Educational Media Reviews Online

During the Middle Ages religion dominated Europe at almost every level and women played various roles within the Church. This six volume series, originally broadcast on Canadian television, seeks to analyze notable women of the medieval period and the challenges they presented to the Church. The series offers an introductory piece and then five biographical segments, each of which focuses on a different woman. The documentaries examine how these visionary women transcended traditional female roles. The individual profiles also include commentary from faculty at McMaster University’s Working Group on the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and passages from the writings of the featured women. Despite obstacles from the Church and medieval society women persevered, founding religious communities, writing, or cloistering themselves and becoming anchoresses.

Inspired by their visions, the women in this series committed their lives to God in a variety of ways. The Church provided women few role models or opportunities to explore their relationships with God, forcing them to create new roles for themselves. Professors Kathy Garay, Madeleine Jeay, and Anne Savage provide insight into medieval society and women’s battle for acceptance. Julian of Norwich was a 14th century English mystic who became an anchoress (a woman who resided in a small room attached to a church, dedicating her life to prayer and contemplation) famous for her revelations. Julian was the first to refer to God as “She.” St. Clare, born an Italian noblewoman influenced by St. Francis of Assisi founded her own order. St. Clare’s religious rule was based on vows of poverty, self-denial, and service to the poor. Driven by visions, a love for God and a desire to serve, Douceline de Digne established the first laywoman community. Her life and work inspired many of her 13th century contemporaries to imitate her life and join her work. After a series of visions, Englishwoman Margery Kempe ended her physical relationship with her husband and dedicated the rest of her life to one of spirituality. Margery dictated her memoirs, which became one of the first autobiographies in the English language. Her public displays of devotion irritated her contemporaries and she was almost branded a heretic. The final episode focuses on Constance of Rabastens, an illiterate yeowoman. Constance’s apocalyptic visions and prophecies brought her before the Inquisition and resulted in her imprisonment.

The series utilizes paintings and statuary of the medieval and Renaissance periods for its visuals. Contemporary footage of the locations in which these women lived and traveled intercuts with the historic images. Medieval chants sung by women provide the musical soundtrack. While the music and visuals would be important to instill in the younger student a general impression of medieval culture, the series suffers from an over reliance on these techniques. Additional time spent discussing the subject matter would enhance the programs. Each video is twenty-four minutes long, and spends too many introductory minutes on visuals and music rather than information. Additionally, more time spent on analyzing these women’s writings rather than summarizing their works would be beneficial.

Mystical Women of the Middle Ages offers an introduction to the topic, more suited to upper level high school students or a general audience. The topic is of interest but the treatment is too brief to allow for the in-depth examination of women and spiritualism required for academic audiences.