The success of the Order-of-Saint-Victor - A comparative study of the patronage of canonical foundations in thirteenth-century Flanders and Hainaut

Despite their obvious impact on the religious landscape of the period, the canons and canonesses of Saint Victor have remained rather elusive figures in the historical record, and their significance has remained largely under -appreciated by modern scholars. By briefly surveying the origins and early evolution of several of the more prominent congregations of Augustinian ca nons which prospered in the counties of Flanders and Hainaut, including the Premonstratensians, Arrouaisians, this study attempts to situate the Victo rines within the spiritual context of the region during the thirteenth cent ury. This study identifies the differences in ideal and practice which dist inguished these congregations, and assesses policies regarding the inclusio n of women which may have affected popular perception and potential patrona ge of individual foundations. In particular, the actions of the countesses of Flanders and Hainaut are assessed in order to explain why some foundatio ns appealed to powerful patrons while others provoked little, if any, inter est. While both countesses proved to be avid supporters of the canonesses o f Saint Victor, they directed few donations towards communities of Premonst ratensians or Arrouaisians. This article seeks to explain this disparity in order to broaden our understanding of the concerns and considerations whic h motivated medieval patrons, and to foster a modern appreciation for the c omplexity and diversity of medieval religious life in the thirteenth centur y.