Lindsay Rudge PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

As such, the omissions from the standard contents of Vereor are revealing about
women’s religious lives in the ninth century. The longest passages left out are those
dealing with the wealth of women commencing a dedicated life. The Institutio passage
includes encouragement for the nobly-born to rejoice in their humility, and that further
happiness will come from renouncing their belongings. 118 It omits, however, Caesarius’
urge that property should be disposed of promptly and in a way that does not create
‘carnal shackles’, and if the woman had previously been poor, an encouragement to thank
God for not wishing ‘to bind her to the wealth of this world’. 119 Perhaps more significant
still is the removal of Caesarius’ injunction not to pass property back to their relatives:
‘they do not consider that in distributing their wealth to them [parentes] for luxury they
are condemning themselves to everlasting poverty’. 120 A plea to leave the bulk of wealth
to the poor is included, but this loses a great deal of force if the statement of who not to
give property to is removed. This adjustment of Caesarius’ requirements allows two main
points to be made. Firstly, the way of life envisaged for religious women living according
to the Institutio was such that women could remain owners of property even after entry
into such a community, albeit administered by someone else. 121 Secondly, it
acknowledges the way in which women would retain their family links and their position
within familial structures of wealth holding and transmission to a far greater degree than
Caesarius had done three hundred years before.
The remaining twenty-two canons of the Institutio outline the practicalities of
dedicated life. Here, debate has focused on how far the text appears to set norms for
either Benedictine or non-Benedictine institutions. Guidance is offered on the choice of
abbess; the provision of food and drink; the hours of prayer, and avoiding meetings with
men. 122 As Thomas Schilp has underlined, in many respects the Institutio has more in
common with the Benedictine rule than with later medieval constitutions for communities
of canonesses, which may limit the degree to which it should be seen (pace Wemple) as
118 IS cap. 9.
119 Vereor 6. Morin II 134-44. Eng. trans. Klingshirn, Life, Testament, Letters, 134-5.
120 Vereor 8 Ibid, 136.
121 IS cap 9.
122 Canons 7, 12, 15, 19 and 20.
243