The Hagiographical Landscape of Twelfth-Century England

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores hagiographic landscapes as depicted in miracle narratives from twelfth-century England. These stories, which focus on miraculous healing sought by pilgrims at saints’ shrines, often situate their protagonists in locations that, although based on real places, are reimagined for didactic purposes. The article argues that the journeys undertaken by pilgrims in the stories were meant to be read on a metaphorical level and that these re-imagined landscapes functioned to depict the protagonists’ inner journey from sin to salvation.