From the highest peaks into the deepest abyss

Abstract

The central of this in this thesis is how Rudolph constructs the identity of the abbey of St. Trond in the Gesta abbatum Trudonensium. In other words, how does Rudolph define what the abbey of St. Trond ought to be like, and how he uses the past to do so. By examining the gesta abbatum and other sources written within the monastery I examine Rudolph's views on the ideal monastic life and how he used the history of the monastery to serve his own interests