Gateway to the heavenly city

About this book

"Gateway to the Heavenly City presents an analysis of the attitudes of Latin Christendom towards Jerusalem in the period from the First Crusade to the Muslim capture of the city in 1187. Sylvia Schein starts by exploring the changes in the Western image of Jerusalem, first as the goal of the crusade, then after its conquest. She examines the theories used to justify the conquest and rule of the Holy City and the attitudes of the papacy towards this new rival centre of sanctity." "Subsequent chapter describe the new character of Jerusalem's sanctity as the city of the Old and New Testaments, as the earthy gateway to the heavenly city, and in apocalyptic terms as the centre of the world and the place where the events of the end of the world would unroll." "Based on a detailed examination of the source materials, from poetry and song to chronicles and charters, this book paints a picture of the place of the Earthly and the Heavenly Jerusalem in Latin Christendom."--Jacket.