‘‘Réalta an chruinne caitir fhíona’’: the cult of St. Katherine of Alexandria in Late Medieval Scotland

Abstract

This thesis succinctly investigates the chronological traces and the historical development of the cult of St. Katherine of Alexandria in Late Medieval Scotland. The main argument of this study evolves around why possibly the cult of St. Katherine has not been examined in the previous literature, although the Katherine-cult was predominantly recognized by the Scottish population. The thesis will trace the cult through gradual methodological and contextual steps, that are, hagiography, liturgy, dedications, and onomastics. The outcome will attest to the necessity of the re-evaluation and recognition that the Katherine-cult in Late Medieval Scotland was not any less significant than the cults of native saints of Scotland.