| Abstract | session grouped by Graham Loud (19/11/03):
Abstract paper -a:
Clashing representations often occur within the sacred space of medieval cathedrals, mystery plays, and sacred manuscripts. I posit that the chaos and/or vulgarity of marginal representations were not perceived by most medieval imaginations as a threat to the holiness of the center. My paper examines textual and material evidence, in the interdisciplinary style recommended by Clifford Davidson, and concludes that the depiction of hellish and earthly figures, lining the margins of spaces otherwise devoted to representing the divine, demonstrates a consistent usage of the artistic principle of contrast - a technique which adds further significance to the holiness of the central content.
Abstract paper -b:
The phenomenon of building offerings is generally looked upon as expressions of folk belief, in pre-industrial agrarian society. However archaeological findings from the Middle Ages tell us that the tradition is not only found in agrarian societies, but in towns and also in houses from the upper classes. The study of building offerings is not only an issue of folk belief traditions displayed in different sections of the society, but also a very interesting example on the interaction between official religion and folk belief.
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