Embodied Piety. Sensory Education and Childhood Devotion in Medieval Europe

This paper examines the devotional experiences of children in medieval Christianity, focusing on how their senses, bodies, and minds were trained to perceive and engage with the sacred. Through an analysis of educational practices, it uncovers cognitive mechanisms rooted in embodiment, experiential learning, and the deliberate activation of the senses as tools for cultivating religious devotion. The study pioneers the application of modern cognitive theories to historical inquiry, identifying medieval examples of interactive, multimodal learning environments, practices, and objects. The research centres on children’s religious artefacts, practices, and textual sources from thirteenth–fifteenth century Europe, particularly Italy, France, and England. A diverse range of objects - from pedagogical tools to devotional items - is explored to reveal how they engaged the senses, stimulated spiritual imagination, and contributed to the intellectual and moral formation of children. Ultimately, this paper seeks to reintegrate material culture into the study of medieval childhood, demonstrating how these artefacts functioned as formative agents that shaped both devotional practices and broader social norms.