The Formation of Culture Through Eleventh-Century Ritual and Literature

Culture is the reflection of the values and ideals of society, and changes over time as values change. The early eleventh century was a time of change due to religious ideals and new governments in the French and German Kingdoms, and the values and ideals of those societies were reinforced and molded by ritual veneration of saints’ relics and the episcopal vitae which gave histories of the saints who were venerated and the churches and monasteries that kept their relics. This contribution evaluates the use of saints’ relics by those involved in the pax Dei movement and by Pope Leo IX at the Synod of Reims (1050). It then evaluates how the public veneration of saints helped to promote the ideals found in episcopal vitae from Toul and Regensburg, namely that holy bishops should belong to a network of saints, that they defend and provide for their people, that they support monasticism, and that they show respect for Rome and the office of pope.