Female Monasticism in Verona: Community Life and Experiences 'in domibus propriis' (eighth-twelfth centuries)

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the presence of female monasteries, and to study religious expe- riences in the Veronese hinterland from the late Antiquity to the first half of the twelfth century, with a special focus on early medieval foundations. The scarcity of documents, especially for the Lombard period, makes it particularly challenging to study the origins of these monasteries, wom- en’s religious experiences, their social recruitment and their ties with the urban aristocracies. In general, the picture we get of female monasticism is one of a very small group of foundations which gradually disappear by the end of the first millennium. Of special note is the monastery of San Michele in Campagna, which according to local historiographical tradition, was founded in the early Middle Ages, even though the earliest documents mentioning the presence of nuns date to the mid-eleventh century. The favourable position of the monastery in the Campanea not far from the city, near the Adige river and along the via Postumia, led to the development of both a thriving village that included the monastic community in the surrounding rural society, and a network of relationships with urban families who were experiencing rapid upward mobility.