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taylor lecture

MI Lecture—Catherine Taylor, "The Lady at the Gate"

Thursday, November 02
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM MT
Education In Zion Theater - JFSB

“The Lady at the Gate: Women as Holy Gatekeepers in Early Christian Iconography”

Early Christians spent a lot of time with their dead. They carefully curated rites and memorial images that not only commemorated their deceased loved ones, but also connected and legitimized them with biblical narratives. The ritual practices of lament, the patronage of burials, and the care of the dead often fell to women. They were the physical and spiritual gatekeepers between life and death, but they were also the iconic initiatory figures for prophetic, even salvific acts.

This lecture will examine three iconographic case studies within the context of early Christian tombs and sarcophagi to demonstrate early Christian reception of biblical women as archetypal gatekeepers. By employing this archetype with themselves and with their dead, early Christian women talk to us about their devotional lives.