Piety and patronage in late medieval Gozo

Abstract

The substantial literature on popular piety in late medieval Christendom underscores the importance of social and economic factors among the considerable range of forces leading people to express their religious culture in particular forms of behavior. One well-known pattern which emerges repeatedly in the late medieval documents relates to the practice of ecclesiastical patronage by laymen in different communities. This practice is abundantly attested amongst members of Gozitan society in the fifteenth and early sixteenth century, and fortunately may be studied through a unique collection of documents.