The Anxiety of Sanctity: St Gerald of Aurillac and his Maker
Stuart Airlie
Count Gerald of Aurillac (855–909) might seem rather out place in a gallery medieval saints: an aristocratic warrior, great lord, seemed very much man this world than saint ascetic withdrawal from it. This was also the initial opinion his biographer, who is, as far article is concerned, effectively maker since we shall be dealing only with ‘textual’ and not historical one. no less figure Abbot Odo Cluny (879–942), began Vita ( c . 930) by saying that many people doubted saint. The opening words Odo's Praefatio are quite explicit perhaps surprising: ‘many tend to doubt whether what said about blessed true. And lot these say stories true but fantastic.’ Originally himself had been too certain Gerald's saintliness, though time he came write convinced enough.2 problem lay convincing others.
The Journal of Ecclesiastical History