La falsa santità – il caso di Sibilla di Marsal

Abstract

The object of this study is Sybilla of Marsal, a woman who lived in the 13th-century France. Her story was first described by Richer of Senones in Gesta Senoniensis Ecclesiae. The study presents how Sybilla was able to convince not only simple locals but also the monks and the bishop of Metz that she was chosen by God in a particular way. It also explores the question why some women feigned sainthood, who their victims were and whether it were only women or also men who pretended to be holy and, finally, what kind of punishment they had to suffer.

Keywords

• the false holy
• fraud
• trickery
• simulation
• Sybilla of Marsal