Sharing conventions, but differing thematically and technically, together the LIFE OF ST CATHERINE and the LIFE OF ST LAWRENCE provide an insight into the varied relationships between exemplary figures and their audiences in the Anglo-Norman world. The LIFE OF ST CATHERINE is a tale of a woman saint by a woman; the LIFE OF ST LAWRENCE concerns the martyrdom of a male saint commissioned by a woman. Rich in sexual and social iconographies that resonate today, the saints' lives, with their dual focus on heaven and earth, are frequently shocking but powerful accounts of the relationship between body and soul in medieval society.