The Place Of Durham Cathedral Priory In The Postconquest Spiritual Life Of The Northeast Phd Thesis Alexandra Naomi Mary Luff by Alexandra Naomi Mary Luff instant download after payment.

This thesis has arisen from the conviction that the life of a religious community in all its variety can only be fully studied if an attempt is made to understand the spiritual ideals, concerns and difficulties which motivated it. It takes as its case-study Durham Cathedral Priory in the eleventh and twelfth centuries because exceptionally good source materials survive for this priory and various other aspects of its life have already been studied extensively, which provides a firm context for this research. In addition, the post-conquest period is exciting to study because of the effect of Norman influence on the English church, and because it was a time of profound spiritual change in all levels of church and society across England and the continent. Moreover, it was a crucial time in the history of Durham because it was in 1083 that the priory was founded.
The thesis investigates the complex relationships conducted by Durham Cathedral Priory with its neighbouring religious houses. The first part considers the priory's foundation in the context of the northern monastic revival. It also examines the foundation and development of Durham's cells and the impact of the arrival of the Cistercians and Augustinians in the region. The second part investigates Durham Cathedral Priory's contribution to the character and development of spiritual life in the region through an examination of its involvement in the cults of saints, historiography and eremitism. The wider spiritual issues of these themes are explored before attention is given to Durham's own contribution to the field. This then provides the context with which to compare the developments of other religious houses in the region. It is concluded that whilst the priory was highly influential in some areas of the region's spiritual life, there were certain aspects in which it was unable to dominate.