Description:
Ramseyer traces the efforts by the archbishop of Salerno and the abbey of Cava to centralize ecclesiastical structures and standardize religious practices in medieval southern Italy.
Brief description: Valerie Ramseyer is Associate Professor of History at Wellesley College.
Review Quotes:
"Based upon extensive archival research, this exceptional monograph, focused upon the Principality of Salerno, documents how a range of eclectic religious practices and institutions, drawn from both Greek and Latin Christianity, persisted beyond the era of Gregorian reform. Although the authority to reform derived from the papacy, which promoted uniformity, the region's archbishop and the abbey of Cava had considerable autonomy in practice to shape and implement reforms in ways suitable for the distinct religious culture of Salerno."