The wisdom of the Beguines
Subtitle: the forgotten story of a medieval women's movement
By: Laura Swan
Publisher: BlueBridge, an imprint of United Tribes Media Inc.
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Katonah, New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 202
ISBN-13: 9781933346977
Copyright date: 2014
Subjects: Beguines; History; Christianity; Spiritual life; Women
Description: The beguines began to form in various parts of Europe over eight hundred years ago, around the year 1200. Beguines were laywomen, not nuns, and thus did not take solemn vows and did not live in monasteries. The beguines were a phenomenal movement that swept across Europe yet they were never a religious order or a formalized movement. But there were common elements that rendered these women distinctive and familiar, including their common way of life, their unusual business acumen, and their commitment to the poor and marginalized. These women were essentially self defined, in opposition to the many attempts to control and define them.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-199) and index.

Sister Laura Swan, O.S.B, has for many years studied and written about the history of women's spirituality and the monastic life. She is the associate editor of Magistra: a Journal of Women's Spirituality in History and adjunct professor of religious studies at Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Washington. A member and former prioress of St. Placid Priory, a community of Benedictine women in the Pacific Northwest, her books include The Forgotten Desert Mothers and Engaging Benedict.
Table of contents: title: Who were the Beguines?; title: Beguines across Europe; title: The Beguines; title: Beguine ministries; title: Beguine spirituality; title: Beguine compassion; title: Beguines as preachers and performers; title: Literary Beguines; title: Were Beguines heretics?