Ecclesiastical Landscapes in Medieval Europe: An Archaeological Perspective

By presenting case studies from across eastern and western medieval Europe, Ecclesiastical Landscapes in Medieval Europe aims to start a Europe-wide debate on the variety of relations and contexts between ecclesiastical buildings and their surrounding landscapes between the 5th and 15th centuries AD. The book contains 16 papers dealing with 11 very diverse regions: Transylvania, Western Bohemia, Switzerland, Tuscany, the Po Valley, Central Spain, Galicia, England, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ireland. The volume is divided into two main thematic sections. ‘Ecclesiastical Topographies’ comprises works exploring the spatial dimension of ecclesiastical architecture during the Middle Ages, particularly regarding the creation of the parish system and the relationship between churches and cemeteries. In ‘Monastic Landscapes’ medieval monasteries provide an especially interesting case study because of their recognised capacity to modify the surrounding environment. As a result of the convergence of these perspectives, the hope is that this book will offer researchers ample comparative evidence for understanding the universal elements of ecclesiastical landscapes which transcend both chronological and geographical limits.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Towards an Archaeological Study of Medieval Ecclesiastical Landscapes in Europe – José Carlos Sánchez-Pardo, Emmet H. Marron and Maria Crîngaci ȚiplicFIRST PART: ECCLESIASTICAL TOPOGRAPHIES1. Lesser Churches, Kin-groups and Communities in the Early Middle Ages: Archaeological Evidence from Corcu Duibne, Ireland – Tomás Ó Carragáin2. By Land and Sea: Medieval Places and Ways of Faith in the Isle of Man – Andrew Johnson3. The Late Antique Ecclesiastical Settlement of Los Hitos and the Rural Landscapes of the Visigoth Capital (Toledo, Spain) – Isabel Sánchez Ramos and Jorge Morín de Pablos4. Landscapes of Christianisation. The Emergence and Evolution of Church Power in the Tuscan Countryside During Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages – Gabriele Castiglia, Stefano Bertoldi and Cristina Menghini5. Christianization and Transformation of Religious Landscape in (West) Bohemia – Martin Čechura6. The Rise of the Parish System in Transylvania as Reflected by the Archaeological Discoveries – Maria Crîngaci Țiplic7. Architectural Interferences in Medieval Transylvania (13th–15th Centuries): the Archaeology of Orthodox Churches in a Catholic Landscape – Daniela Marcu Istrate8. The Archaeology of Romanesque Churches in Transylvania (11th–13th Centuries) – Ioan Marian Țiplic and Maria Crîngaci ȚiplicSECOND PART: MONASTIC LANDSCAPES9. Monastic Landscapes in the Isle of Man: Ad 1100 to 1540 – Peter Davey10. On the Edge: Excavations at Whitefriars, Perth, 2014-2017 – Derek Hall11. Cistercian Rievaulx Abbey and the ‘Transformation’ of King Henry II’s Wasteland – Freya Horsfield12. Evolution, Innovation and Symbolism in Medieval Monastic Gardens – James Bond13. Ecclesiastical Landscapes in early Medieval Galicia: Physical and Symbolic Transformations – José Carlos Sánchez-Pardo and Marco V. García Quintela14. Stone Building in the Alps: Müstair Monastery in its Landscape Context – Sophie Hüglin and Patrick Cassitti15. Rural Monasteries and Wilderness in Carolingian Northern Italy: Forest, Water and Ecclesiastical Landscapes – Marco Panato16. Similarities and Differences of a Benedictine and a Cistercian Abbey as Reflected in the Landscape. Beginnings for a Comparative Approach – Ünige Bencze