medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Nancy Bishop <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>For "non-functional" motives of towers you might consider St. Bernard.
I don't have the exact reference but I believe he prohibited the erection of
elaborate bell towers because, he believed, a wooden scaffold would serve as
well?
memory fades, but i believe that Bernie's objection was along the same lines
as those which he had for church buildings of inordinate height or length
--the primary reasoning behind which was something along the lines that
suchlike Trappeings (to use an anachronism) were pridefully temptatious. this
is not to contradict what you say, but only to flesh the idea out a bit.
none of the early cistercian buildings (as far as i know we know) had
significant towers and i *believe* that they were specifically prohibited in
the _exordium parvum_ and other early statutes governing the order.
seems like the chapter general was voting to demand that the few transgressor
houses which did dare to build them tear them down --until at least well into
the late 12th c., if i recall.
this is/was the recieved wisdom when i was a lad and the state of our
knowledge about cistercian architecture may well have progressed beyond this
particular cliché since; though the acquisition of that knowledge has always
been severely hampered by the fact that French cistercian houses (because of
their wealth, presumably, though there may have been other reasons which i've
never heard of), suffered particularly during the revolution (and, perhaps,
the English ones too, under Hank8, though i don't know from England).
this reality can easily be overlooked, since the relatively few cistercian
buildings in France which do survive more or less in tact (Noirlac, Fontenay,
Pontigny, etc.) are so spectacular, each in its own way.
if one looks through Dom Dimier's (was it?) catalogue of the plans of
cistercian churches one is immediately impressed by the number which survive
only as (sometimes) reconstructable plans, if that.
someone who actually knows something about things Cistercian should correct
this regurgitated claptrap, however.
best to all from here,
christopher
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