Abstinence from earthly pleasures – such as fasting, using a hair shirt,
and ascetic sleeping conditions – as well as devotional practices were
vital aspects of a holy life. They were frequently reported in canonization
testimonies and other hagiographic texts. An important feature in this was
discretion; a holy person was supposed to exceed the limits of common
human endurance but not practice excessive self-harm. This chapter
discusses infirmity as a delineating factor that allowed and required
discretion in asceticism and devotional practices. At the same time,
various members of a saint’s community were presented as taking part
in delineating their ascetic practices as well as interpreting and even
emotionally partaking in it.
