About
Marguerite Porete, born around 1250 in Hainaut and burned at the stake in Paris in 1310, was a Christian mystic associated with the Beguine movement. She authored 'The Mirror of Simple Souls', a treatise in Old French describing the soul's ascent to God through love. Condemned by the Bishop of Cambrai in 1306, the work led to her arrest by the Inquisition. Refusing to recant, she was burned alive in the Place de Grève. Her work, long anonymous, was rediscovered in 1946 by Romana Guarnieri.
* 1250-01-01 — † 1310-06-01
Major works
- Mirouer des simples âmes (1296-1306)mystical treatise
Key milestones
- 1306The Bishop of Cambrai condemns her book and has it publicly burned.
- 1310Condemned as a relapsed heretic, she is burned alive in Paris.
- 1946Romana Guarnieri identifies Marguerite Porete as the author of the 'Mirouer'.
Themes
Mystical loveAnnihilation of the soulSpiritual freedomAllegorical dialogueBeguine mysticism
Sources: britannica.com · medieval.bodleian.ox.ac.uk