Lars Cyril Nørgaard

Lars Cyril Nørgaard serves as Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Theology, specializing in Church History. He completed both his Master's thesis on the Gospel of Mark and PhD within the ERC-funded SOLITUDES project at this institution, with research affiliations at Université Paris-Sorbonne and Durham University. His thesis on spiritual direction in 17th-century France received Collegium Biblicum's annual prize.

Research focuses on devotional praxis during the Grand Siècle, particularly:

• Spiritual direction networks at Louis XIV's court
• The correspondence of Bishop Paul Godet des Marais and Madame de Maintenon
• Gender dynamics in religious authority
• Quietism, Jansenism and Pietism movements
• Reception of Desert Fathers and Augustine

His archival discovery of Godet des Marais' complete letters revolutionized understanding of Maintenon's spiritual life.

Publications predominantly analyze privacy, authority, and devotional practices in early modern courts through interdisciplinary lenses. Recent works examine:

• Conceptual boundaries between public/private spheres
• Devotional spaces at Versailles
• Epistolary cultures of spiritual direction
• Visual representation of religious identity

Awards include:

• Collegium Biblicum's annual prize for Master's thesis

Collaborations span international early modern studies networks, with leadership in the SOLITUDES project examining withdrawal/engagement paradigms. Regularly organizes conferences on privacy in historical correspondence and court culture.