Hans Kienhorst / Ad Poirters: Hungry for Mysticism? Possible Signs in Sixteenth-Century Books from the Women’s Convent of Soeterbeeck

This modest contribution seeks to exemplify the importance of the careful attribution of books to a monastic community for the study of its spiritual life. Palaeographical and codi­cological research into the historical library of the women’s convent of Soeterbeeck in the Netherlands confirms the hitherto unfounded assumption that the sisters produced their own books during the late Middle Ages. The partly mystical contents of the manuscripts and fragments that survive from Soeterbeeck’s scriptorium, all of which date from around the middle of the sixteenth century, raise questions concerning the community’s religious cul­ture.

Keywords: women’s convent – book production – codicology – palaeography – mystical lit­erature