medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

looks like an interesting study.

and anyone who writes "an holistic study" gets my attention right away.

c

------ Original Message ------
Received: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 01:31:35 PM EST
From: The Medieval Review <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: TMR 06.08.24 Gilchrist, Norwich Cathedral Close (Reilly)

Gilchrist, Roberta.  <i>Norwich Cathedral Close: The Evolution of the
English Cathedral Landscape.</i>  Studies in the History of Medieval
Religion, ed. Christopher Harper-Bill.  Suffolk: The Boydell Press,
2005.  312 p., $60.  ISBN: 1843831732

    Reviewed by Lisa Reilly
         University of Virginia
         [log in to unmask]

<i>Norwich Cathedral Close: The Evolution of the English Cathedral
Landscape</i> by Roberta Gilchrist offers a compelling analysis of
English cathedral life from the late eleventh century through c. 1700.
In contrast with most monographs, which typically focus on the
cathedral church alone, Gilchrist offers "an holistic study of Norwich
Cathedral that draws on archaeological, architectural and historical
evidence to examine the changing social and economic functions of the
cathedral landscape" (1).  She rebuts the distinction made by some
scholars between architectural history and archaeology, which suggests
that archaeologists are concerned with the technical aspects of
medieval buildings and architectural historians with "discerning
subtleties of meaning" (10).  Gilchrist proposes that the current
generation of medieval archaeologists is concerned with social use and
meaning rather than description and technology.  As she describes her
own approach, one that considers contextual and anthropological
questions to analyze "the experience of medieval and early modern life
in Norwich"(11), Gilchrist is clearly setting herself apart from what
has been perceived as the traditional archaeological approach to
medieval architecture.  She draws on an impressive range of
scholarship, interweaving the diverse ideas and methods of renowned
scholars such as Eric Fernie, Richard Krautheimer, Michael Camille,
Mary Carruthers, Francis Yates, Peter Fergusson, Stuart Harrison and
Michel Foucault among others, to provide a scintillating overview of
the vibrant and dynamic community, both religious and lay, which used
Norwich Cathedral Close during the six hundred years covered by her
study.  Despite the monographic nature of the book's title, Gilchrist
in fact integrates substantial information and ideas about other
monastic houses and cathedral communities into her discussion of
Norwich to provide a sense of the larger context of monastic life.

Frequent references to well known primary texts such as the
<i>Rule</i> of St. Benedict underscore Gilchrist's emphasis on Norwich
as a functioning vibrant monastic community with a built environment
that addresses particular programmatic needs such as the accommodation
of novices and pilgrims.  Its place within the larger context of
monastic medieval culture is also clarified.  The dynamic quality of
monastic life is highlighted as, for example, in chapter six where the
changing nature of the prior's status and duties are made apparent by
the development of a separate residence for the prior from the rest of
the monks, with close ties to the typology of the secular hall
suggesting parallels between the prior and the feudal lord within
medieval social hierarchies.  Chapter nine, "Reading Sacred and Social
Space in the English Cathedral Landscape," uses the writings of
thirteenth-century liturgist Gulielmus Durandus to consider the
diverse kinds of sacred space found at Norwich and the changing
opportunities for interaction between the laity and religious
personnel.  Elsewhere Gilchrist uses primary sources less well known
but equally useful for articulating the diverse functions and
communities found within the Close.  Chapter nine, for example, also
incorporates evidence from the late-thirteenth-century Norwich
Customary and visitation records of 1309 as well as a diverse range of
secondary sources to provide a fascinating explanation of the
particular function and position of Norwich's unusually early
cathedral clock as well as its connection to the iconographic program
of the Norwich cloister.  A study of obediential accounts and leases
is used in chapter seven "Charity and Commerce:  The Infirmary and the
Inner Court" to reveal the emergence of the inner court as a
commercial precinct in the late medieval period housing glaziers,
saddlers, and embroiderers' shops among others.  This rich analysis of
architecture, decoration, primary texts and current scholarship is
typical of Gilchrist's impressive command of her subject and ability
to recreate for the reader the vibrancy of life in Norwich.  She
describes the close as a place which provided opportunities for
connections across the lay and religious communities, the worlds of
the living and dead and the present site and the past, offering
compelling insights into the role of antiquity and the Anglo-Saxon
past in the creation of the close.

Bishop Herbert de Losinga, founder of the medieval cathedral at
Norwich, planned the building shortly after a visit to Rome.
Gilchrist draws out similarities between Norman Norwich and Old St.
Peter's such as the use of spiral columns, comparable dimensions and
the use of a sunken cloister comparable to the sunken atrium described
by Richard Krautheimer at Old St. Peter's (82).  Other aspects of
Norwich, such as the decorative treatment of the door leading from the
bishop's palace to the north transept, suggest a deliberate attempt by
DeLosinga to legitimize his new see through the use of visual
connections to the Anglo-Saxon past (144).

Thus Gilchrist provides iconographic, stylistic, archaeological, and
textual evidence for her close and subtle reading of the building
fabric as well as its surrounding landscape.  Any quibbles one might
have with her study are slight.  It would be helpful, for example, to
correlate the numbers of images such as figures 76 and 78 with plate
10, the excellent plan of the close to which she refers frequently.
Many of the images, such as figure 39, are poorly reproduced, lacking
sharpness and clarity.  Some of the book's claims would benefit from
more substantial discussion such as the connections between features
at Norwich and Charlemagne's palace complex at Aachen.

These issues are minor, however, and do not detract substantially from
this outstanding study.  Gilchrist's volume is obviously indispensable
to the scholar of medieval architecture.  Unlike many such studies,
however, this well written and fascinating book will be appealing to
any reader with an interest in medieval life.  It is an ideal
introduction for students into the richness and often seemingly
contradictory nature of the sacred and secular realms of medieval
society.  Details about diet, medical practices, shop keeping and
liturgy bring the period to life in a way achieved by few such
studies.  Gilchrist's spatial analysis of Norwich Cathedral Close
compellingly highlights the difficulties in distinguishing between the
sacred and secular in medieval life.  Her analysis of how the building
fabric can be read in terms of the degrees of sanctity found within
the Close is fascinating as seen for example in her analysis of the
rich iconographic program of the cloister and its role as the focus
for monastic memory.  She also underscores the changing nature of
sacred space as the precinct became more accessible to the laity in
general and women in particular over time.  The dynamic nature of the
cathedral landscape is further articulated by her brief but convincing
discussion of the changes wrought to sacred spaces within Norwich
Close in the post-medieval period.  Furthermore, her command of
diverse methodologies and forms of evidence makes this volume an ideal
introduction for students into the field of medieval architectural
history.  Gilchrist's book is indeed the holistic study of Norwich her
introduction promises--a study which is fascinating in both its
details and broader conclusions and one which is eloquently written to
draw the reader into the complex and fascinating realm of medieval
experience.

**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html