Maja Gilewski

PhD candidate (associated)
History of the Middle Ages

Until 30 September 2025, Maja Gilewski was a research associate at the DFG Research Training Group 2792 “Autonomy of Heteronomous Texts in Antiquity and the Middle Ages.” She is currently employed as a research associate at the Chair of Catholic Theology held by Prof. Dr. Dr. Jörg Bölling at the University of Hildesheim. She continues to be affiliated with the Research Training Group as an associated doctoral researcher.

Her doctoral project examines the use of ancient hagiographical topoi in early medieval saints’ vitae of women active in Gaul (6th and 7th centuries CE). The study investigates whether, and to what extent, gender-specific types of sanctity emerged in the Latin West during the transitional period from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Maja holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in History, Classical Archaeology, and Cultures and Languages of the Mediterranean World from Georg August University of Göttingen. Her Master’s thesis focused on female mysticism in the High Middle Ages within the context of the Franciscan Order. Her research interests lie in medieval religious and ecclesiastical history—particularly the Early and High Middle Ages—as well as in the history of early Christianity and historical gender studies.

Maja Gilewski

Stiftung Universität Hildesheim
Institut für Katholische Theologie
Tilsiter Str. 1
31141 Hildesheim

gilewski@uni-hildesheim.de

Research project

“Heteronomy and autonomy of female saints' vitae in Gaul at the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages”
The dynamic developments in the 4th century AD paved the way for the transformation process of the early Christian community into a “people's church” and a new Christian self-image with the model of an unbloody imitatio Christi. At the same time, the literary genre of the Acts and Passions of the Martyrs was replaced by the first vitae of the saints. The first biographies of male saints were soon followed by the first lives of female saints, including the Vita Sactae Macrinae by Gregory of Nyssa and the Vita Melaniae Iunioris by Gerontius. The text genre would reach its heyday in the High Middle Ages.
Gaul played a special role as the educational center of Western monasticism, and its autochthonous position came to the fore through holy figures such as Martin of Tours. From the 6th century onwards, the number of reports about holy women would also increase here. The Vita Genovefae was followed by other biographies, including the Vita Monegundis by Gregory of Tours and the Vita Radegundis by Venantius Fortunatus and the prioress Baudonivia.
At the center of the study is the question of the autonomy or heteronomy of the vitae of those women who were active in Gaul in the early Middle Ages in relation to the known vitae of saints dedicated to men (and women) in late antiquity. The aim is to work out specific design features of a Christian holy woman in order to show how these were taken up and at the same time how special aspects of female sanctity were elaborated in order to form an independent text genre.
As a reflection of the increasing participation of the Frankish ruling classes in the cult of Christian saints, the Vites can also provide information about the development of early medieval religiosity as well as the change in ideas of female sanctity and the development of female-specific types of saints in the Latin West.

Curriculum Vitae

since 01/2025

Doctoral Researcher, Institute of Catholic Theology, University of Hildesheim

• Primary supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dr. Jörg Bölling (University of Hildesheim / Leibniz University Hannover) • Secondary supervisor: Prof. Dr. Andreas Bihrer (Kiel University)

• Dissertation project: “Between Tradition and Reception: Constructions of Female Sanctity in Gallic Saints’ Vitae at the Transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages”

01/2025 - 09/2025

PhD student at the Research Training Group “Autonomy of Heteronomous Texts in Antiquity and the Middle Ages”

• Mentor: Prof. Dr. Timo Stickler (FSU Jena) and Prof. Dr. Bracht (FSU Jena); external: Prof. Dr. Dr. Jörg Bölling (University of Hildesheim/Leibniz University Hannover)

• Dissertation project: “Heteronomy and autonomy of female saints' vitae in Gaul at the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages”

02/2021

Master in the interdisciplinary study program Cultures and Languages of the Mediterranean at the Georg-August-University Göttingen

10/2014 – 10/2017

Bachelor in the study programs History and Classical Archaeology at the Georg-August-University Göttingen

11/2016-10/2017

Student assistant at the Göttingen Archaeological Institute

2016/2017

Participation in excursions of the Classical Archaeology Göttingen to Italy and Greece (tasks: find analysis, archaeological photography)

Teaching
2026

• „Research Colloquium: Ancient Christianit“y, Leibniz University Hannover

• „Research Colloquium: Middle Ages and Modernit“, Leibniz University Hannover (in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Michael Rothmann and Dr. Jörg Voigt, Department of History, Leibniz University Hannover)

• „Research Colloquium: History – Theology“, University of Hildesheim (Colloquium of the Institute of History, Prof. Dr. Michael Gehler / Dr. Yves Schmitz, in cooperation with the Institute of Catholic Theology, Prof. Dr. Dr. Jörg Bölling)

Organization of Academic Events
26. 11.-29.11.2025

Participation in the organization of the interdisciplinary conference “Popes and Vestments from Julius II to Benedict XVI: Textiles, Texts, and Contexts from Six Centuries”, organized by the Roman Institute of the Görres Society in cooperation with the University of Hildesheim, Campo Santo Teutonico, Rome. Publications Conference report on the interdisciplinary conference “Popes and Vestments from Julius II to Benedict XVI: Textiles, Texts, and Contexts from Six Centuries.”

Publications

Tagungsbericht [MG2.1] zur interdisziplinären Tagung „Päpste und Paramente von Julius II. bis Benedikt XVI. - Textilien, Texte und Kontexte aus sechs Jahrhunderten“