IMC 2024: Sessions
Session 1343: Saints in the North: Lived Religion in Medieval Sweden and Finland
Wednesday 3 July 2024, 16:30-18:00
| Sponsor: | Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS) / Vetenskapsrådet / Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien / Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ) |
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| Organiser: | Anna-Stina Hägglund, Turku Centre for Medieval & Early Modern Studies (TUCEMEMS), University of Turku |
| Moderator/Chair: | Gustavs Strenga, DFG-Projekt 'Heilige und Helden', Universität Greifswald |
| Paper 1343-a | Saints, Side Altars, and Negotiating Church Space in Late Medieval Sweden and Finland (Language: English) Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Lay Piety and Religious Life |
| Paper 1343-b | Saints and Their Impact on the Rhythm of the Year: A Digital Study of Feast Days and Expressions of Lived Religion in Scandinavia (Language: English) Index terms: Hagiography, Lay Piety, Liturgy and Religious Life |
| Paper 1343-c | References to Saints' Feast Days in 15th-Century Charter Dates from Medieval Finland: A Tool in the Study of Lived Religion (Language: English) Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Lay Piety and Religious Life |
| Abstract | In this session, we delve into the significance of saints in the daily lives of the inhabitants of the Swedish kingdom – which included both present-day Sweden and Finland – throughout the Middle Ages. By discussing the results of our projects, we explore the multifaceted roles of saints and the various ways in which their cults were manifested in different types of sources. It is clear that saints played a pivotal role in the annual rhythm of life, for instance, influencing the dating of property transaction charters, as well as the negotiation of space in creating places of worship through donations. Consequently, the saints were a constant presence across a wide variety of life situations, profoundly influencing people's perceptions of the world that surrounded them. Although the results of this influence could vary, the effects were felt throughout the medieval period and even into the Reformation. |