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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture I come into this discussion late and so apologies if I've missed something, but if the topic of discussion is the setting for the bishop's consistory court, that is to say the court of the bishop's official - who would have handled all cases involving clergy or church concerns such as marriage, blasphemy, ect. - the court proceedings usually took place in the bishop's palace, and people who were imprisoned as part or penalty of the proceedings were also held in the palace. The courts were public and structured and met often at set times and with all kinds of court officials, especailly after the 13th century. see Paul Fournier _Les Officialites au Moyen-Age_ Paris 1880 Leon Pommeray _L'Officialite Archdiaconale de Paris_ 1933 the latter is obviously about archdeacon's courts, but as he says: "Il est tradition que le tribunal ecclesiastique siege dans la maison de celui qui est investi du pouvoir de jurisdiction." (p180) and he then goes on to describe the courtrooms for three or four pages. So if you're a bishop's (judicial) official, you hold court acting in his name in his palace, and if you're an archdeacon's official you hold court in his name in his palace. Charles Dohahue and Richard Helmholz would be the other best places to look for more on the English courts in particular. I can provide more specific references if there is interest. best, Sara McDougall Quoting Jim Bugslag <[log in to unmask]>: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture > >> > Yet the *assumption* of a bishop's consistory court of some kind in the >> church is very frequently made in England, and their existence >> immediately post-Reformation is a certainty. >> >> *where*, "in the church"? >> >> i'm just curious about the architectural setting for suchlike a proceding, >> esp. if it were part of an on-going Institutional activity. > > Dear Jon and Christopher, > The answer to that, at least sometimes, is that courts were conducted > in porches. I > quote from Paul Williamson, Gothic Sculpture 1140-1300 (New Haven, > 1995), p. 4: > "The deep porches of the more ambitious churches would have provided > shelter for > large numbers of people and could be used in a variety of ways. The > ubiquitous > subject of the Last Judgement on Gothic portals, often with the > supporting figures of > Virtues and Vices and Wise and Foolish Virgins, would serve as an especially > appropriate backdrop to the dispensation of justice, as was the case at Leon > Cathedral. Here, from an early date, a column set on the front of a > Gothic canopied > tabernacle was placed between the piers to the left of the Judgement > portal. Its > function is literally spelt out by the inscription LOCUS > APPELLACIONIS carved on > its front face, and the arms of Leon and Castile appear below. > Presiding over this > symbol, in the niche behind, is the seated figure of King Solomon, > and a later > personification of Justice, holding a sword and scales, has been > inserted among the > jamb figures of the adjacent doorway. Leon was not an isolated case, > and it is > known that trials were also conducted in the area of the south > transept of Strasbourg > Cathedral, in the west porches of the Minster of Freiburg im > Breisgau, Saint-Urbain > at Troyes, and elsewhere." > See also Barbara Deimling, "Le portail d'eglise au Moyen Age et sa > signification > juridique historique," in Rolf Toman, ed., L'Art roman (Cologne: > Konemann, 1996), > pp. 324-27 [also available in German and English editions], who gives > a number of > other examples, mostly from the 12th and 13th centuries, although where it is > stipulated, the justice rendered seems to have been secular rather > than episcopal. > Church doors before which justice was rendered were often painted > red, as in the > Porte rouge at Notre-Dame in Paris. > 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 > ********************************************************************** 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