Who were the major "players" in monastery economies (think of Vezelay, for example). What did they have to gain- or lose- based on their roles in this economy? How did the cult of saints fit into this monastery economy? What visual and textual evidence do we have?
The legalization of Christianity undoubtedly gave rise to a number of monastic orders who flourished extensively over Europe with the establishment of several monastery economies. The Dominicans and the Benedictines were among the most successful especially the latter who took to copying sacred texts and commissioning works of art with considerable zeal.
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Obviously with the creation of these mini empires, the monastic orders had a lot to loose if they were stopped from operating. Over the centuries they amassed vast riches which began to be seen in a negative light especially by more simplistic orders such as the Cistercians who viewed the Benedictines with disdain especially in their impressive greed. Bernard of Clairvoux was highly critical of the Benedictines especially on their use of sacred art as a means of financial gain.
The cult of saints was very important for the monastic economy since it created huge demand for artistic representation of such saints. The portraits and artistic works created a roaring trade which kept the Benedictines going and this obviously created huge wealth for them. Barbara Abou El-Haj in her seminal essay, ‘The Medieval Cult of Saints’ espouses on the issues and problems created by the cult of saints which became perhaps one of the most important economic mainstays of the monastic orders.
The visual and textual evidence left behind by the monks is testament to the importance of the monasteries in the medieval economy. The cult of certain saints for example in Limoges, france demonstrated the importance of the monastic economy where sacred art was held to be the lifeblood of these communities.
We have been examining the context of sacred art with a monastic economy. Was this really the eventual undoing of monastic communities, especially the Benedictines?
Bibliography:
Johnston, William M. (ed.). 2000. Encyclopedia of Monasticism. 2 vols., Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.
Knowles, David. Christian Monasticism. London: World University Library, 1969
Lawrence, C. H. 2001. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages (3rd Edition). New York: Longmans. ISBN 0-582-40427-4
Zarnecki, George. 1985. "The Monastic World: The Contributions of the Orders". Pp. 36–66, in Evans, Joan (ed.). 1985. The Flowering of the Middle Ages. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.
