A novel about cloistered life in Ferrara, northern Italy in the 16th century came my way. ‘Sacred Hearts’ by Sarah Dunant carries the reader effortlessly into the little world of a Benedictine convent. The near-military discipline is apparent on every page. Offences such as talking during the Great Silence earn the unfailing imposition of a penance. Verses from the Psalms come readily to the lips of nuns and novices who spend a large part of their time in recitation. Personalities are in evidence as in the wider world but are subdued in the interest of a greater good, the well-being of the monastery. All the inmates work hard, some at specialities of their own such as one principal character who supervises the nurture and distillation of herbal remedies.
And another element in the make-up of the community behind the walls is the nature of its intake. Daughters of noble families who are so ill advised as to enter into romantic ties that fail to gain family approval find themselves willy-nilly placed in the convent, whether or not they have a vocation for such a life. Well might Hamlet say to Ophelia: ‘Get thee to a nunnery.’
The reader gains a feel of what such a community is like. It is a response to the Gospel ordered and defined and made deliberate. It might be called holiness by subtraction. It might just as readily be described as regularising the Christian faith in terms of poverty, chastity and obedience – especially obedience. There is a meaningful strategy to cultivate holiness and inculcate spiritual priorities that, given the underlying assumptions, is impressive and attractive.
By comparison the Bishop, plagued by haemorrhoids, and the confessor, prone to sleepiness, are worldly office-holders, necessary visitors to the cloister, whose time-table is other than that of the religious.
And there is the rebel. She brings a beautiful singing voice to the convent and also a refusal to fall out of love with her minstrel. (She is only sixteen.) Steps have to be taken and are. The story moves to a climax that is not quite convincing. True love trumps religious commitment.
The phrase ‘over the wall’ occurs in the narrative and jolts the reader with a reminder of Monica Baldwin’s reminiscences. Published by Virago, the novel has a tendentious flavour that is inescapable. But it is a skilful piece of writing that prompts a reader to give serious thought to the pros and cons of the religious life.
EXPANDNG IDLE
Holy Trinity church, Idle, Bradford has outgrown its present building. It is in the business of installing a gallery and refurbishing lounge and toilets. It has £215,000 in the bank for the job. The Vicar is Jim Taylor. With a background of worshipping with the Salvation Army, Baptists and Free Churches, he has worked in the prison service. His wife Gill is a local lay minister. The church has a mission apprentice.
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