Encounters with Medieval Women: Mary of Egypt
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The Aromatic Tradition in the Early Medieval Period
When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine, opportunities for martyrdom were greatly reduced. Great devotees had to choose other forms of self-abnegation and bodily mortification to prove their devotion. And this is where the kind of aromatical tradition begins. A key figure is Sanantony, who retreats into the desert and is often fought about as this the father of monasticism.
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