Meditations for a Nun's Coronation from Wöltingerode

Two manuscripts owned by abbess Elisabeth von Burgdorf (1463 - 1489) illustrate the significance of the ritual of coronation, or a nun's spiritual marriage, for the spiritual lives of the nuns at the Cistercian monastery of Woltingerode. Analysis of the prayers and meditations to structure and guide a nun's mental preparation for her coronation demonstrate how the symbolism of coronation shaped female religious identity within this community in the later fifteenth cnetury, and in particular how these nuns expressed their self-understanding as brides of Christ.