In Memoriam Janneke Raaijmakers (1973-2021)

On Sunday 2 May our colleague Dr Janneke Raaijmakers has died of cancer. She had been ill for years, during which she nevertheless had longer periods in which she could devote herself to research, could speak with students, and could dedicate some time to other work, both in the Department of History and Art History and far outside it, even far beyond the borders of the Netherlands.

Janneke managed to survive ever new treatments in hospital, but the last months became increasingly heavy going. Her boundless energy and lust for life were no match for the continuous attacks of her terrible disease. She exhausted all avenues of medicine, had to say goodbye to those that were close to her, and left us.

Dedicated researcher

Janneke was a researcher. After studying History at Utrecht University, she worked at the University of Amsterdam on her PhD, and was awarded the doctorate in 2003. This thesis and her project “In the Wake of Boniface: Monasteries and Religious Transformations, c. 750-900)”, sponsored by the Dutch Research Council (2005-2010), formed the basis of her important study The Making of the Monastic Community of Fulda, c. 744-c. 900 (Cambridge, 2012). In 2010 Janneke returned to Utrecht as University Lecturer. In her project “Mind over Matter: Debates about the Sanctity of Religious Objects, ca. 400-1200” (2012-2018) she developed into an internationally valued authority on the topic of relics. In October 2018, when she had already been ill for over a year, she took the initiative and was co-organiser of an exhibition on relics at Museum Het Catharijneconvent, the Dutch National Museum of Religious Art. The book that accompanied the exhibition, Relieken (Utrecht and Zwolle, 2018), for which she wrote an important contribution, was dedicated to Janneke. Despite her illness she remained active.

Names in Medieval Sacred Spaces

Meanwhile, she co-directed an international French-Dutch project, “MEDNAME: Inscribing Names in Medieval Sacred Spaces”, in which she collaborated with colleagues from France, Belgium, and Italy. She did not see the publication of the book that will conclude this project, Names in Medieval Sacred Spaces. This year it is to be finished by her co-editors, and it will be dedicated to her. In 2019 she organised sessions at the Leeds International Medieval Congress for the last time, together with colleagues from Poitiers. On 18 October of that year, she could still be heard as invited speaker in Dublin, at a conference on relics in Ireland. Afterwards, she slowly fell silent.

A fine teacher and a fantastic colleague

But Janneke was much more than a researcher. She was also a fine teacher and a fantastic colleague. Her teaching was well received, and it hurt her when she had to let go of it. Over the last years, she remained involved with the section of Medieval History at Utrecht University, took part in departmental debates on research, and worked with her fellow medievalists in the Utrecht Centre for Medieval Studies. Until the very end, she considered the supervision of doctoral candidates of major importance. In the last months before her death she tried, as if she were dealing were ordinary daily issues, to organise her work. It was as if she could be back at work in a matter of days. It was not to be.

Janneke leaves a partner, Jaap-Hein Vruggink, and two children, Aafke and Magnus.

Marco Mostert

Janneke's funeral took place on 10 May. As an act of commemoration, the flag at Kromme Nieuwegracht 80 flew at half-mast that day.