in articulating relic cults.

The cult of St Ursula and the 11,000 virgins was one of the most popular and relic-rich of all saints’ cults in the medieval period. This volume constitutes the first interdisciplinary collection of essays in English to explore the development and transmission of the legend of St Ursula in detail, considering a wealth of different sources including physical remains, literary texts, artistic representations and medieval music.

Essay aus dem Jahr 2003 im Fachbereich Germanistik - Gattungen, Note: sehr gut, Technische Universität Dortmund (Kulturwissenschaft), Veranstaltung: Sagen und Legenden, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Das Thema dieser Hausarbeit für das Seminar „Sagen und Legenden“ entstand daraus, dass meine Mutter Ursula heißt. Deswegen begab ich mich auf die Suche nach der Legende von St.Ursula und den 11000 Jungfrauen. Meine Wege führten mich nicht nur in die Bibliothek und ins Internet, sondern unter anderem auch in die St. Ursula Gemeinde in Köln, wo die Grabkammer der heiligen Ursula ist. Leider konnte ich diese nicht besichtigen, da sie momentan wegen Renovierungsarbeiten geschlossen ist. Aber ganz umsonst war die Fahrt nach Köln nicht, da ich im Pfarramt der St. Ursula Gemeinde eine Broschüre über Rheinische Kunststätten erhalten habe. Ein weiterer Weg führte mich in das Zisterzienser Kloster in Bochum-Stiepel, da ich gelesen hatte, dass die Zisterzienser einen Ursula-Kult betreiben würden. Dort durfte ich für meine Recherche sogar in die Bibliothek des Klosters. Ich hätte im Vorfeld dieser Hausarbeit nicht gedacht, dass es so interessant sei, nach einer Legende zu forschen, doch ich wurde eines Besseren belehrt. Jedes mal, wenn ich vor hatte, diese Hausarbeit zu schreiben, entdeckte ich neue Geschichten und Fakten rund um die Legende von St.Ursula und den 11000 Jungfrauen. Ich hoffe, dass das Lesen dieser Arbeit genauso viel Spaß macht, wie es mir die Suche nach der Legende bereitet hat.

This exquisite volume, bound by the prestigious Son and Hodge Leighton bindery, contains a rare and valuable account of the legend of St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgin companions. Printed within beautiful engraved borders depicting scenes from the lives of the saints, this book is a true work of art and an important historical document. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The cult of St Ursula and the 11,000 virgins was one of the most popular and relic-rich of all saints’ cults in the medieval period. This volume constitutes the first interdisciplinary collection of essays in English to explore the development and transmission of the legend of St Ursula in detail, considering a wealth of different sources including physical remains, literary texts, artistic representations and medieval music.

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