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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture I frankly don't think towers have ever been studied as systematically as they might be from anything but a formal perspective, but the complex of their use and meaning probably went far beyond a "functional/non-functional" division. As has been mentioned, the Cistercians may have objected to towers as too "proud" for their churches, but since the bells in towers signalled ecclesiastical privileges, the Cistercian lack of towers may also have had something to do with the prohibition of offering sacraments to the laity in Cistercian churches (the laity were, I believe, accommodated at a "capella ad portas" just at the entrance to the precinct of Cistercian houses). In other contexts, however, some of the same perceptions about towers may have been acceptable and even positively received: it is often said, for example, that the twin-towered facades of St Etienne at Caen and of Saint-Denis carried symbolic import related to their functions as burial churches of the Norman dukes and French kings respectively. Spires, even more than towers per se have to be seen in a "non-functional" manner, and Durandus, in fact, relates spires to the striving of men's minds after God. But whether towers and/or spires had an ecclesiastical function or not, once built, they became prominent landmarks in their immediate environments, and towers were, on occasion, I believe, used as beacons. Although not all towers contained bells, however, it was bells that gave most towers their most immediate ecclesiastical function. At Durham Cathedral Priory, for example, there were two west towers and a crossing tower, only two of which contained bells. The bells in the central tower were rung to announce the monastic offices, while the bells in the northwest tower, the "Galilee Steeple", were rung at principal feasts and Sunday services and "such other times as the Bishop did come to town", according to the Rites of Durham. Such distinctions were common in major medieval churches, and many west towers are known to have been associated specifically with parochial rights and duties of monastic churches, for example at the Benedictine house at Wymondham, where the 15th-century axial western tower was built by the parishioners after a dispute with the monks over the ringing of the bells in the crossing tower. Although they have not survived well, there were many English examples of independent bell towers located near churches, as well: that at Evesham is the only example to survive, I believe. Bells, in general, were often the focus of legal concern, specifically because of their identification with ecclesiastical rights and jurisdictions. When the monks of the Cistercian house of Waverley, for example, sought the right to celebrate mass at their grange at Neatham in the mid-13th century, they had to agree to permit neither the ringing of bells nor the administration of the sacraments there. And in 1362, the nuns of Notre-Dame de l'Eau were forced to destroy the belfry of the chapel in their town establishment at Chartres, because they had not first sought a licence for it from the dean and chapter of the cathedral, and this contravened chapter privileges. Such factors might also help to explain why the monks of the Cistercian house of Byland move the site of their abbey from its previous location at Old Byland, supposedly because they could hear the sound of the bells from nearby Rievaulx Abbey. Anyway, whether towers were deemed "proud" or not, they appear to have signalled in many ways a sense of ecclesiastical self-identity. When Christchurch Cathedral Priory at Canterbury had their crossing tower rebuilt by the royal master mason, John Wastell, between c.1494 and 1503, they are known to have spent at least 1036 pounds on it, a rather staggering outlay. For whatever reasons, they must have considered it pretty important. Cheers, Jim Bugslag ********************************************************************** 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