Fortress-churches of Languedoc

About this book

Fortress-Churches of Languedoc traces the changing relationship between military and religious realms as expressed in the architecture of medieval Europe. The scholarship of medieval architecture has traditionally imposed a division between military and ecclesiastical structures. Often, however, medieval churches were provided with fortified enclosures, crenellations, iron-barred doors, and other elements of defense. In her study of fortress-churches, Sheila Bonde focuses on three twelfth-century monuments located in southern France - Maguelone, Agde, and Saint-Pons-de-Thomiere, which are among the earliest examples of the type. She provides new surveyed plans of these structures, as well as a reexamination of their documentation, which is here presented both in the original Latin and in new English translations. Fortress-Churches of Languedoc also explores the larger context of fortification and authority in twelfth-century Languedoc and examines the dynamics of architectural exchange and innovation in the Mediterranean at a moment of critical historical importance.