The work of Marguerite Porete and the beguinal movement:

Brief reflection about the possible influence on the first latin american women's communities

Abstract

The feminine religious movement of the beguines developed in medieval Europe between the 12th and 13th centuries, until the middle of the 14th century. Then it went into decline in terms of its original postulates, since many of the beguinates ended up being closed and others absorbed into the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church. They promoted the religious, organizational and economic autonomy of the communities, rejecting the perpetual observance of the vows of chastity and closure, preaching and teaching in the late medieval townships, and living and transmitting a new form of mystical experience. Among these beguines was Marguerite Porete who impacted the society and the history with her life and thought. The activity of the beguines, like Margarita, influenced the medieval german spirituality and some central ideas of the Protestant Reformation. In this way, due to the Catholic doctrinal reformulation with the Counter-Reformation, these forms of religiosity and feminine community reached the conquered America. These conventual communities which showed similarities with beguinates had a short life, but it is still relevant that the first manifestation of female religiosity in America was marked by a strong demand for autonomy, freedom, and community unity.