ABSTRACT
The history of Purgatory and its relative importance in soteriology in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries tells us much about wider spiritual and ecclesiastical movements in Brittany. Theological and clerical interest in Purgatory shifted over time. Strategies for the afterlife and particularly for souls in Purgatory were forced to adapt to a new austerity in temporal world. The response of elite and popular groups to the prospect of purgation in the afterlife was clear. The creation and patronage of a range of intercessory institutions to provide ongoing, preferably perpetual, intercession for souls in the 'third place' is evidence of widespread belief in Purgatory in Brittany. The evolution of perpetual intercession, for individuals and groups, was influenced by the relative prominence of the eucharist and good works in the economy of salvation. Numbers of mass priests remained high while souls in Purgatory needed prayers; despite some decline in the seventeenth century, clerical density was still marked throughout Brittany.
