Female Performance and Spectatorship in a Medieval Nunnery : The "Elevatio" and "Visitatio sepulchri" of Barking Abbey in Practice

Abstract

Medieval women were active in many performative activities, including plays and ceremonies performed in nunneries. This volume focuses on monastic performances and, in particular, on performances given in the English abbey of Barking. The Barking ceremonies, commonly referred to as the Elevatio and Visitatio sepulchri, display complex ties with both drama and liturgy. The book uses historical and archaeological evidence to propose a discussion of the nuns’ participation in these ceremonies—as performers, but also as scribes, composers, and patrons—and of the Elevatio and Visitatio’s potential effects on their performers and spectators. It goes on to address related questions through the lens of a modern performance of the ceremonies, considering their relevance today. Discussion is presented within the context of a general overview of female performance in the Middle Ages.