Raingarde, the Holy Mother. The Representation of Raingarde de Montboissier († 1134) by Peter the Venerable

This article analyses the hagiographic representation of the mother of Peter the Venerable, Raingarde de Montboissier (†1134), whose portrait is delineated by the abbot of Cluny in a long letter from his well-known correspondence. It is an extraordinarily dense and complex text, not only because of the various themes that are developed in it, but also for a series of aspects that we intend to investigate; in particular, we shall dwell on the "narratio" where, surrounded by a hagiographical frame, the profile of Raingarde develops – first as a mother and then as a nun – through which Peter offers a mirror of virtue, an exemplary picture of Christian life, placing particular emphasis on the woman’s ability to prepare for a holy death, one of the central concerns of Cluniac spirituality.