Raised in a convent, this rebellious scholar formed an iconic pair of the medieval era with Abelard. Portrait of a thwarted lover, narrated by Virginia Giraud.
Onlookers at the Pere-Lachaise cemetery admire the burial monument of Heloise and Abelard, designed as the tomb of a famous medieval couple by architect Alexandre Lenoir in 1817… A romantic myth that suffers the memory of Heloise, reduced to the status of a proud Don Juan’s lover. In fact, she was not so much a married teenager, the tender prey of a perverted man who loves sadistic love affairs. She was a demanding and demanding woman.
A nimble feather
Heloise is the daughter of the Canon of Notre Dame, Fulbert’s sister. The illegitimate child of an aristocrat, she grew up in the Argantey convent, like many girls from good families. There he learned the rudiments of letters and arts and was distinguished by an unusually lively mind and an unquenchable thirst for learning. After leaving the monastery, he moved in with his uncle Fulbert, who loved him like a father. The latter knows that his niece is capable of career orders. In order for him to one day become an abbot of a prestigious monastery, he pushes him to study. The girl has read all the old authors. His works testify to his thorough knowledge of Roman poets such as the love singer Ovid, but also of the theory of humor developed by Hippocrates. In intellectual Paris, Heloise’s reputation is that of a wise woman with a nimble pen.
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Fiery passion
Many men admire her and point out her “masculine” qualities. In the Middle Ages, this was a valuable compliment. Heloise was not seen as a fragile woman or a temptress to men, but as their equal. Such fame attracts Abelard. The almost 40-year-old teacher offers to give him lessons to complete his education. Heloise is then said to have been a teenager. at 12e century, this term means a virgin of marriageable age. he’s probably in his twenties. Professor and student soon experience intense passion
Opt out of the union
Fulber demands marriage to restore his family’s honor, but Heloise counters with surprisingly modern arguments. She sees marriage as a tomb for love and refuses to live together, which will hinder Abelard in his work. Household and children are all worries for the intellectual. She would rather remain his lover than agree to their servitude. But Fulber is not inferior to his niece. The lovers’ marriage ends in separation when Heloise Abelard forces her to enter a convent, first at Argento and then at the Paraclete, which he founded.
The legendary Heloise and Abelard couple on screen in Clive Donner’s 1988 film. Jadran FIlms / Amy International / Christopher Collection
A woman of mind and body
The rebellious scientist rises to the rank of abbot and writes a long letter to her husband. Rereading it in the light of our current sensibilities, we find Abelard distant. Heloise regrets the past pleasures of eroticism, the impure thoughts that often parasitize her prayers. Abelard provides the key to their relationship the story of my woes his literary confessions. He defiantly seduced Heloise, loved her body while she was in love with him. Despite her disappointed expectations, Heloise in the Middle Ages is an unexpected synthesis of the intellectual and the carnal woman, animated by a longing for freedom but stifled by the age.
Virginia Giraud has a doctorate in history. Find him on the podcast At the heart of the story From Europe 1 Studio, on your favorite listening platform.
Source: Le Figaro
