BA in History, Université Catholique de Louvain (2008)
MA in “Antiquité Méditerranéenne et Proche-Orientale: Langues, Histoire, Religions”, École Pratique des Hautes Études (2011)
MSt in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, University of Oxford (2012)
DPhil in History, University of Oxford (2016). Thesis title: The catechumenate in late antique Africa: Augustine of Hippo, his contemporaries and early reception (ca. 360-530 AD)
Main fields of interest
History of late antique and early medieval Christianity in the West, in particular initiation to Christianity, Christian education, hagiography, sermons, the figure and works of Augustine of Hippo, and the reception of late antique works in the middle ages. Within the project “The Cult of Saints”, he focuses on Latin evidence, in particular hagiography and literary sources from Italy and Gaul. He is particularly interested in the writing and re-writing of biographies and martyrdom accounts, and in their manuscript transmission in the middle ages.
He currently works within the ERC project “The Cult of Saints. A research project on the Cult of Saints from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world”(cultofsaints.history.ox.ac.uk)
“The catechumenate in anonymous sermons from the late antique West”, in Studia Patristica (forthcoming)
“Questioning Christian baptism: insights from Augustine’s correspondence”, Revue d’Histoire Ecclésiastique 111/3-4 (2016), 452-482
Conference presentations and seminar papers
“The mysterious origins of saint Torpes’ cult”, in the Cult of Saints session entitled “Grey-zone saints in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, International Medieval Congress, Leeds, UK (6 July 2017)
“Christian belonging beyond baptism: signing foreheads with the cross in the writings of Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)” in the late antique seminar convened by E. Wipszycka, Department of Papyrology, Warsaw, Poland (18 May 2017)
“Le catéchuménat en Afrique et en Italie au tournant du sixième siècle” in the research seminar Histoire et doctrines du Christianisme latin (antiquité tardive) convened by M.-Y. Perrin, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris, France (3 June 2016)
“Alterità religiosa e discorsi polemici: l’esempio dell’iniziazione cristiana nel De fide et operibus di Agostino d’Ippona (413 d.C.)”, La Construzione Culturale dell'Alterità Religiosa nel Mediterraneo Tardo Antico (sec. IV-IX), Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche, Geografiche e dell’Antichità, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy (25-26 May 2016)
“Questioning Christian baptism: insights from Augustine’s correspondence”, Late Roman Seminar, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, UK (12 November 2015)
“The catechumenate in pseudo-epigraphic sermons from late antique Africa”, Workshop: “Becoming Christian in the late antique West (3rd-6th centuries)”, XVII. International Conference on Patristic Studies, Oxford, UK (11 August 2015)
“The Forgotten Majority: Catechumens and Changing Categorisation in Late Antique Christianity”, Princeton – Oxford – Vienna – Berlin – Mainz Graduate Exchange: “Late Rome, Byzantium, and the Early Medieval West”, Vienna, Austria (1 June 2015)
“Le catéchuménat d’Augustin d’après son propre témoignage” in the research seminar Histoire et doctrines du Christianisme latin (antiquité tardive) convened by M.-Y. Perrin, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris, France (28 November 2014)
“Il catecumenato in Africa e in Italia dal quarto secolo” in the doctoral seminar “Seminario annuale di discussione delle ricerche dei Dottorandi”, Scuola superiore di Studi Storici, Geografici e Antropologici (Verona, Padova, Venezia), Canazei (TN), Italy (21 June 2014)
“La première phase du catéchuménat chez Augustin”, in the research seminar Histoire et doctrines du Christianisme latin (antiquité tardive) convened by M-Y. Perrin, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris, France (31 May 2013)
“Social tensions around baptism in Augustine’s writings” at Princeton – Oxford – Vienna Postgraduate Exchange 2013: “The Transformation of Elites”, Oxford, UK (18 May 2013)
“Religious elites and transformation: Christian initiation and baptism in Augustine’s writings”, Late Roman Seminar, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, UK (7 February 2013)
“Conversion narratives in early Italian Passiones” at St Andrews/Oxford Masters Student Exchange Conference: “Pagans, Heretics and Outcasts: ‘The Other’ in the Middle Ages”, St Andrews, UK (12 June 2012)
Workshops and seminars organised
“Becoming Christian in the late antique West (3rd – 6th centuries) with A. Bodin and C. Gerzaguet for the XVII. International Conference on Patristic Studies (Oxford, 10 August – 14 August 2015)
Medieval Latin reading group, with G. Zamore, University of Oxford, History Faculty: “Augustine and games”; “Augustine on curiosity” (October 2014 – March 2015