The Life of Saint Audrey
Encyclopedia
La Vie Seinte Audree is a 4625-line hagiography
detailing the life, death, and miracles of Saint Audrey
, an Anglo-Saxon
saint from Ely
in Britain
.
The only existing copy of La Vie Seinte Audree is contained in a manuscript in the British Library
, Additional 70513, recorded in the early 14th century
. However, scholars have proposed a date of composition for the poem itself in the late 12th
or early 13th centuries
.
medieval
poet Marie de France
. The lines in which the author declares her identity are strikingly similar to what one finds elsewhere in the works of Marie de France:
In addition, the source materials for the Seinte Audree would have been found in Ely
, which is near Saltry - the location of Marie's Latin sources for her Espurgatoire Seint Patriz
.
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
detailing the life, death, and miracles of Saint Audrey
Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon saint often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey...
, an Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
saint from Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
in Britain
Britain in the Middle Ages
England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the Medieval period — from the end of Roman rule in Britain through to the Early Modern period...
.
The only existing copy of La Vie Seinte Audree is contained in a manuscript in the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, Additional 70513, recorded in the early 14th century
14th century in literature
See also: 14th century in poetry, 13th century in literature, other events of the 14th century, 15th century in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:*c.1330 - Production of the Macclesfield Psalter.*1331 - Production of the Nuremberg Mahzor....
. However, scholars have proposed a date of composition for the poem itself in the late 12th
12th century in literature
See also: 12th century in poetry, 11th century in literature, 13th century in literature, list of years in literature.----The 12th century saw an increase in the production of Latin texts and a proliferation of literate clerics from the multiplying cathedral schools...
or early 13th centuries
13th century in literature
See also: 13th century in poetry, 12th century in literature, other events of the 13th century, 14th century in literature, list of years in literature.-Events:*1211 - Hélinand of Froidmont begins compiling his Chronicon....
.
Authorship
La Vie Seinte Audree was recently attributed to the FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
poet Marie de France
Marie de France
Marie de France was a medieval poet who was probably born in France and lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an undisclosed court, but was almost certainly at least known about at the royal court of King Henry II of England...
. The lines in which the author declares her identity are strikingly similar to what one finds elsewhere in the works of Marie de France:
- Ici escris mon non Marie
- Pur ce ke sois remembree
- La Vie Seinte Audree, verses 4624-4625
- Me numerai pur remembrance
- Marie ai nun, si sui de France
- Les Fables by Marie de France, epilogue, verses 3-4
In addition, the source materials for the Seinte Audree would have been found in Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
, which is near Saltry - the location of Marie's Latin sources for her Espurgatoire Seint Patriz
Legend of the Purgatory of St. Patrick
L'Espurgatoire Seint Patriz or The Legend of the Purgatory of Saint Patrick is a 12th century poem by Marie de France. It is an Old French translation of a Latin text Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii by the monk Henry of Saltrey. However, Marie's version is amplified from the original...
.