Skip to main content

Maria H Oen

Lund University, Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, Faculty Member

Followers

191

Following

182

Co-authors

4

Public Views

Address: Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences
Division of Art History and Visual Studies,
Lund University, Sweden

less

Justine Firnhaber-Baker

University of St Andrews

University of Toronto

Patricia Blessing

Stanford University

Christine Gadrat-Ouerfelli

Aix-Marseille University

Kathryn LaFevers Evans, Three Eagles

Pacifica Graduate Institute

University of Florida

Yale University

Aurélien Girard

Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne

Istituto Superiore di Scienze Religiose Milano

Kati (Katalin) Prajda

University of Vienna

InterestsView All (45)

Uploads

Books by Maria H Oen

Sanctity and Female Authorship: Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Siena

Birgitta of Sweden (Birgitta Birgersdotter, 1302/03–1373) and her younger contemporary Catherine ... more Birgitta of Sweden (Birgitta Birgersdotter, 1302/03–1373) and her younger contemporary Catherine of Siena (Caterina Benincasa, 1347–1380) form the most powerful and influential female duo in European history. Both enjoyed saintly reputations in life while acting as the charismatic leaders of a considerable group of followers consisting of clergy as well as mighty secular men and women. They are also among the very few women of the Trecento to leave a substantial body of written work, which was widely disseminated in their original languages and in translations. Copies of Birgitta’s Liber celestis revelacionum (The Heavenly Book of Revelations) and compilations of Catherine’s letters (Le lettere) and prayers (Le orazi- oni) and her theological work Il Dialogo della divina Provvidenza (The Dialogue) found their way into monastic, royal, and humanist libraries all over Europe. After their deaths, Birgitta’s and Catherine’s respective groups of supporters sought to have them formally canonized. In both cases, however, their political and theological outspokenness, orally and in text, and their public authority represented obstacles.
In this comparative study, leading scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds offer, for the very first time, a comprehensive exploration of the lives and activities of Birgitta and Catherine in tandem. Particular attention is given to their literary works and the complex process of ne- gotiating their sanctity and authorial roles. Above all, what the chapters reveal is the many points of connections between two of the most influ- ential women of the Trecento and how they were related to one another by their peers and successors.

Contributors: Roger Andersson, Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski, Unn Falkeid, Gábor Klaniczay, F. Thomas Luongo, Silvia Nocentini, Maria H. Oen, Camille Rouxpetel, Jane Tylus, and André Vauchez

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden and Her Legacy in the Later Middle Ages

St. Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373) is one of the most celebrated female visionaries and authors of ... more St. Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373) is one of the most celebrated female visionaries and authors of the Middle Ages and a central figure in the history of late-medieval religion. An aristocratic widow, Birgitta left her native country in 1349 and settled in Rome, where she established herself as an outspoken critic of the Avignon Papacy and an advocate of spiritual and ecclesiastical reform. Birgitta founded a new monastic order, and her major work, The Heavenly Book of Revelations, circulated widely in a variety of monastic, reformist, and intellectual milieus following her death.
This volume offers an introduction to the saint and the reception of her work written by experts from various disciplines. In addition to acquainting the reader with the state of the scholarship, the study also presents fresh interpretations and new perspectives on Birgitta and the sources for her life and writings.

Articles by Maria H Oen

The Locus of Truth: St Birgitta of Sweden and the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Tracing the Jerusalem Code. Volume 1. The Holy City. Christian Cultures in Medieval Scandinavia (ca. 1100-1536), 2021

'Apparuit ei Christus in eodem loco': Physical Presence and Divine Truth in Birgitta of Sweden's Revelations from the Holy Land

Faith and Knowledge in Late Medieval and Early Modern Scandinavia, 2020

Ambivalent Images of Authorship

Sanctity and Female Authorship: Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Siena, 2019

This chapter focuses on the question of Birgitta of Sweden’s and Catherine of Siena’s status as a... more This chapter focuses on the question of Birgitta of Sweden’s and Catherine of Siena’s status as authors with emphasis on the visual representations of the two women in the manuscripts containing their texts. Images found in the earliest extant codices portray Birgitta in the act of writing—an extremely uncommon visual rendering of a female author in the medieval period—whereas Catherine is never depicted with a pen in her hand. This difference emerges as a paradox when contrasted with representations of the two women in their respective texts, where Birgitta is often put forward as a passive medium while Catherine explicitly is delineated as a writer with agency. The tension between texts and images serves as the point of departure for scrutinizing the role of the visual in shaping the authority of their works as well as notions of Birgitta and Catherine as authors in a time when female literary authority was still controversial.

"Iconography and Visions: St. Birgitta's Revelation of the Nativity of Christ"

The Locus of Meaning in Medieval Art: Iconography, Iconology, and Interpreting the Visual Imagery of the Middle Ages, ed. Lena Liepe. Studies in Iconography: Themes and Variations (Kalamazoo / Berlin: Medieval Institute Publications / Walter De Gruyter, 2018), 2018

Studies in Iconography: Th emes and Variations is a scholarly series that will present collection... more

"The Origins of a Miraculous Image: Notes on the Annunciation Fresco in SS. Annunziata in Florence"

Konsthistorisk Tidskrift/Journal of Art History, 2011

"Sight, Body, and Imagery in the Visionary Experiences of Birgitta"

The Birgittine Experience: Papers from the Birgitta Conference in Stockholm 2011 (Stockholm: The Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, 2013), 2013

"Franciskus och visionens ikonografi"

Mellan himmel och helvete. Bilder och berättelser från senmedeltidens Italien, eds. Olle Ferm och Per Förnegård (Stockholm: Atlantis, 2015), Mar 2015

När Franciskus av Assisi dog 1226 upptäckte man att hans kropp hade märken som var identiska med ... more När Franciskus av Assisi dog 1226 upptäckte man att hans kropp hade märken som var identiska med Kristi sår. Nyheten om miraklet spreds bland franciskanbröderna i ett brev från ordensgeneralen Elias av Cortona, vilken kallade märkena »Kristi stigmata«. Hur hade Franciskus fått dessa märken? Och hur skulle man redogöra för fenomenet? Franciskus båda biografer, Thomas av Celano och Bonaventura, löste uppgiften på helt olika sätt. När stigmatiseringen sedan skulle förmedlas i bild stod konstnärerna inför nya utmaningar. Det är framför allt den bildmässiga koncipieringen och dess särställning i förhållande till helgonlegenderna som jag kommer att uppmärksamma i det följande.

PhD Diss. by Maria H Oen

The Visions of St. Birgitta: A Study of the Making and Reception of Images in the later Middle Ages

Talks by Maria H Oen

Weak Vessels of God? Women Prophets in Renaissance Italy

by Maria H Oen, Eleonora Cappuccilli, and Clara Stella

Panel Session at the Annual Meeting of Renaissance Society of America, Virtual 2021, 13 April, 12... more

Mediation and Stratification: Readers and Promoters of the Mystical Writings of Catherine of Siena and Birgitta of Sweden

by Silvia Nocentini and Maria H Oen

This talk focuses on a comparison between the Catherine's Libro di divina dottrina (with its Lati... more This talk focuses on a comparison between the Catherine's Libro di divina dottrina (with its Latin and vernacular translations) and the Birgitta's Revelationes (with its Swedish translations). My main interest is for the phase immediately following the composition of these mystical texts, when they began to circulate through the network of promoters of Birgitta's and Catherine's cult, so that some issues can be discussed, such as the relationship between Latin and vernacular, the influence of the readers' demand on the manuscript tradition and the role of disciples and confessors in shaping the exterior form of these writings.

Reviews by Maria H Oen

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden and Her Legacy in the Later Middle Ages, ed. by Maria H. Oen, Leiden-Boston, Brill, 2019 (recensione)

by Michele Lodone and Maria H Oen

«Aevum», 94 (2020), pp. 481-484

Papers by Maria H Oen

Introduction: Birgitta Birgersdotter and the Liber celestis revelacionum

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden

St Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373) is one of the most celebrated female visionaries and authors of t... more

Chapter 13 The Locus of Truth: St Birgitta of Sweden and the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Tracing the Jerusalem Code

Birgitta Birgersdotter and the Liber celestis revelacionum

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden

Birgitta Birgersdotter and the Liber celestis revelacionum

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden

Sanctity and Female Authorship: Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Siena

Birgitta of Sweden (Birgitta Birgersdotter, 1302/03–1373) and her younger contemporary Catherine ... more Birgitta of Sweden (Birgitta Birgersdotter, 1302/03–1373) and her younger contemporary Catherine of Siena (Caterina Benincasa, 1347–1380) form the most powerful and influential female duo in European history. Both enjoyed saintly reputations in life while acting as the charismatic leaders of a considerable group of followers consisting of clergy as well as mighty secular men and women. They are also among the very few women of the Trecento to leave a substantial body of written work, which was widely disseminated in their original languages and in translations. Copies of Birgitta’s Liber celestis revelacionum (The Heavenly Book of Revelations) and compilations of Catherine’s letters (Le lettere) and prayers (Le orazi- oni) and her theological work Il Dialogo della divina Provvidenza (The Dialogue) found their way into monastic, royal, and humanist libraries all over Europe. After their deaths, Birgitta’s and Catherine’s respective groups of supporters sought to have them formally canonized. In both cases, however, their political and theological outspokenness, orally and in text, and their public authority represented obstacles.
In this comparative study, leading scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds offer, for the very first time, a comprehensive exploration of the lives and activities of Birgitta and Catherine in tandem. Particular attention is given to their literary works and the complex process of ne- gotiating their sanctity and authorial roles. Above all, what the chapters reveal is the many points of connections between two of the most influ- ential women of the Trecento and how they were related to one another by their peers and successors.

Contributors: Roger Andersson, Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski, Unn Falkeid, Gábor Klaniczay, F. Thomas Luongo, Silvia Nocentini, Maria H. Oen, Camille Rouxpetel, Jane Tylus, and André Vauchez

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden and Her Legacy in the Later Middle Ages

St. Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373) is one of the most celebrated female visionaries and authors of ... more St. Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373) is one of the most celebrated female visionaries and authors of the Middle Ages and a central figure in the history of late-medieval religion. An aristocratic widow, Birgitta left her native country in 1349 and settled in Rome, where she established herself as an outspoken critic of the Avignon Papacy and an advocate of spiritual and ecclesiastical reform. Birgitta founded a new monastic order, and her major work, The Heavenly Book of Revelations, circulated widely in a variety of monastic, reformist, and intellectual milieus following her death.
This volume offers an introduction to the saint and the reception of her work written by experts from various disciplines. In addition to acquainting the reader with the state of the scholarship, the study also presents fresh interpretations and new perspectives on Birgitta and the sources for her life and writings.

The Locus of Truth: St Birgitta of Sweden and the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Tracing the Jerusalem Code. Volume 1. The Holy City. Christian Cultures in Medieval Scandinavia (ca. 1100-1536), 2021

'Apparuit ei Christus in eodem loco': Physical Presence and Divine Truth in Birgitta of Sweden's Revelations from the Holy Land

Faith and Knowledge in Late Medieval and Early Modern Scandinavia, 2020

Ambivalent Images of Authorship

Sanctity and Female Authorship: Birgitta of Sweden and Catherine of Siena, 2019

This chapter focuses on the question of Birgitta of Sweden’s and Catherine of Siena’s status as a... more This chapter focuses on the question of Birgitta of Sweden’s and Catherine of Siena’s status as authors with emphasis on the visual representations of the two women in the manuscripts containing their texts. Images found in the earliest extant codices portray Birgitta in the act of writing—an extremely uncommon visual rendering of a female author in the medieval period—whereas Catherine is never depicted with a pen in her hand. This difference emerges as a paradox when contrasted with representations of the two women in their respective texts, where Birgitta is often put forward as a passive medium while Catherine explicitly is delineated as a writer with agency. The tension between texts and images serves as the point of departure for scrutinizing the role of the visual in shaping the authority of their works as well as notions of Birgitta and Catherine as authors in a time when female literary authority was still controversial.

"Iconography and Visions: St. Birgitta's Revelation of the Nativity of Christ"

The Locus of Meaning in Medieval Art: Iconography, Iconology, and Interpreting the Visual Imagery of the Middle Ages, ed. Lena Liepe. Studies in Iconography: Themes and Variations (Kalamazoo / Berlin: Medieval Institute Publications / Walter De Gruyter, 2018), 2018

Studies in Iconography: Th emes and Variations is a scholarly series that will present collection... more

"The Origins of a Miraculous Image: Notes on the Annunciation Fresco in SS. Annunziata in Florence"

Konsthistorisk Tidskrift/Journal of Art History, 2011

"Sight, Body, and Imagery in the Visionary Experiences of Birgitta"

The Birgittine Experience: Papers from the Birgitta Conference in Stockholm 2011 (Stockholm: The Royal Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, 2013), 2013

"Franciskus och visionens ikonografi"

Mellan himmel och helvete. Bilder och berättelser från senmedeltidens Italien, eds. Olle Ferm och Per Förnegård (Stockholm: Atlantis, 2015), Mar 2015

När Franciskus av Assisi dog 1226 upptäckte man att hans kropp hade märken som var identiska med ... more När Franciskus av Assisi dog 1226 upptäckte man att hans kropp hade märken som var identiska med Kristi sår. Nyheten om miraklet spreds bland franciskanbröderna i ett brev från ordensgeneralen Elias av Cortona, vilken kallade märkena »Kristi stigmata«. Hur hade Franciskus fått dessa märken? Och hur skulle man redogöra för fenomenet? Franciskus båda biografer, Thomas av Celano och Bonaventura, löste uppgiften på helt olika sätt. När stigmatiseringen sedan skulle förmedlas i bild stod konstnärerna inför nya utmaningar. Det är framför allt den bildmässiga koncipieringen och dess särställning i förhållande till helgonlegenderna som jag kommer att uppmärksamma i det följande.

The Visions of St. Birgitta: A Study of the Making and Reception of Images in the later Middle Ages

Weak Vessels of God? Women Prophets in Renaissance Italy

by Maria H Oen, Eleonora Cappuccilli, and Clara Stella

Panel Session at the Annual Meeting of Renaissance Society of America, Virtual 2021, 13 April, 12... more

Mediation and Stratification: Readers and Promoters of the Mystical Writings of Catherine of Siena and Birgitta of Sweden

by Silvia Nocentini and Maria H Oen

This talk focuses on a comparison between the Catherine's Libro di divina dottrina (with its Lati... more This talk focuses on a comparison between the Catherine's Libro di divina dottrina (with its Latin and vernacular translations) and the Birgitta's Revelationes (with its Swedish translations). My main interest is for the phase immediately following the composition of these mystical texts, when they began to circulate through the network of promoters of Birgitta's and Catherine's cult, so that some issues can be discussed, such as the relationship between Latin and vernacular, the influence of the readers' demand on the manuscript tradition and the role of disciples and confessors in shaping the exterior form of these writings.

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden and Her Legacy in the Later Middle Ages, ed. by Maria H. Oen, Leiden-Boston, Brill, 2019 (recensione)

by Michele Lodone and Maria H Oen

«Aevum», 94 (2020), pp. 481-484

Introduction: Birgitta Birgersdotter and the Liber celestis revelacionum

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden

St Birgitta of Sweden (d. 1373) is one of the most celebrated female visionaries and authors of t... more

Chapter 13 The Locus of Truth: St Birgitta of Sweden and the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Tracing the Jerusalem Code

Birgitta Birgersdotter and the Liber celestis revelacionum

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden

Birgitta Birgersdotter and the Liber celestis revelacionum

A Companion to Birgitta of Sweden