Abstracts
Abstract
Both female monasticism and Jewish conversion acquired an accentuated significance in Catholic Europe during the age of reformations. Their convergence was ritually expressed in the celebration of the monastic vestition of converts from Judaism. This article centres on the experiences of baptized Jewish girls who entered monastic communities, based on an analysis of cases from central and northern Italy. It argues that Church authorities valued the radical break of formerly Jewish girls with the religious traditions of their ancestors. Yet at the same time, the highly esteemed attraction to female monasticism on the part of baptized Jews could also arouse considerable anxiety, which led to distancing attempts. These, the article suggests, were manifested by restricting converts’ monastic professions to designated institutions; by giving the cold shoulder to baptized Jews who took the veil and socially isolating them within their communities; or by not assisting sickly neophytes to fulfill their religious vocations.
Keywords:
- Conversion,
- Jewish–Christian Relations,
- Early Modern Catholicism,
- Female Monasticism,
- Servant Nuns,
- Choir Nuns,
- Enslaved Women,
- Intersectionality,
- Disability
Résumé
Le monachisme féminin et la conversion des juives acquirent une importance accrue dans l’Europe catholique à l’époque des Réformes. Leur convergence se manifestait dans le rite durant lequel les juives converties revêtaient l’habit monastique. Cet article se penche sur les expériences de jeunes filles juives baptisées entrées dans des communautés monastiques, à partir d’une étude de cas du centre et du nord de l’Italie. Il soutient que les autorités ecclésiastiques valorisaient la rupture radicale des jeunes filles autrefois juives avec les traditions religieuses de leurs ancêtres. Pourtant, quoique tenu en haute estime, l’intérêt des juives baptisées pour la vie monastique pouvait aussi susciter une anxiété considérable, qui a conduit à des tentatives de mise à l’écart. Comme le montre cet article, cellesci consistaient à limiter les occupations monastiques des converties à des institutions spécifiques, à traiter avec indifférence les juives baptisées qui avaient pris le voile et à les isoler socialement au sein de leurs communautés, ou à ne pas aider les novices maladives à accomplir leur vocation religieuse.
Appendices
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