Date: Monday, January 10
Time: 5:30 PM EST

This lecture will take place virtually, via Zoom. Ticket sales will end at 2:30 pm EST the day of the lecture. Attendees may request a video recording AFTER the lecture takes place by emailing proof of purchase to [email protected]. Video recordings are valid for 30 days after the date of the lecture.

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The legend of Saint Ursula centers around the pilgrimage of a princess from Britannia who had an entourage of 11,000 virgins. They never complete their journey and meet a gruesome end. But their story doesn’t end here. This talk explores what happens when the discovery of skeletons purported to be those of Ursula and her companions ignites a cult of virgins that leads to ex-communications, demonic possessions, and a witch trial. Join us for Saint Ursula and the Cult of 11,000 Virgins and learn about the lives of women inspired by Ursula and the men who demanded their submission.

Eric Huang is the producer and host of Saint Podcast, a history and pop culture podcast about the lives of the saints. He studied paleontology at UC Berkeley but didn’t pursue a career in academia and became a children’s book publisher, writer, and lecturer instead. Eric is fascinated by queer histories, old masters art, Catholica, and the natural world. He currently lives in London with his cat McNulty. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @dinoboy89.

Images:

1. Saint Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins Les Grandes Heures d’Anne de Bretagne, Jean Bourdichon, Tours or Paris 1503-1508

2. Still from the Ken Russell film, The Devils, about possessed Ursuline nuns based on the Aldous Huxley nonfiction book

3. Goldene Kammer, chapel in Cologne made from the alleged bones of the 11,000 virgins

4. Reliquary bust made at the height of the Ursula and virgin craze

5. A 19th-century mystic named Anne Catherine Emmrich who had visions of Saint Ursula