CARTUSIANA

NEW PUBLICATION: Devotio deliciosa

admin — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 07:21:27 +0000

Devotio Deliciosa: Denis the Carthusian on the Eucharist & the Mass
Edited and translated by Andrew M. Greenwell

Devotio deliciosa ("delightful devotion") takes its title from the words the Carthusian theologian Denys the Carthusian (d. 1471) used to describe a form of Eucharistic devotion. The tripartite division of sensible devotio that underlies this concept was originally introduced by the Carthusian prior and author Henry of Coesfeld (d. 1410), who drew inspiration from the work of the Brabantine mystical theologian John of Ruusbroec (d. 1381). Henry expounded this theology of devotion in his own Latin treatise on the sacrament of the Eucharist—a work that remains unpublished to this day. Denys subsequently adopted the same threefold division in his De contemplatione ("On Contemplation"), and later in his Sermones ad religiosos and his Eucharistic writings.

This volume, edited by Andrew Greenwell, presents in English translation a collection of Denys the Carthusian's writings on the Mass and the Eucharist. It opens with the Dialogue on the Sacrament of the Altar, an exchange between a priest—understood as an idealized "everyman"—and Jesus Christ, who appears both as the eternal High Priest and the sacrificial Victim. Through this conversational yet theologically rich format, the dialogue explores nearly every aspect of the Eucharist's mystery, meaning, and effects. Also included is Denys's Exposition on the Mass, a step-by-step commentary on the rites and prayers of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. A brief Treatise on Frequent Communion, composed in response to a correspondent's request, and six Eucharistic "sermons" offer a concise synthesis of Denys's teaching. Although these sermons may never have been delivered from a pulpit, they were clearly intended for reading and meditation; they present the same doctrine found in his other Eucharistic works in a more rhetorically accessible and pedagogically inviting style.

Andrew Greenwell, a Catholic layman and civil trial and appellate lawyer, has undertaken an extensive project to translate several works of Denys the Carthusian (d. 1471) into English. Beyond Devotio deliciosa, Greenwell is also currently translating Denys's extensive Commentary on the Psalms into English as a six-volume series, published by Arouca Press, with Volumes 1 (Psalms 1–25), 3 (Psalms 51–75), 4 (Psalms 76–100), and 5 (Psalms 101–125) already published, and Volumes 2 and 6 forthcoming. Andrew M. Greenwell is a Catholic layman, with three children and four grandchildren. He has written articles for Catholic Online and for a number of years wrote a blog on the natural moral law called Lex Christianorum. He has translated works from German, Latin, French, and Italian into English. He is a member of the Latin Mass Community at St. John the Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas.

ISBN 979-8892801676 - €24,95 (paperback)
ISBN 979-8892801683 - €36,95 (hardcover)

The attempt to record the surviving book holdings of the Erfurt Charterhouse, which was dissolved in 1803, and to determine the whereabouts of the more than 1,000 volumes listed in the medieval shelf catalogue was first undertaken by Paul Lehmann in 1928. Sixty years later, Sigrid Krämer presented an updated documentation, which was published in 1989 in the first part of her reference work "Handschriftenerbe des deutschen Mittelalters" (The Manuscript Heritage of the German Middle Ages). The book holdings recorded in these two inventories form the foundation of a new database. This database goes back to the working papers that Balázs Nemes has been providing in PDF format since 2020 via FreiDokplus, the institutional repository of the University of Freiburg (the last corrected and expanded version can be found here [as of: September 19, 2024]). Like the working paper, the present database, which was created in collaboration with the Digital Humanities Lab of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Freiburg, offers as up-to-date and bibliographically sound a documentation as possible on the whereabouts of books (manuscripts and incunabula) from the Erfurt Charterhouse. The documentation is based primarily on the evaluation of relevant scholarly literature (descriptive catalogues, work- and author-oriented repertories, monographs, editions, articles, etc.), but also takes into account more recent and older auction catalogues, of which the 1836 Eisleben auction catalogue of the library of the consistorial councillor Friedrich Gottlieb Julius von Bülow (1760–1831) and the 1847 auction held in Halle by the antiquarian bookshop Lippert & Schmidt deserve special mention.

The database is available at the link
balazs.jozsef.nemes@germanistik.uni-freiburg.de.

Carthusian papers at IMC Leeds 2026

admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:53:30 +0000

Carthusian papers at IMC Leeds 2026:

1. Session 328 - 'Time goes by so slowly': The Ruly and the Unruly in Eremitical Monasticism
Monday, 6 July 2026, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM GMT+1
Organisers: Stephen J. Molvarec (School of Theology & Ministry, Boston College, Massachusetts) & Tom Gaens (Ruusbroecgenootschap, Universiteit Antwerpen)
Moderator: Emilia Jamroziak (Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds / Wydział Historii, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza, Poznań)
Sponsors: Cartusiana & Bollandists

Paper 328-c - 'Carthusia, quid dicis de te ipsa?': Carthusian Apologetic Literature and the Process of Identity Formation
Wiktor Dziemski (Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Kraków)

2. Session 329 - Private Prayer across Time and Media in the Late Middle Ages, III: Images as Instruments for Prayer
Monday, 6 July 2026, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM GMT+1
Organisers: Anna Dlabacova (Centre for the Arts in Society, Universiteit Leiden) & Thor-Oona Pignarre-Altermatt (Institut des Civilisations, Arts et Lettres / Centre d'Analyse Culturelle de la Première Modernité, Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve)
Moderator: Zuleika Murat (Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Università degli Studi di Padova)

Paper 329-b - Oratio devota: A Case Study on Carthusian Prayer through Text and Images in the Late Middle Ages - Universiteitsbibliotheek Utrecht, MS 358
Ingrid Falque (Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve) & Sarah Borges (Centre d'Histoire et de Théorie des Arts, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris)

3. Session 531-c - The Perception of Space, Time, and Movement in the 12th-Century Cloister
Tuesday, 7 July 2026, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM GMT+1
Organisers: Teresa Martinez Martinez (Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Università degli Studi di Padova) & Zuleika Murat (Dipartimento dei Beni Culturali, Università degli Studi di Padova)
Moderator: Fabio Massaccesi (Dipartimento delle Arti, Università di Bologna)

Paper 531-c - The Perception of Space, Time, and Movement in the 12th-Century Cloister
Micol Long (Università degli Studi di Milano)

More information:

Radulph of Rivo, General Ecclesiastical Calendar and On the Observance of Canons, edited by Gerhard Eger and Zachary Thomas [Brepols Library of Christian Sources, vol. 16], Brepols, 2026
ISBN: 978-2-503-61792-3

When the canons of the Congregation of Windesheim set about codifying their liturgy in the final decades of the 14th century, they had to reckon with the striking variety of customs among the different dioceses, nations, and religious orders of the Roman rite. In their perplexity, they turned to Radulph of Rivo (ca. 1350–1403), dean of Our Lady of Tongres and canon law professor at Cologne. Radulph travelled to Rome to discover the sources of its ancient liturgy. There he was alarmed to discover that even in Rome authentic traditions had been displaced by novelties, and he accused the Franciscans specifically of unlawfully abbreviating or altering the offices. In his reply to the canons of Windesheim, entitled De canonum observantia (ca. 1400), Radulph charts a course of conservative liturgical reform that hews closely to Roman authority. He appeals to canon law, the approved uses of ancient churches and religious rites, the famous commentators, and old liturgical books he found in Rome to establish the authoritative form of Western worship. On the eve of the great changes that swept Europe in the next century, Radulph’s treatise stands out as a careful and competent guide to the Latin liturgical tradition and an invaluable witness to contemporary practice. His conservative intervention looks forward to the work of the Tridentine liturgical commission, whose members had access to Hittorp’s 1568 edition of his treatise. This edition provides modern readers with the first English translation of Radulph’s work and copious notes to illuminate this fascinating period.

More information:

Carthusian Monasticism: History, Life, World, Texts, eds. Stephen J. Molvarec, S. J. and Demetrio S. Yocum (De Gruyter, Medieval Institute Publications, January 2026)

This volume seeks—through the work of a number of experts in various fields—to explore monastic life as embodied by Carthusian monks and nuns. Medieval and Early Modern Carthusians are omnipresent in a number of topics in medieval studies—literature, history, art, religious life, and the development of intellectual and theological thought. Moreover, these religious men and women were significant contributors to Medieval and Early Modern culture, society, and spirituality. Despite Carthusians' influence and popularity during this time, they have often escaped scholarly attention. As a multi-pronged and interdisciplinary study, this volume offers a comprehensive, yet nuanced re-examination of the Carthusian way of life: one that often challenges long-standing assumptions about the Carthusians and their place within Western Christianity and civilization. The breadth and depth of this volume will appeal not only to the seasoned scholar and graduate students, but also to newcomers to the field.

CONTENTS:
Introduction -- Stephen J. Molvarec SJ, Demetrio S. Yocum
Part I: Historical Narratives: From Origins until the Early Modern Period
- “Origo ordinis Cartusienses”: Bruno, Guigo, and the First Carthusians -- Stephen J. Molvarec SJ
- Mournful Travelers Gazing at the Chartreuse: Carthusian Representation and Self-Representation from the Late Middle Ages to Modern Times -- Tom Gaens
- Memory of the Past and Aspirations Toward the Eternal: Exploring the Trajectory of Carthusian Historiography -- Adelindo Giuliani
Part II: Materiality and Spiritual Life
- The Planning of Carthusian Charterhouses in the Later Middle Ages in England and the Netherlands -- Glyn Coppack, Caroline den Hartog
- Carthusian Architecture and Art (Twelfth–Sixteenth Century) -- Julian Luxford
- Stability and Change in Carthusian Liturgy and Music -- Thomas Op de Coul
- Charting Carthusian Community Life: From Its Origins to the Sixteenth Century -- Demetrio S. Yocum
- Carthusian Ethics -- Krijn Pansters
Part III: Society and Textuality
- The Carthusians in Medieval England: The Desert, the Church, and the State -- Michael G. Sargent
- The Role of the Carthusians in the Development of Middle Dutch Mystical Theology -- Rob Faesen
- Carthusian English Literature in and out of Cloister: Scribes, Authors, Translators, Correctors, and Patrons of Fifteenth-Century Women’s Writing -- Kathryn Kerby-Fulton
Part IV: Texts and Authors
- Guigo II: A Master Teacher -- Raymond Studzinski OSB
- Carthusian Nuns in Medieval France: The Example of Marguerite d’Oingt -- Maureen Boulton

More information:

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 06:48:03 +0000

Bringing together researchers from various disciplines, the research group “Essais de terminologie(s). Images, littérature, spiritualité” initiated at GEMCA in 2022, aims to collectively question the understandings of terms relating to the use of images and literature in the field of spirituality between the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The aim is to examine the uses of this vocabulary in order to define research topics more precisely and propose more informed terminology. This exploration is based on two main types of corpus, which are carefully to cross-referenced: secondary literature and primary sources. During these study days, the intention is to broaden the collaborative work and the network by focusing on the notion of the “devotional image” (Andachstbild) and related practices (devotion, piety, prayer, meditation, etc.). Drawing on a variety of approaches and corpora (both geographical and chronological), the study days aim to collectively examine the generic concept of devotional images from a historiographical, epistemological, and terminological perspective.

See attachment for the full program.

Registration is free, but for practical reasons, please inform the organizers of your participation at one of the following addresses: elise.philippe@uclouvain.be; ingrid.falque@uclouvain.be; solene.lecuivre@uclouvain.be.

Bijlage:

Image of Devotion.pdf

NEW PUBLICATION: Ritus canendi vetustissimus et novus

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 10:37:11 +0000

Johannes Gallicus of Namur (†1473), a Carthusian monk and author of the treatise Ritus canendi vetustissimus et novus (1458–1464), embodies the figure of a rigorous yet pragmatic reformer of musical education. His intellectual profile is the product of a unique education in the 15th-century musical landscape, developed between the ecclesiastical schools of Wallonia and Vittorino da Feltre's Ca' Zoiosa , which was also decisively influenced by the spiritual and cultural orientations of the Carthusian Order. The Ritus canendi, presented by Giacomo Pirani in a new critical edition preceded by a comprehensive introduction on the author's life—now enriched by a previously unpublished series of documentary testimonies—and musical thought, is the manifesto of a reform in the method of learning liturgical chant aimed at restoring the ideal balance between theory and practice achieved between the age of Boethius (6th century) and that of Guido of Arezzo (11th century). The appendix also includes the texts, critically examined for the first time, of two short treatises on arithmetic by Gallico, demonstrating the important role the theorist assigned to mathematical instruction in the musical curriculum as well. This edition is published as volume 23 in the series La Tradizione Musicale. Studi e testi, published by SISMEL - Edizioni di Galluzzo (ISBN 978-88-9290-345-6)

More information:

Zomercursus: Kartuizermystiek

admin — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 08:58:59 +0000

De 28ste zomercursus mystieke literatuur, die van zondag 24 tot donderdag 28 augustus 2025 plaatsvindt in de Oude Abdij van Drongen, is gewijd aan kartuizermystiek. Met Rob Faesen komt de Gulden Brief van de cisterciënzer Willem van St.-Thierry aan de kartuizers van Mont-Dieu aan bod. Tim Peeters leest teksten van de middeleeuwse kartuizers Guigo I (Lofzang op het solitaire leven) en Guigo II (Ladder van de monniken); Mathilde Van Dijk leest uit het Zieleviooltje van Petrus Dorlandus. John Arblaster bespreekt teksten uit de Meditaties en de Spiegel van de Franse kartuizerin Marguerite D’Oingt. Jos Bernaer geeft een muzikale lezing over kartuizerliturgie. De openingslezing wordt gegeven door Tom Gaens. Op maandagavond wordt de film Into great Silence vertoond, een indrukwekkende meditatieve film uit 2005 over het leven in de Grande Chartreuse. En op woensdagavond is er een concert: Zo Klinkt Stilte. Tenor Roel Vansevenant en pianist Jan Christiaens nemen ons mee op een muzikale reis langs de dunne scheidslijn tussen klank en stilte. Doorlopend is er een boekenstand met nieuwe en tweedehandsboeken met betrekking tot de spirituele en mystieke traditie.

Meer info:

Bijlage:

ZC25 Folder.pdf

Carthusian papers @ IMC Leeds 2025

admin — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 06:18:09 +0000

The following Carthusian papers will be presented at the IMC Leeds 2025. The conference will take place from Monday 07 July to Thursday 10 July 2025.

TUESDAY 08 JULY 2025: 14.15-15.45
Session: 726
Title: NICHOLAS OF CUSA AND HIS LEARNING FROM THE RELIGIOUS ORDERS, I
Sponsor: Franciscan Institute, St Bonaventure University, New York / Cusanus Society UK & Ireland
Organiser: Luke Togni, Franciscan Institute, St Bonaventure University, New York
Moderator: Volker Leppin, Yale Divinity School, Yale University
726-a: Bringing Ruusbroec into Concordance: Henry of Coesfeld's Devotional Theology in Relation to Nicholas of Cusa's Early Sermons (Language: English)
Tom Gaens, Ruusbroecgenootschap, Universiteit Antwerpen

WEDNESDAY 09 JULY 2025: 09.00-10.30
Session: 1028
Title: 'I'VE LEARNED MY LESSON WELL': TEXTS, LEARNING, AND THE SHAPING OF EREMITIC MONASTICISM
Sponsor: Cartusiana / La Société des Bollandistes, Brussels
Organisers: Tom Gaens, Ruusbroecgenootschap, Universiteit Antwerpen and Stephen J. Molvarec, School of Theology & Ministry, Boston College, Massachusetts
Moderator: Emilia Jamroziak, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
1028-c: Reading St Jerome in the Desert: Early Carthusian Self-Fashioning and the Letters of Jerome (Language: English)
Stephen J. Molvarec, School of Theology & Ministry, Boston College, Massachusetts

WEDNESDAY 09 JULY 2025: 11.15-12.45
Session: 1113
Title: BODIES, II: BODY AND CLERICAL AUTHORITY - LANGUAGE, IMAGES, AND PRACTICES
Sponsor: Arbeitskreis 'Körper und Geistlichkeit im Mittelalter. Tugend, Macht und Repräsentation' (KUG), Ruhr-Universität Bochum / Technische Universität Dresden / Universität zu Köln
Organisers: Daniela Bianca Hoffmann, Forschungsstelle für Vergleichende Ordensgeschichte (FOVOG), Technische Universität Dresden and MariaElena Kammerlander, Historisches Seminar, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Moderator: Simone Wagner, Historisches Institut, Universität Potsdam
1113-c: Monastic Body and Episcopal Office: The Embodied Authority of Cistercian and Carthusian Monk-Bishops (Language: English)
Daniela Bianca Hoffmann, Forschungsstelle für Vergleichende Ordensgeschichte (FOVOG), Technische Universität Dresden

More information and registration:

Despite the assertions about simplicity by the founding fathers of the Carthusian Order, charterhouses readily displayed images and works of art, especially during the late Middle Ages and Early Modernity. This international conference explores innovative lines of research on image-based meditative and devotional practices as well as experiences of art and images in the charterhouse, discourses on images by Carthusian authors, material and visual cultures of Carthusian monasteries, and comparative approaches to Carthusian art, opening up new avenues for understanding the role of works of art and images in Carthusian monasteries (c. 1350- 1700).
The conference will take place in KartHuis, the former charterhouse of Leuven, on 15-17 May 2025 and will be held in the context of the 600th birthday celebration of the universities of Louvain-la-Neuve and Leuven.

Bijlage:

Carthusians and images_programme web.pdf