Abbesses

Saintly men and women, the abbots and abbesses at the time, guided communities devoted to living a simple Christian life.

As the Church increased in size through the centuries, the logistic dynamics of operating such large entities shifted: patriarchs, metropolitans, archimandrites, abbots and abbesses, all rose up to cover certain points of administration.

Benedictine abbots and abbesses have full jurisdiction of their abbey and thus absolute authority over the monks or nuns who are resident.

In all this time, ladies ruled Quedlinburg as abbesses without "taking the veil"; they were free to marry.

In Anglo-Saxon society the lack of many child rulers meant a lesser role for women as queen mothers, but this was compensated for by the increased role played by abbesses of monasteries.

In Spain and France certain Cistercian abbesses had extraordinary privileges.

Many abbots and abbesses asked her for prayers and opinions on various matters.

The Roman Catholic Church has around 200 abbesses at present.

These double monasteries were presided over by abbesses, some of the most powerful and influential women in Europe.

Web: Dec. 16, 2009 Whether it also forbids women from teaching children and women is dubious as even those Catholic churches that prohibit female priests permit female abbesses to teach and exercise authority over other females.