Ateneo - UPO

The course, which is monographic in nature, will focus on the study of the history of Christian spirituality through the medieval millennium, concentrating in particular on the everyday religiosity of the laity in Europe and the Mediterranean, and on the influence that the development of monastic orders and the evolution off ideals of holiness during the Middle Ages had on it.

Attending students will be tested on the material discussed in class, as well as on the volume R. Rusconi, Storia del cristianesimo e delle Chiese, 2019 [Morcelliana], ONLY parts 1 and 2.

And on ONE of the following books at their choice:
• G. Todeschini, Ricchezza francescana. Dalla povertà volontaria alla società di mercato, 2023 [Il Mulino]
• A. Barbero, Un santo in famiglia. Vocazione religiosa e resistenze sociali nell’agiografia latina medievale, 2024 [ Rosenberg & Seiler]
• P. Cozzo, In cammino. Una storia del pellegrinaggio cristiano, 2021 [Carocci]
• P. Brown, Il culto dei santi, 2002 e ristampe [Einaudi]

Non-attending students will be tested on their knowledge of R. Rusconi, Storia del cristianesimo e delle Chiese, 2019 [Morcelliana], ONLY parts 1 and 2.

And of TWO of the following books at their choice:
• G. Todeschini, Ricchezza francescana. Dalla povertà volontaria alla società di mercato, 2023 [Il Mulino]
• A. Barbero, Un santo in famiglia. Vocazione religiosa e resistenze sociali nell’agiografia latina medievale, 2024 [ Rosenberg & Seiler]
• P. Cozzo, In cammino. Una storia del pellegrinaggio cristiano, 2021 [Carocci]
• P. Brown, Il culto dei santi, 2002 e ristampe [Einaudi]

Basic level: 1. knowledge and understanding: acquisition and understanding of the themes and problems of the history of medieval Christian spirituality, with particular reference to religious orders, holiness and lived religion. Advanced level: 1. ability to apply knowledge and understanding: to be able to critically interpret the sources and literature on the subject; 2. expression of judgement: to be able to evaluate and argue the issues related to the themes dealt with in the course; 3. communication skills: to be able to clearly expound the knowledge acquired; 4. study skills: to acquire an autonomous and personally revised knowledge of the study contents.

The 6 credits to be earned are broken down as follows for attending students: 1.2 credits for classroom-based and interactive teaching, and 4.8 credits for self-study.

Basic historical knowledge acquired in high school.

Lectures with occasional direct readings from sources translated into Italian. Sources and materials used in lectures will be made available on the DIR platform.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via reference office consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities. Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Erasmus/exchange students are invited to contact the lecturer at their earliest convenience, in case they wish to prepare a list of agreed readings in English and/or in French instead of the Italian titles listed above.

The final examination consists of an oral exam lasting approximately 20 to 30 minutes. It is intended to verify the knowledge included in the objectives and the expected learning outcomes by means of an examination involving questions on the main problems dealt with in the course, with the aim of verifying: 1) the learning of basic notions; 2) the acquisition of a critical capacity in the analysis of problems; 3) the acquisition of a critical capacity in the use of sources; 4) the use of appropriate scientific terminology; 5) the ability to establish links between topics. In particular, the following weight will be given to the verification of the aforementioned achievement of the educational objectives: 1) 40%; 2) 15%; 3) 15%; 4) 10%; 5) 20%.

Demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in class, combined with good critical thinking skills, expressive fluency and command of specialist terminology, will be awarded marks of ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ (28–30 with honours); a predominantly notionist or poorly developed grasp of the content, combined with linguistic and logical skills that are not always adequate, will be assessed with a mark ranging from ‘satisfactory’ (22–24) to ‘good’ (25–27); a minimum level of knowledge of the course content, combined with gaps in learning or inadequate linguistic and logical skills, will result in a ‘pass’ mark (18–21); a lack of even a minimum level of knowledge of the course content, combined with inadequate linguistic and logical skills and gaps in learning, will result in a mark of ‘fail’ (

In the course of the lectures, the main debates, events and personalities in the history of Christianity in the medieval millennium, mostly from the 5th to the 15th century (with some mention of the classical and late antique period), will be addressed.
Some of the main topics addressed will be:
- Early and Late Antique Christianity - Early medieval models of holiness
- Benedictine monasticism and its reforms
- Eastern and insular monasticism - Religion in the Carolingian age
- The new orders of the 10th-12th centuries
- The apostolic life movement in Italy and Europe
- The Mendicant Orders
- The 'pastoral revolution' of the 13th century
- High-medieval heresies
- Crusades and spirituality
- Religious minorities in Italy (Jews, Eastern Christians, Muslims) - Late-medieval models of holiness
- The Avignon papacy and the Great Schism
- The Observances and religious reform movements of the 15th century.

Integration of the gender dimensions: during the course, female religious figures, practices, and movements will be analyzed, such as the Beguines, Clare of Assisi, Catherine of Siena, etc.

Basic level (knowledge): students are expected to have acquired 'solid knowledge of historical background' (cf. SUA A4.b.2) in the field of medieval history. Advanced level (competence and transferable skills): students are expected to be able to 'demonstrate a professional approach to the analysis of historiographical texts and sources' (cf. SUA A4.b.2)