Death and the Fraternity: A Short Study on the Dead in Late Medieval Confraternities

Confraternity procession

Since the publication of Philippe Aries’ ground-breaking The Hour of our Death, historians of confraternities have largely followed his lead and treated confraternities as a “guarantee of eternity.”

A historiographical and artistic survey of confraternities from the later Middle Ages to the early Renaissance

Confraternities Good Friday procession

Overall, the analysis will allow for a closer examination of not just the culture of a particular confraternity, but also the cultural values, ideals, and practices of an entire community in one period of time. Furthermore, the examination of confraternal artwork will prove important, as it will demonstrate the unique power of confraternities.

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