Vitreous Vitae

In Vitreous Vitae: St. Margaret of Antioch in Thirteenth-Century Stained Glass, Ashley J. Laverock considers the representation of the virgin martyr St. Margaret in thirteenth-century stained-glass windows in Europe. These windows appeared at a moment when Margaret's cult was expanding but before the motif of the saint with the ragon became normative. They offer insight into the rich narrative potential of Margaret's life in a monumental medium seen by wide audiences. Examining these windows not only reveals shared emphases on Margaret's imitatio Christi, corporeal suffering, and encounters with the dragon and demon, but also shows how distinct site-specific hagiographies of Margaret were tailored to each church's context. Multi-faceted Margarets contributed to the wider cult of the saint.