The cult of the saints was central to medieval Christianity largely due
to the miraculous. Saints were members of the elect of heaven and could
intercede with God on the behalf of supplicants. Whilst people visited
shrines and prayed to the saints for many reasons it was the hope of
intercession and the praise of miracles past which drove the cult of the
saints.
This book examines how a person solicited aid from a saint, how they
might give thanks and the ways in which post-mortem miracles structured
the cult of the saints. A huge number of miracle stories survive from
medieval England, in dedicated collections as well as in saints' lives
and other source material. This corpus is full of stories of human
relationships, vulnerability and deliverance of people from all parts of
society. These stories reveal all manner of details about ordinary
people in extraordinary circumstances. They also show us how people
navigated the world with the aid of the saints. Saints could help with
wayward livestock, lost property or lawsuits as well as fire, plague and
injury. They could also protect members of their communities, correct
lapses by their custodians and even kill those who mistreated them. A
respectful relationship with a saint could be proof against any problem.
Making Miracles in Medieval England will appeal to all those interested
in religious practices in medieval England, medieval English culture,
and medieval perceptions of miracles.
