European Religious Cultures is a set of stimulating essays first written as offerings for Christopher Brooke on his eightieth birthday. They are now gathered for the enjoyment of all those interested in the history of religious cultures. They address a variety of practices in religious life -- among them pilgrimage and the urban cult of saints, the monastic performance of liturgy, the choice to enter the priesthood -- and situate them within the life-cycles and social relations of medieval Europeans. The authors have been inspired by Christopher Brooke's own interests over a long and fruitful career. First published in 2008, European Religious Cultures is now reissued as an Open Access edition with a new introduction by Professor Miri Rubin.

This volume of essays is intended as a tribute to the distinguished medieval historian Christopher Brooke. It addresses new questions in areas of medieval history which Professor Brooke has made his own: urban life and religious life. The fourteen essays explore the coexistence of religious ideas and ecclesiastical institutions with urban practices and townspeople. They span five hundred years of the history of western Christendom, ranging from Magdeburg to Majorca, and from Cambridge to Cluny. The essays break new ground in a number of areas in medieval history: in economic history, the history of ideas, and the history of religious institutions. The contributors have been attuned throughout to the complex interactions of groups and ideas within urban space. The book also contains a bibliography of Christopher Brooke's writings and an appreciation of his work.