During the Middle Ages, devout Christians venerated holy people known as saints. As everyday Christians made it through the struggles of life, they found comfort by identifying with saints, some of whom had extremely strange and unusual stories, or vitae. As strange as some of them were, however, they attracted veneration due to the […]

Although the tradition of Christian monasticism had its origins in 3rd-century Egypt and the Levant, its medieval form was firmly established by St. Benedict’s Rule of the 6th century. Benedictine monasteries adopted this set of rules and became widespread across Europe in the Early and High Middle Ages. However, over time some of these […]

In Ancient Greek philosophy, friendship (or “philia”) was considered fundamental for shaping how one thought, acted, and organized society. However, we will see that thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates viewed the matter rather differently from how we might today. Of course, they took an interest in personal relationships, as did other school movements, […]

Few people have come close to achieving such legendary status as Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid. Throughout his life, he fought for both Christian and Muslim armies, and was greatly respected and revered by both. In fact, his tale has been told so often that history and legend have been […]