Liturgy and the Spiritual Experience of Religious Women at Santa Maria de Vallbona, Catalonia

Liturgical sources can be valuable resources for investigating medieval women’s spirituality. A collection of liturgical manuscripts from the Cistercian women’s abbey of Santa Maria de Vallbona in Catalonia illustrate changes in the monastery’s devotions from the mid-twelfth through the late fourteenth centuries. The offices for certain saints, notably Margaret, Katherine, and Ursula, became more elaborate during this period, suggesting their importance to the nuns. The offices for these saints show common themes, linked to the material in the common office for virgins at the monastery. These themes emphasize not only nuptial imagery from the Song of Songs, but also prudence and preparation, exemplified by the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matt. 25.1–13). Themes of prudence, preparation, and chosen status appear in all of the offices for female saints, suggesting a spiritual focus for nuns different from the image of nuns as brides of Christ.