Les deux vies de Robert d'Arbrissel, fondateur de Fontevraud. Légendes, écrits et témoignages

The multifaceted Robert of Arbrissel (ca. 1045-1116) is best remembered as the founder of Fontevraud, a monastery of men and women under the direction of an abbess. A restless nonconformist, Robert was both famous and infamous in his own lifetime and has been a subject of debate ever since. In this book an international team of scholars – Jacques Dalarun, Geneviève Giordanengo, Armelle Le Huërou, Jean Longère, Dominique Poirel, and Bruce L. Venarde – present all known medieval sources concerning Robert of Arbrissel. The authors have created critical editions of materials including hagiography, correspondence, statutes, charters, and various short texts in verse and prose illustrating Robert’s life and memory. To facilitate broad access to these materials, the entire dossier is translated into French and English. The authors’ purpose, then, is not to offer the last word on Robert of Arbrissel, but to make available in one volume the materials that will promote further research and new interpretations of this controversial medieval Christian.