medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> >The new western block built onto Fulbert's 11th-century church in the early
> 12th century included a first-floor chapel, as in the slightly earlier west
> block that Abbot Suger had built onto the Carolingian basilica of Saint-Denis.
>
>
>
> is this Theory now a Done Deal, somewhere in the literature up with which i
> have not kept?
>
> the archaeological evidence visible on the interior North and South faces of
> the towers seems to me to be inconclusive, at best.
Hello Christopher,
Theories, by their very nature, are not Done Deals; they consist of informed
speculation. And describing the archaeological evidence of the western bay of the
cathedral as "inconclusive" is an understated way (not typical of you!) of describing
a chaotic mess. To my knowledge, although some limited (and, typically for
Chartres, rather casual) archaeological excavation was done in this area around the
beginning of the 20th century, there has never been, except for John James' work,
any serious investigation of the standing structure itself, which is hindered through
much of the building by the coating of plaster, some of it medieval, covering the
masonry. The avenue that may turn this "theory" into a "fact" is liturgy, and I am
keenly awaiting Margot Fassler's forthcoming book on the 12th-century liturgy at
Chartres, which may refer to this chapel explicitly, thereby clinching its existence.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
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