![]() | Mother of Mercy, Bane of the Jews: Devotion to the Virgin Mary in Anglo-Norman England Subjects: Mary Blessed Virgin Saint -- Devotion to -- England -- History; England -- Church history -- 1066–1485; Judaism -- Controversial literature; Mother of Mercy, Bane of the Jews explores a key moment in the rise of the cult of the Virgin Mary and the way the Jews became central to her story. Benedictine monks in England at the turn of the twelfth century developed many innovative ways to venerate Mary as the most powerful saintly intercessor. They sought her mercy on a weekly and daily basis with extensive liturgical practices, commemorated additional moments of her life on special feast days, and praised her above all other human beings with new doctrines that claimed her Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption. They also collected hundreds of stories about the miracles Mary performed for her followers in what became one of the most popular devotional literary genres of the Middle Ages. Kati Ihnat is lecturer in medieval history at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. |
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