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IMC 2007: Sessions

Session 516: Cities within Cities: Cathedral Closes in Medieval Europe 1100-1500, I - Comparative Survey

Tuesday 10 July 2007, 09.00-10.30

Organiser:David Lepine, Independent Scholar, Dartford
Moderator/Chair:David Lepine, Independent Scholar, Dartford
Paper 516-aThe Development of the Secular Cathedral Close in Medieval England
(Language: English)
Harry Seydoux, Independent Scholar, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Religious Life, Social History
Paper 516-cCathedral Close in Medieval Iberia and their Integration within the City
(Language: English)
Eduardo Carrero Santamaría, Departament de Ciències Històriques, Universitat de les Illes Balears
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Religious Life, Social History
Abstract

This session, the first of two, aims to examine the presence of cathedral closes as cities within cities in later medieval Europe. It raises such questions as the definition and uses of space within cities and the separateness of closes. Taking a comparative approach, it consists of surveys of closes in England, France and Spain. Each considers the origins and characteristics of closes, their topography, functions and patterns of enclosure of closes and their relationship to the cities around them. The approach is multidisciplinary, bringing together archaeological, architectural and historical evidence.