Abstract:
In the twelfth century, mandatory celibacy among priests became the accepted rule. This highlights the conflict between the worldly and the spiritual: many who received a clerkly education were confronted with the difficult choice of whether to marry or to enter the religious life. Two works from the late-eleventh and early twelfth century propose a resolution to this conflict that might be called spiritual marriage. Both the Life of Saint Alexis and the Letters of Abelard and Heloise demonstrate this notion by binding together marriage and religious life; this view later serves to inform other literary works, specifically Marie de France's Eliduc.In the Life of Saint Alexis the saint first gifts his wife with symbols of his faithfulness before quickly deserting her in order to devote himself to a life of celibacy and service to God. Through their chastity, Alexis and his wife are later joined in a spiritual union that transcends the earthly. Similarly, Abelard and Heloise take religious orders after marriage, but maintain a spiritual relationship through their Letters. The influence of these models on Marie de France's Eliduc is evident in the similar plotlines and in the sacrifice Eliduc's wife makes in taking religious orders so her husband may be free to marry his mistress. Spiritual marriage, then, is embodied when couples choose lives of celibacy and service, showing their love for one another through devotion to God. This paper explores the notion of spiritual marriage expressed in these works as a way to further an understanding of twelfth century literature.
