Beatrice of Nazareth

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Beatrijs von Nazareth , OCist (* 1200 in Tienen (today's Belgium), † August 29, 1268 in the Nazareth monastery ) was a Flemish mystic .

Life

Her life story is known from a medieval Latin vita, the "Vita Beatricis", written by an unknown clergyman who relied on Beatrijs' lost records.

After the death of his wife, Beatrijs' wealthy father founded three monasteries, Bloemendaal, Magdendaal and Nazareth, and eventually entered the Cistercian order himself . His children also became religious.

After the early death of her mother, Beatrijs was sent to the Beguines in Zoutleeuw at the age of seven and attended school there. A year later, her father brought her back home. Because she wanted to join a religious order, her father took her to the Cistercian monastery Bloemendaal / Florival at the age of ten , where she was accepted as an oblate and continued her education. At the age of fifteen she asked to join the order as a novice , which she was initially denied because of her youth and her physical tenderness. A year later she was accepted into the novitiate and in 1216 made her religious vows .

After her profession she was sent to the monastery in Rameia / Rameige / La Ramee, where she learned how to make elaborate manuscripts and became friends with Ida von Nivelles . In 1236 she came to the Nazareth monastery. She became the first prioress and held this office until her death in 1268. According to legend, after the monastery was dissolved, her body was brought to Lier by angels.

She is venerated as a blessed in the Catholic Church . Her feast day is July 29th.

Beatrijs wrote a mystical work in Flemish language ("Seven manieren van minne", ie Seven Kinds of Love ), which deals with different aspects of spiritual experience and the gradual deepening and transformation of love and its ascent into mystical love (God's love) . In this document u. a. Demonstrate the influences of the mysticism of Bernhard von Clairvaux ; it counts as the first evidence of female mysticism .

literature

  • Peter Dinzelbacher : Medieval woman mysticism . Paderborn, 1993.
  • Kurt Ruh : History of Occidental Mysticism Volume II, Women's Mysticism and Franciscan Mysticism of the Early Period . Munich 1993, pp. 138-157.