Benedicta in mulieribus. The Virgin Mary as a paradigm of women in the patristic tradition and its possible reflection in Spanish Gothic painting
José María SALVADOR GONZÁLEZ
Original title: Benedicta in mulieribus. La Virgen María como paradigma de la mujer en la tradición patrística y su posible reflejo en la pintura gótica española
Published in Mulier aut Femina. Idealism or reality of women in the Middle Ages
Keywords: Iconography, Mariology, Paradigm, Patristics, Spanish Gothic painting., Theology, Women.
From the first centuries of the Christian era the Virgin Mary became in respect of the believers a sublime and inimitable model of human, moral and spiritual virtues. This fact has been staged by researchers on Marian iconography as a self-evident axiom, which need not be explained or justified documentarily. Going against this uncritical stance, this paper aims to explain, through a lot of theological and patristic citations, three fundamental aspects or attributes, in which, among many others, the paradigmatic character of Mary becomes real: her supereminence in comparison with the other women, her supereminence in comparison with the other creatures, including angels and saints, and her intercession before God on behalf of human beings. We complement our study by a comparative analysis through which we attempt to relate these patristic and theological sources with some Spanish Gothic paintings in which the three mentioned aspects of the analyzed Marian doctrine could be reflected in some way.
Building the city: the role of women in late medieval construction
Marta REDONDO DE FUENMAYOR
Original title: Construyendo la ciudad: el rol femenino en la edilicia bajomedieval
Published in Mirabilia Journal
Keywords: Architecture, Construction, Jobs on the construction site, Late Middle Ages, Women, Workshops.
Transgressors or submissive to established norms, women have been active subjects of architectural practice throughout history. This was the case in the Middle Ages, with its well-known patriarchal societies, where a clear hierarchy of the public, dominated by men, over the private, the place of women, was evident. Thus, it seems unthinkable to some that a percentage of the hands that built the great medieval buildings belonged to the gender relegated to the intimacy of the home. But nothing could be further from the truth: historical experiences show that medieval construction was a phenomenon of shared jurisdiction. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to make visible the role of women as construction workers. The starting point will be a bibliographical review, which reveals the dispersion, scarcity, and limited visibility that this subject has had in traditional historiography. On this basis, we will analyse the regulatory documents, builindg logs, statutes of professional guilds and municipal ordinances, as primary sources that have facilitated the understanding of the role of women within the social hierarchies established in the late medieval period. Subsequently, a general overview will be given of the activities carried out in the construction process, both the tasks on site and those carried out in trades and workshops. The starting point for this is the analysis of graphic and written sources. The images that accompany this chapter, unusually considered when dealing with the subject, support the documentation and become a magnificent exponent of the visual culture of the Middle Ages. Finally, the female stipend in construction work will be analysed, making it possible to ascertain the place of women in the late medieval building industry.
Considerations about the Woman’s condition in Classical Greece (5th and 6th centuries)
Moisés Romanazzi Tôrres
Original title: Considerações sobre a condição da mulher na Grécia Clássica (séculos V e IV a.C.)
Published in Mirabilia 1
Keywords: Aristophanes., Aristotle, Women.
This article, fundamentally about ateniense case, presents some aspects about woman condition in the Classic Greek. Aristotle justifies the woman submission by the absence of logos plenitude in her spirit. The Aristophanes comedy presents the woman participation in the public life as unusual action. Finally, on the Spartan woman case, we verify a shorter importance in the social body and in the family life.
Feminine elites in Galician towns during the Late Middle Ages
Miguel GARCÍA-FERNÁNDEZ
Original title: Las élites femeninas en las ciudades gallegas de la Baja Edad Media
Published in Mulier aut Femina. Idealism or reality of women in the Middle Ages
Keywords: Galicia, Late Middle Ages, Towns, Urban elites, Women.
Women from different social groups lived in medieval towns. However, historians have studied more closely women working outside their homes in various trades and, far less, women that were part of the urban oligarchies. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze female elites in Galician towns during the Late Middle Ages, indicating who they were and what their role within the oligarchy was. So, we will know some names, places, relationships, public actions and attitudes to death of those female elites.
