Dominae in claustro: San Zaccaria between politics, society and religion in early medieval Venice

Abstract

This paper analyses the role played by the female religious community of San Zaccaria in the political, social and religious context of the Venetian Dogado during the Early Middle Ages. On the one hand, by comparing the convent with the other Venetian male and female monasteries, the study clarifies that the community exercised a more or less incisive role in representing first the doge’s family, then the entire city, during a specific timeframe. On the other hand, the analysis reveals to what extent the functions the monastery exercised were influenced by events external to the Dogado or by developments within San Zaccaria itself.

Keywords

• Medioevo
• Secoli IX-XI
• Venezia
• Monachesimo femminile
• San Zaccaria
• Doge