In ieiunorum pinguedine. Il ruolo dell’ascetismo alimentare in Santa Radegonda

Abstract

The vita Radegundis written by Venantius Fortunatus at the end of the VI century is among the most popular hagiographies of saints women in the Carolingian period. The construction of the sanctity of Radegundis passes through the description of ascetic behaviors, particularly involving the food sphere. Episodes of ascetic fasting, but also of royal banquets and charitable distributions of food are the center of the analysis of the present paper, in which, comparing Fortunato's work with the vita Radegundis of the nun Baudonivia and with other sources, it is highlighted how the theme of food is also closely linked to the dimension of gender and the manifestation of the royal power of the Merovingian queen and saint.

Keywords

• female sanctity
• hagiography
• radegund
• diet
• asceticism