Review of Barbara Diefendorf, Planting the Cross: Catholic Reform and Renewal in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century France (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019). (original) (raw)
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Planting the Cross by Barbara Diefendorf is a significant scholarly work that explores the impact of the French religious wars on Catholic reform in 16th- and 17th-century France. Diefendorf emphasizes the role of monastic orders as local agents of spiritual renewal, challenging traditional narratives of top-down Catholic Reform and Counter-Reform. Through six case studies, the book highlights the complexities and localized nature of Catholic renewal while raising important questions about the involvement of lay Catholics and the Protestant response to these efforts.
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