Saints, Infirmity, and Community in the Late Middle Ages

By Jenni Kuuliala

Book Description

This scholarly exploration reveals how medieval communities understood the profound connection between physical suffering and spiritual holiness. Through careful examination of late medieval canonization records, the author uncovers how bodily ailments were not merely obstacles to overcome, but potential pathways to sanctity that required community recognition and validation.

The book investigates how witnesses in sainthood inquests described and interpreted the physical infirmities of holy candidates. Rather than viewing these ailments as individual experiences, the research demonstrates how communities actively participated in defining what constituted sacred suffering. These collective interpretations shaped not only perceptions of particular saints, but broader cultural attitudes toward bodily limitations and pain.

Drawing from disability studies perspectives, this work illuminates the dynamic relationship between holy individuals, their physical challenges, and the communities that surrounded them. The author examines how devotees, skeptics, and the saints themselves engaged in ongoing dialogue about the meaning of infirmity within the context of spiritual devotion.

For contemporary readers exploring themes of suffering, community support, and spiritual transformation, this historical analysis offers valuable insights into how societies have understood the relationship between physical challenges and spiritual growth. The book reveals how medieval communities created frameworks for finding sacred meaning in human vulnerability, providing a unique lens through which to examine enduring questions about pain, purpose, and the role of community in spiritual development.