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The Letters of Adam of Perseigne

Volume 21

Adam of Perseigne Thomas Merton Grace Perigo

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English
Liturgical Press
29 June 2023
Abbot of the Cistercian monastery at Perseigne, Adam was a 'director of souls' in the late twelfth century. By his letters he counselled clerics and kings, nuns and nobles with affection, respect, and candor. Because his monastery lay in Normandy, he enjoyed close ties with Norman England and acted as an adviser to the crusader-king, Richard the Lion-hearted. Yet this intimate of the high-born was himself the son of a serf.

Nothing certain is know of the education by which Adam rose from the peasantry, but he is an example of the way in which a young man could improve his station by entering clerical life. After being ordained priest, Adam found favor at the witty and sophisticated court of the Countess of Champagne.

In his letters, Adam reveals that at some point he began to seek a disciplined life of prayer and entered a monastery of cannons regular. Dissatisfied there, he transferred to a Benedictine monastery, and then to a Cistercian abbey, likely Pontigny. His final choice may have been guided in large part by his great personal devotion to the infant Jesus and to His Mother, the patroness of the Cistercian Order. Marian devotion had grown rapidly in the twelfth century and was echoed in secular life by the increasing chivalric regard for ladies which found its greatest expression at the court of Champagne. In several of his letters Adam speaks tenderly of the virtues and graces of Saint Mary, giving eloquent voice to the popular love and admiration which swept across western Europe in the twelfth century.

By:  
Introduction by:  
Translated by:  
Imprint:   Liturgical Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Volume:   21
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 140mm,  Spine: 12mm
Weight:   277g
ISBN:   9780879071967
ISBN 10:   0879071966
Series:   Cistercian Fathers
Pages:   216
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Thomas Merton (1915-1968), Catholic convert, Cistercian monk and hermit, poet, contemplative, social critic, and pioneer of interreligious dialogue, was a seminal figure of twentieth-century American Christianity.

Reviews for The Letters of Adam of Perseigne: Volume 21

This volume, translated into lively English by Grace Perigo should be welcomed by those involved in religious formation in particular. But aside from that, these profoundly spiritual letters will doubtless have appeal beyond the confines of the religious and monastic lifeReview for Religious


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