Magic in the Cloister

A remarkable collection of over thirty magic texts, donated by monks with occult interests to St. Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, reveals a significant shift toward more positive attitudes toward magical ideas in medieval Europe. These texts, which combined justifications for magic with other genres, demonstrate how religious insiders integrated magical studies into their orthodox worldview without contradiction. By analyzing this unique collection, Sophie Page's Magic in the Cloister sheds light on the evolving acceptance of magic within monastic life and broader intellectual culture during this period.

Page, S. (2015). Magic in the Cloister. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780271060965