Why did religious houses commission Anglo-Norman lives of saints?

In the context of Anglo-Norman literature, religious houses commissioned lives of saints primarily to establish and strengthen connections between their institutions and their specific patron saints.1

These biographies served as a form of hagiography, which was essential for instructing and edifying readers, as well as glorifying the saints themselves. By documenting the lives of these figures in the Anglo-Norman vernacular, religious houses could promote the veneration of their patrons, which played a vital role in medieval religious life and institutional identity. These works often functioned as part of a broader tradition of religious and didactic writing, ensuring that the stories of these saints were accessible and preserved within the monastic community and beyond.21