Author Date

2004-12-16

Degree Name

BA

Department

Comparative Arts and Letters

College

Humanities

Defense Date

2026-03-09

Publication Date

2026-03-16

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Elliott Wise

First Faculty Reader

Dr. Jennifer Haraguchi

Honors Coordinator

Dr. Heather Belnap

Keywords

Virgin Mary, hortus conclusus, cloister, Italian art, religious meditation

Abstract

The practice of cloistering allows women to exist in spaces dedicated to meditation and religious devotion. The physical nature of the cloister, which involves walls separating these religious women from the world, maintains a distinction between the cloister as spiritual and the world as secular.

One of the many titles of the Virgin Mary is the hortus conclusus, or “walled garden.” This metaphor is intended to emphasize her spiritual separation from the sins of the world, as well as her perpetual virginity. Artistic depictions of the Virgin in this role, particularly from Italy in the 14th and 15th centuries, often include her sitting in a garden, surrounded by walls. These representations are striking in their similarity to cloisters, which are often centered on gardens or courtyards. This thesis explores the ways in which cloisters prompt religious women to meditate on the links between their lives and the life of the Virgin Mary. By placing themselves in physical spaces that mirror the metaphorical dwelling of the Virgin, these nuns are invited to see themselves in her and to aspire to the levels of purity and devotion embodied by her.

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