IMC 2011: Sessions

Session 1214: Charity and Welfare Institutions

Wednesday 13 July 2011, 14.15-15.45

Moderator/Chair:	Marjorie McIntosh, Department of History, University of Colorado, Boulder
Paper 1214-a	Jewish Women as Givers and Takers of Charity in Medieval Egypt (Language: English) Marci Freedman, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds Index terms: Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Women's Studies
Paper 1214-b	Creating a 'Geography of Charity': Medieval Poor Relief from the Perspective of the Hospital of St John in Brussels (Language: English) Tiffany A. Ziegler, Minot State University Index terms: Lay Piety, Social History
Paper 1214-c	Diaconiae and Xenodochia Revisited: 'Welfare' Institutions in Early Medieval Rome and Their Connections with Anglo-Saxon Visitors (Language: English) Luisa Izzi-Green, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York Index terms: Architecture - Religious, Art History - General, Liturgy
Abstract	Paper -a: Abstract withheld by request. Paper -b: In 1186 the Bishop of Cambrai approved the confraternity of the Holy Spirit in Brussels, which was later reorganized into the hospital of Saint John. During that time of transition, the hospital became a center for the collection and distribution of charitable aid in and around Brussels. Extant documentation proves that individuals from nearly every level of the medieval social spectrum participated in this charitable distribution. Using the extant records related to charitable distribution I am able to demonstrate the extent to which the various donors provided relief for the needy in medieval Brussels, thereby creating a 'geography of charitable distribution'. Paper -c: This paper explores the role of the diaconiae and the xenodochia, two distinct institutions of early medieval Rome generally associated with the assistance to the poor, the pilgrims and the sick. While the debate has so far focused on their origin and their monastic management, this paper aims to address in particular their genesis from the Roman system of the annona, their place within the wider network of religious institutions in Rome, and make hypothesis on their patronage and decoration, in particular in relation to potential Anglo-Saxon users.