Drawing upon scholarship on the history of psychology, eastern monasticism, gender and hagiography, a new book from Denva Gallant, assistant professor of art history at Rice University, explores a deeper understanding of the intersection of visual culture and spirituality in medieval Italy.

“Illuminating the Vitae patrum: The Lives of the Desert Ascetics in Fourteenth-Century Italy,” is the first book to extensively examine the richly illustrated manuscript of the Vitae patrum (MS. M. 626) housed at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City, providing a comprehensive analysis of its historical and cultural significance.

“The manuscript’s extraordinary illustrations serve as a singular witness to the era’s evolving religious practices, making the desert saints’ teachings compelling and accessible to fourteenth-century city dwellers,” Gallant said, explaining how it deepens our understanding of the centrality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers to late medieval piety.

By focusing on the most extensively illuminated manuscript of the Vitae patrum during the Trecento, the book sheds new light on the ways in which images communicated and reinforced modes of piety.

Published by Penn State University Press in 2024, “Illuminating the Vitae patrum” is a result of prestigious grants, including the College Art Association Millard Meiss Publication Fund Grant and a 2022 ICMA-Kress Research and Publication Grant, underscoring its significance in the field of medieval studies.

The book is yet another avenue for Gallant to deliver scholarship on the Desert Fathers to a wider audience. Collaborating with the Mivos Quartet and composer Christopher Stark, she has also performed text from “The Lives of the Desert Fathers,” connecting with the public through a unique blend of scholarly and artistic expression.

Gallant brings a wealth of expertise in European medieval art and architecture to this groundbreaking work. Her scholarly contributions extend to narrative, the eremitic ideal, environmental imaginaries, race and ethnicity in late medieval Italy and patronage in the Middle Ages.