The rewriting of a hagiographical text in the 12th century: the 'Vita sancti Sansonis' by Baudri de Bourgueil

The Vita sancti Samsonis was written by Baudri de Bourgueil in the first th ird of the 12th century, when he was archbishop of Dol. According to the ow n introduction of the author, it has been regarded for a long time as a sty listic rewriting without any major interest. However, a comparison between the Vita by Baudri and his source, a Carolingian text, a closer examination of the way it was written shows that this formal and stylistic rewritten w ork hides deep thought on hagiographic texts and function.