Donne tra 'secolo e regola': le monache di casa in Terra d'Otranto (secc. XVII-XVIII)

This essay presents the initial findings of an ongoing research study on monache di casa (house nuns) in Apulia, with a particular focus on Terra d’Otranto (the Province of Lecce) between the 17th and 18th centuries, based on archival research conducted in both diocesan and state archives. Alongside the analysis of sources traditionally considered essential for studying the phenomenon and the dialogue between them, the study of the mid-18th-century catasto onciario (a type of land and population registry) of Lecce offers new avenues for reflection. It seeks to reconstruct (while addressing the limitations and challenges of overly rigid classificatory and interpretative frameworks) the forms of cohabitation among house nuns, their familial and social function, their economic condition, and the strategies underlying a female destiny poised ‘tra secolo e regola’.