Graffiti to ward off evil spirits discovered in medieval church
Archaeologists working in the English village of Stoke Mandeville have discovered some unusual stone carvings and graffiti at the site of a medieval church.
Visualising Saint Charlemagne in Twelfth-Century Aachen: From Imperial Palace to Pilgrimage Site
Vedran Sulovsky discusses how Charlemagne’s (768–814) most important palace not only preserved the emperor’s memory, but also slowly modified it so that the entire palace complex, which was famous for being the centre of the Carolingian Empire, became the final part of the story of Charlemagne’s relic-gathering expeditions to Spain, Constantinople and the Holy Land.
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.
The many identities of Hagia Sophia, past and present, with Bob Ousterhout
Hagia Sophia is back in the news. To understand what is happening, we need to know the complex history of this building as a church, mosque, and museum, and the many parties that have sought to claim it.
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.
Becket’s shrine recreated digitally
Researchers have used new evidence to create a digital reconstruction of the medieval shrine of Saint Thomas Becket, which was destroyed in the sixteenth century.
New research unlocks the past of Edinburgh’s St Giles’ Kirk
New research into the original timber used to build the bell tower of St Giles’ has uncovered previously unknown details about the construction of Edinburgh’s iconic kirk as it approaches its 900th anniversary.
Restoration of St James’s Cathedral in Riga to completed for 800th anniversary
One of Latvia’s largest banks will be funding the final stages of the restoration of St James’s Cathedral in Riga’s Old Town. The work is planned to be completed by the 800th anniversary of the church in 2025.
Medieval Graffiti with Matthew Champion
This week’s episode of The Medieval Podcast is about one of the places where art and memory, serious messages and playful doodles intersect: graffiti.
Call for Papers: Natural Light in Medieval Churches Between Byzantium and the West
Workshop at Freie Universität Berlin from 11-12 June 2020
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.
Sanctuary with Shannon McSheffrey
In the Middle Ages, a person could claim sanctuary to delay or avoid punishment for a serious crime. But what were the rules? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle interviews Dr. Shannon McSheffrey to find out how and why medieval people sought sanctuary, and whether or not a convicted heretic could expect the church to save his life.
Viewing the Bayeux Tapestry, Now and Then
In attempting to trace the history of the Bayeux Tapestry, it has always been the case that the simplest explanation, the one that involves the fewest imponderables and requires the fewest assumptions, is that it was designed for Bayeux cathedral.
Sixth-century Byzantine church discovered near Jerusalem
Archaeologists have discovered the remains of sixth-century Byzantine church near Jerusalem. Dedicated to an unnamed “glorious martyr”, the site is decorated with spectacular mosaic floors and Greek inscriptions.
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 Bayeux Tapestry was made for Bayeux Cathedral, study finds
New research suggests the Tapestry was designed to be hung along the north, south and west sides of the nave of Bayeux Cathedral, between the west wall and choir screen.
Records reveal how a medieval cathedral was protected against fire
Schedl was able to examine hundreds of years of the church’s income and expenditure accounts, which were maintained by the Kirchmeister or church treasurer, which offered fascinating new insights into how the medieval cathedral was maintained.
Remains of early Anglo-Saxon church discovered
One of the first stone churches built in England has been unearthed, revealing details of early Christianity in England and connections between Anglo-Saxon Kent and the Kingdom of the Franks.
Margaret Paston, Woman of Letters, commemorated after five centuries
Later this month a memorial stone will be unveiled in a picturesque English churchyard to one of the most important figures in the history of women’s literature, more than five centuries after she passed away.
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
New Discovery Sheds Light upon England’s leading Medieval family
A small medieval memorial brass has brought to light the sad story of a young girl whose short life, and tragic death, had previously gone unnoticed by historians and academics.
Why are dragons and monsters carved into Norway’s stave churches?
The richly decorated portal at Urnes stave church in Norway has often been interpreted in light of paganism. That’s wrong, according to a new stave church study.
10 Medieval Things to See in Rome
While it is certainly true that the art and architecture of the Renaissance and later Baroque period dominates Rome, there are many hidden medieval treasures if one knows where to look.
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