ABSTRACT
Like many twelfth-century hagiographers, the writer of Christina of Markyate’s vita knew his subject personally. Christina’s establishment at Markyate was less than ten miles away from the writer’s home community of St Albans, the large, powerful and ancient Benedictine abbey that dominated the surrounding region. The writer must have made the short trip from St Albans to Markyate often. From the vita it is clear that he dined with Christina at Markyate, questioned her at length, knew many of her quirks, spoke with her mother and siblings, and did not wait for her death to begin writing his tale of her life. This writer knew Christina well, and how we envision his relationship with and perception of the living Christina is essential to how we read and understand his text.1 The first part of this essay is dedicated to thinking through this relationship more carefully. When did the writer come to know Christina? What was it like for him to be in her presence? What did he admire and respect in her? To what extent did Christina dictate the tone and contents of the vita, and to what extent the author?
