LITVIS results enabled the researcher to further characterize what informed the nuns’ choice and use of artworks and texts in Iberian nunneries, in this specific period and in a context marked by monastic reform. This represents an important addition to the characterization of Iberian convent culture and in particular to the study of the cultural implications of monastic reforms in this region, from which little was known. Regarding the nuns’ religious praxis LITVIS results are of particular importance as the lack of surviving liturgical sources containing the instructions for the celebration of ceremonies in female religious houses hampers the study of their performance in these communities. Through the joint and interdisciplinary study of liturgical sources and other surviving elements of material culture, it was possible to learn that, despite rooted on the rituals developed to be used in the context of male monasticism, in female religious communities the performed ceremonies were adapted to accommodate the reality of these women (deeply marked by enclosure), and the convents’ particular contexts. Finally, LITVIS results brought to light new information on the use of art, imagery and shared liturgies by enclosed nuns as a way to overcome the limitations of enclosure and legitimize their adherence to radical reformist movements attracting the laity’s support.
Thus, the results of this project contributed to the knowledge of late-medieval and renaissance convent culture through the specific case of Iberian nunneries, providing new information for researchers, students, the general audience and also cultural heritage institutions connected to the history of monasticism. Moreover, LITIVS helped establishing an interdisciplinary methodology that can be used for a holistic comprehension of monastic culture in future studies. The project included activities centred on the translation of scientific research to the general public, promoting lifelong learning and the democratization of culture, offering the citizens a new perspective on an important part of European heritage and identity. These activities were also designed to raise awareness to the lack of gender issues in the writing of History (which is still reflected on History books, museums’ exhibitions and historical recreations in general), and to the importance of funding its rewriting.
