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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Review “Focusing on one of the most widespread and intriguing of saints’ cults, this collection of essays brings together a range of languages and disciplines to explore the complex implications of Ursula’s story and the light it sheds on attitudes towards gender and violence in medieval culture.”
(Dafydd Johnston, University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies)
“This is an important collection of essays that advances our understanding of this very significant cult, which was at once international and the subject of peculiar interest in medieval England and Wales. Jane Cartwright has brought together some very distinguished contributors who between them cover a great geographical range, from Iceland to Hungary. The book should be of interest to anyone concerned with medieval saints’ cults and legends, with images of female sanctity and with cultural and religious links between medieval Britain and the Continent.”
(Barry Lewis, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies)
“Sancta Colonia , ‘Holy Cologne’, was an extremely rich medieval repository of Christian relics, and none of its churches more so than that of St Ursula, allegedly the daughter of a British king, and the eleven thousand virgins supposedly martyred with her. In this volume, the growth of Ursula’s legend, in traditions covering almost the entire continent of Europe, is examined for the first time in English, expertly and fascinatingly. The volume, which also includes discussion for the first time by the editor Jane Cartwright of the Middle Welsh version of the saint’s life, is to be warmly welcomed.”
(P''draig '' Riain, Aberystwyth University)
“This edited collection of essays places Ursula, a Welsh saint and her cult, in an international context of religious literature, hagiography, and devotional practices in Medieval Europe. Wide ranging and multidisciplinary, it is a valuable resource and essential reading for anyone interested in the religious and political culture of sainthood and feminine sanctity.”
(Cathryn A. Charnell-White, Head of Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies, Aberystwyth University)
About the Author
Jane Cartwright is professor in Welsh at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She has published widely on saints’ cults and hagiography.

Memory of the World Librarian: Quintus

2025-02-18