Anna von Munzingen was a German prioress of the 14th century, who descended from a well known noble family at Freiburg. In 1318 she wrote a "chronicle" of the mystical experiences of her nuns in the work Adelhausen Schwesternbuch (Sister-book of the Adelhausen Covent).[1] The text was originally composed in Latin, but only a Middle High German translation survives. The chronicle comprises a collection of thirty-seven biographies of the sisters, focussing on visions, theophanies and mystical experiences.[1] Anna focussed entirely on the experiences of the women within the convent, emphasizing a sense of independence from the friars, whom many of the sisters resented. The work belongs to a genre known as sister-books, which was also known from other German convents of the period, including Christine Ebner and Katherina von Gebersweiler.[2] Because nuns were not given the same privileges as friars to participate in sermon activities, this genre became ideal for women like Anna to express themselves in writing.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Graeme Dunphy (2010). "Anna von Munzingen". In Dunphy, Graeme (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle. Leiden: Brill. p. 45. ISBN 90-04-18464-3.
  2. ↑ Hiram Kümper (2010). "Sisterbooks". In Dunphy, Graeme (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle. Leiden: Brill. pp. 1364–1367. ISBN 90-04-18464-3.
  3. ↑ Wilson, Katharina M.; Margolis, Nadia (2004). Women in the Middle Ages. London: Greenwood Press. pp. 34–35.


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