Clifford’s Tower reopens
Clifford’s Tower in York has reopened to the public this month, following a major £5 million project to conserve and radically transform the interior of the 800-year-old landmark.
Battering Ram and Fire: Civic Glory and Devastation in Dante’s Age
Battering Ram and Fire: Civic Glory and Devastation in Dante’s Age Lecture by Areli Marina Given as part of the Conway Lectures at…
The Knowledge of Carpenters from the Early Medieval Period to the Eighteenth Century in Setting Out Roofs and Buildings Without Geometry and Numerical Measurement
How medieval carpenters could set out roofs and buildings without the use of geometry and numerical measurement which wasn’t established in England until 1588 by Elizabeth I.
What the St Gall Plan tells us about Medieval Monasteries
This 9th-century plan reveals much about the spiritual and practical life going on behind a monastery’s walls.
Medieval Apartment Buildings
We know that medieval cities could be crowded and space could be in short supply. There were even some places where people lived in what we would call apartment buildings.
The column and equestrian statue of Justinian, with Elena Boeck
Though it is often overlooked today, Justinian’s column and colossal statue, which stood for a thousand years next to Hagia Sophia, defined the City almost as much as the Great Church itself. In this episode of Byzantium and Friends, we talk with Elena Boeck about the symbolism, history, and the engineering of this monument.
Mod Gothic? Medieval Architecture in the Modern Ages
Scholars have long recognised the close connections between Gothic revival, restoration and architectural history in the nineteenth century. But how did personal, institutional and political circumstances shape understanding of medieval architecture in the twentieth century?
Middle Age and Modern Timber Techniques in the Restoration of Notre Dame de Paris
Discussing the use of medieval and modern techniques in the rebuilding of a timber frame at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following the damaging fire in 2019.
The Power of Sunlight in Medieval Churches
Medieval churches have harnessed the power of sunlight to define and accentuate sacred spaces, as well as indicate holiness
St. Basil’s Cathedral: Medieval Russia’s Iconic Building
By Alice Isabella Sullivan Situated in the heart of Moscow’s historic Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral is perhaps one of the most iconic…
‘We knew not whether we were in Heaven or on Earth’: Justinian’s Hagia Sophia
Completed nearly 1,500 years ago, the Hagia Sophia is both an architectural masterpiece and a cultural icon of Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox civilization
Buttress your knowledge! The wonderful world of medieval vaults
Medieval architecture offers a treasure trove of beautiful vaults that are often impressive feats of architectonics. Vaulted ceilings are art as well as engineering, combining attractive visual designs with structural ingenuity.
Biography of Medieval Egyptian Queen shows her influence on Cairo’s architecture
A woman born into slavery in 13th-century Egypt broke the glass ceiling of the time to become a sultan and changed the look of Cairo with her innovative architectural projects.
Medieval Fortifications in the Balkans
Throughout the Middle Ages, the regions of the Balkan Peninsula were caught at the crossroads of competing worldviews and defensive architecture became an important mechanism through which to ensure the protection of secular and religious sites.
Medieval Women Who Built Things, with Rachel Delman
Rachel Delman researches medieval women who were involved in building projects. In this episode of Scotichronicast, she joins Kate Buchanan to talk about her work and her journey to studying medieval Scottish history.
Top 10 Medieval Megaprojects
From cathedrals to bridges, conduits to the cities – the megaprojects of the medieval world.
From Slide Projectors to Rosslyn Chapel, with Lizzie Swarbrick
What can we learn about art and architecture in medieval Scotland? On this episode of Scotichronicast, Kate Buchanan is joined by Lizzie Swarbrick to discuss Lizzie’s journey to studying Rosslyn Chapel and other Scottish churches.
Hagia Sophia: Past, Present, Future
Hagia Sophia has had a rich and turbulent history, changing hands between Christians and Muslims and having its doors open to all as a secular building from 1935 to 2020.
Changing Landscapes: Roman Infrastructure in the Early Middle Ages
The Romans constructed buildings and infrastructure all over Europe. What was the fate of these sites in the Middle Ages?
Sacred Marginalia: The Gargoyles and Buttresses of Gothic Cathedrals
There are few things which signal medieval architecture quite like buttresses. Those long, arching supports that give cathedrals like Notre Dame de Paris their distinctive silhouettes appeared on many medieval cathedrals across Europe from the twelfth century on
Notre Dame de Paris: the medieval cathedral and its 19th century restoration
I want to do today is really trying to contribute to our understanding of this building in the Middle Ages, and first I want to underline the way that the structure of Notre Dame has changed continually really since this church was first begun in the 1160s.
Abbot Suger’s Saint-Denis: A Study in Early Environmental Design
Abbot Suger’s choir at the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis is a re-occurring topic of discussion among architectural historians.
The Anglo-Norman cathedral of Ferns, history and architecture
A history of Ferns and its Cathedral, with an insight into Ferns becoming a diocesan centre in the reform of the 12th century
Gothic Cathedral as Theology and Literature
I will explore correlations in the use of sacred geometry, number symbolism, light metaphysics, and optics in Gothic cathedral architecture and sacred literature of the same period