ABSTRACT
Women saints and mystics proliferated in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Although they were to be found particularly in the Low Countries, parts of Germany and the towns of northern and central Italy, they were by no means confined to these areas. Women mystics saw their way to the imitation of Christ through renunciation of what would have been their normal life in the world: renunciation of family ties, wealth, a comfortable lifestyle, beauty, food and drink. The background and experience of these women were extremely varied. On the whole, they did not come from the lower orders of society. Some became nuns at an early age and their whole experience was bounded by convent life. Women's mystical experience was rooted in their sexuality and emotions. Austerity and intense meditation comprised only one side of the lives of many of these religious women. Active service in the world, often taking the form of charity to the poor and sick.
