The Career, Cult and Canonization of St Colette of Corbie (1381-1447).

Book excerpt: This thesis is a study of St Colette of Corbie (1381-1447), a Franciscan reformer in fifteenth- century France who was canonized in 1807. It aims to locate Colette in her own historical context of the traumatic transition from medieval to early modem Europe, and assess whether the events and actions of her life merited the reputation she earned for holiness and the creation of a posthumous cult. It further aims to trace the factors which both enabled her cult to survive throughout the period of the Reformation, Counter-Reformation and Enlightenment, and yet delayed her canonization until the beginning of the period of Napoleonic in Europe. Part One questions the reliability of the hagiographical construction of identity through the analysis of primary documentation in order to build an historical portrait of Colette. It establishes Colette in her Franciscan setting, examining her Franciscan influences and her specific Franciscan calling. It analyses the relationship and tensions between Colette's reforms and the Franciscan Observant reforms. It makes a thorough analysis of the reform's complex and political network of patrons; and seeks to determine how Colette is able to negotiate both political and religious power-politics in order to both satisfy her patrons and further the reforms. Part Two traces the survival of Colette's cult between 1447-1807, analysing its enduring popularity through traumatic socio-religio-political change. It discusses how Colette's identity was forced to change and how its adaptability to circumstances was the secret to its success. It aims to answer the questions of why Colette was canonized, why it took so long, and why 1807 was the 'right time' for her canonization.