Penance and plague: How the Black Death changed one of Christianity's most important rituals
- Written by Nicole Archambeau, Associate Professor of History, Colorado State University
Confession, circa 1460/1470. Artist unknown.Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty ImagesThe 14th century is known for catastrophe. By midcentury, the first wave of plague spread through a Europe already weakened by successive famines and the Hundred Years War between England and France. And crises just kept coming. After the first wave,...

