IMC 2019: Sessions
Session 1338: Vessels of the Spirit: Recluses, Reliquaries, and Architecture
Wednesday 3 July 2019, 16.30-18.00
| Organiser: | Sophie Alexandra Sawicka-Sykes, School of History, University of East Anglia |
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| Moderator/Chair: | Sophie Alexandra Sawicka-Sykes, School of History, University of East Anglia |
| Paper 1338-a | The Saint's Body as the Ark of the Covenant in Goscelin of St-Bertin's Vita et Translatio St Edithae (Language: English) Index terms: Hagiography, Language and Literature - Latin, Monasticism, Religious Life |
| Paper 1338-b | Caskets, Purses, and Chests: The Shape of Anchoritism in Medieval England (Language: English) Index terms: Architecture - Religious, Monasticism, Religious Life |
| Paper 1338-c | Architecture and the Green World: Eco-Paradox in Scivias (Language: English) Index terms: Architecture - Religious, Language and Literature - Latin, Monasticism, Religious Life |
| Abstract | The symbolic significance of the cell as a womb, a tomb, and a gateway to heaven has been central to much critical discussion of reclusive spirituality in the Middle Ages. Yet the form of holy vessels - from the Ark of the Covenant to reliquaries to buildings of worship - and their place within the reclusive life merits further investigation. By considering these previously under-explored aspects of anchoritic materiality, the speakers in this session contribute to a more nuanced understanding of sacred space within the context of medieval reclusion. The session brings both historical and literary analysis to bear on a variety of texts, artefacts, and architectural pieces from across the Middle Ages. |