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History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology

2014

Series

Medieval

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

The Western Façade Of Santiago De Compostela: Christian Dominion And Ecclesiastical Rivalry From The Medieval To The Baroque Period, Louisa M. Raitt Jan 2014

The Western Façade Of Santiago De Compostela: Christian Dominion And Ecclesiastical Rivalry From The Medieval To The Baroque Period, Louisa M. Raitt

Summer Research

As a prominent world power through much of western history, Spain was a fundamental player in creating several western cultural establishments especially regarding the realm of Christianity. As the culminating shrine of the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago de Compostela, the shrine to Saint James in the northwest corner of Spain boasts a rich history of religious, political and cultural significance. Through a visual and contextual analysis, this paper asserts that the two primary renovations of the western façade at Santiago de Compostela (the Portico of Glory in the 12th-13th century and the Façade of Obradoiro in the …


Technology And Wonder In Thirteenth-Century Iberia And Beyond, Christopher B. Swift Jan 2014

Technology And Wonder In Thirteenth-Century Iberia And Beyond, Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

As the desire for affective experiences of the sacred increased in communities across Europe in the late Middle Ages, the Christian faithful crafted lifelike, mechanized figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and saints for use in religious festivals. Although each devotional culture evidences unique body/object relationships and meanings, in general animated ritual objects encouraged lay participation in the celebration of saints and the Passion by engaging the senses, and, consequently, an emotional sense of God. In this essay I investigate the ritual alliances between moveable, prop-like saints and their Iberian devotees, in particular the performative meanings that arose from encounters …