Date of Award
May 2017
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Art History
First Advisor
Richard A. Leson
Committee Members
Tanya J. Tiffany
Keywords
Jeanne of Flanders, Laon, Man of Sorrows, Medieval, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Widows
Abstract
This thesis provides a new argument concerning the patronage of the little-known chapel of St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Laon Cathedral. I examine unpublished documentary evidence that identifies the noblewoman responsible for the financing and construction of the chapel in the early fourteenth century. Circumstantial evidence indicates Jeanne of Flanders, a noble widow, also ordered the carving of relief sculpture of the Crucifixion and St. Elizabeth of Hungary along the chapel’s north wall. In this thesis, I argue that Jeanne’s actions fit the prescribed behavior for wealthy medieval widows, in that she expresses newfound authority and power in the wake of her husband’s death, through the patronage of the chapel space. Jeanne’s specific selection of the narrative of St. Elizabeth of Hungary for the chapel at Laon also paralleled her own interests as fourteenth century Flemish woman and pious widow.
Recommended Citation
Armstrong, Abby Rose, "Jeanne of Flanders and the Patronage of the Chapel of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary in Laon Cathedral" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 1577.
https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/1577