The religious and ecclesiastical role of women in the early medieval church in the city of Rome has so far not been studied in detail and this thesis offers to remedy that gap. It presents in form of a case study limiting itself in terms of its topographical boundaries to the city of Rome, and in terms of a historical time period to that which coincides approximately to the start of the papacy of Hadrian I to the end of the papacy of Paschal I. Use is made only of source material which can be connected directly to early medieval Rome, and not only ordained and monastic roles of women are explored but also the many other ways in which women were able to engage with the liturgy, sacraments and religious ordinances as well as through diaconal and other forms of work. This is done not least through a detailed analysis of the relevant Ordines Romani. Other ways in which women of early medieval Rome were able to engage in the life of the church was through the production and maintenance of liturgical textiles and also through patronage on large and small scales towards individual ecclesiastical institutions. A less well known means of engagement was through the work of the diaconitae at Rome’s diaconiae. Throughout the thesis a particular interest is expressed in exploring how religious and ecclesiastical engagement was possible for women from lower social strata. In addition to this the overall inclusion, or otherwise, of women in the surviving iconographical material of early medieval Rome is analysed. Particular attention is given to matters such as relics, saints patronage and lectionary readings in relation to saints’ days. Matters of hermeneutics are explored on an ongoing basis in relation to the source material, but also in relation to the secondary literature consulted. Regarding the latter this is especially undertaken in relation to female monastic communities and the offices of the diacona, presbytera and episcopa. In respect of these offices, but also in relation to all other matters pertaining to the ecclesiastical and religious roles of women in early medieval Rome this thesis argues neither for a minimalist nor for a maximalist interpretation, but offers a nuanced yet, of necessity, fragmentary overall picture. This is borne out of the decision to work only with source materials that can be directly linked to early medieval Rome which in itself is fragmentary in nature. On the one hand it means that little can be made known on a subject area such as women’s religious education for instance. On the other hand this concentration on Roman source material alone means that matters unique to the situation of women in the church of medieval Rome can be established, such as, for instance, the continuation of the ordained office of the diacona into the early ninth century or the absence of any issues regarding cultic cleanness relating to women.

This thesis explores how Venice's church architecture was shaped by the Counter Reformation between 1550-1700. It provides a snapshot of the situation with four pertinent case studies representing the broad spectrum of Venice's churches. Chapter One focuses on San Nicolo di Ldo, a church that was part of the proactive Cassinese Congregation. The church was rebuilt entirely and represents an almost ideal response to the Counter Reformation. Chapter Two looks at the rebuilt parish church of San Moise and it tackles the compromises that inevitably came with many competing factors. Chapters Three and Four look at how older churches were renewed and retrofitted with new features, adapting their existing structures to cater for new requirements as stipulated by the Council of Trent decrees or pamphlets such as Carlo Borromeo's Instructiones. Chapter Three hones in on Santo Stefano, a large monastic Gothic church, while Chapter Four looks at the considerably smaller Byzantine parish church of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli. This thesis highlights many similarities between the four buildings (and others in Venice), which exemplify key facets of the reform movement and the pluralistic and complex challenges faced by each church.

The thesis explores how far enclosure was pivotal in shaping the female Franciscan spirituality in thirteenth-century Umbria as cloistered and contemplative. It focuses on how enclosure influenced the development of representations of female urban sainthood, with particular reference to three Umbrian saints; Clare of Assisi, Clare of Montefalco and Angela of Foligno. The issue of enclosure came to the fore because of the success of the Franciscan movement in promoting the apostolic life, which emphasised the itinerant life, evangelisation and participation within the urban community. However, women who aspired to follow these values were instead directed towards introspective, contemplative seclusion. The claustration of Clare of Assisi exemplified this type of response. Using a combination of a wide range of sources, the nature of enclosure and the processes by which claustration was consistently articulated and promoted are reconstructed. My research reveals that the creation of the cloistered ideal was a negotiated process. The first, chapter, Challenging the stabilitas loci, examines the significance of hagiographic sources, in the form of vitae and canonisation proceedings, in revealing the nature of enclosure for religious women, and, by utilising a wide number of saintly examples, shows how often enclosure was in reality broken by women. The following two chapters concentrate on the construction of male textual authority and the importance they placed on the seclusion for religious women. Chapter 2, The regularisation of chastity: between doctrine practice, examines the theological arguments that were put forward in the development of monastic rules for women and how they reflected a trend that assumed that professed religious women ought to remain within the cloister. In doing so, the regularisation of the cloister emphasised the preservation of the chastity of nuns, through their affiliation to established orders, their supervision and material provision.

St Nicholas was one of the most popular saints in medieval Italy. His cult attracted the attention of popes, kings and emperors, and his shrine at Bari became an important international pilgrimage destination. This thesis asks how the cult of St Nicholas came to be so widespread and popular in Italy, and why the saint attracted the attention of diverse groups and individuals. This thesis is structured around four chapters. The first demonstrates that through a process of Latinisation the cult of St Nicholas became integrated within Italian literary traditions and within a new spiritual era. Chapter Two reveals that this Latinisation also occurred within the saint’s iconography. Chapters Three and Four are case studies of the cult in Puglia and Venice, locations which claimed possession of the saint’s relics. These case studies show that the general developments that the cult of St Nicholas underwent in Italy, identified in Chapters One and Two, did not apply universally. Instead, the presence of the saint’s relics resulted in a different profile of the saint in Bari and Venice. Through the process of Latinisation, the cult of St Nicholas became updated and remained relevant for its new Italian audience; Chapters Three and Four show alternative ways that the cult of St Nicholas gained widespread popularity. This thesis presents for the first time an iconographical study of St Nicholas in Italian art, which develops existing research of the saint’s Byzantine iconography. Chapter Four presents a profile of the cult of St Nicholas in Venice in the Middle Ages, which is a significant oversight in the literature. The thesis uses a variety of visual and textual sources, in particular fresco and altarpiece representations, archival documents from Venice and Rome (including the Apostolic Visitations), and under-exploited contemporary and antiquarian Venetian sources.