Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Carrasco, Malena

Keywords

Catherine of Alexandria, Martyrdom, Virginity, Female Body, Medieval Art

Area of Concentration

Art History

Abstract

This thesis explores the virgin martyr body and the way that it is treated in medieval narrative cycles. Catherine of Alexandria, a fourth-century pagan princess and virgin martyr, serves as the main example of the virgin martyr narrative. While the story of her life differs in some significant ways from the typical virgin martyr, her narrative also allows for a widely varied reading. Visual narratives of Catherine's life in the thirteenth-century stained glass windows at the Cathedral of Saint Maurice of Angers, the Cathedral of Saint Etienne of Auxerre, and Chartres Cathedral, as well as the fifteenth-century Belles Heures manuscript, provide examples of how Catherine's body can be presented to an audience. Focusing on themes relevant to all virgin martyr bodies through Catherine specifically, I explore ideas of the sexualized and tortured female body, the masculinized body, and the pure holy body.

Download

Share

COinS