A Doorway From Moutiers Saint Jean

Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come

In contrast, the Cuxa Cloister, as part of the Catalan monastery of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, allowed monks to contemplate at their leisure (accession number: 25.120.398–.954). There wasn’t a fixed time or schedule they had to adhere to in order to access the Cloister. A pleasant pink, this marble cloister is 2,743 x 2,377 cm. Created circa 1130–40, prior to the Chapel, the Cloister also monbs to immerse themselves in nature and consider Christ’s teachings before or after mass. Being at the heart of the monastery, the centralized location of the space made it easily accessible, and a popular space for monks to wash themselves and their clothing. Yet, this space isn’t just for tending to one’s physical needs, it’s also for one’s spiritual ones. Filled with heavy symbolism, the sculptures feature mermaids, animals with two bodies and lion devouring people, to symbolize tensions between good and evil. The space, while physically open is more concerned with opening the mind and letting in Christ’s teachings in a self-guided way. Similar to the Chapel, the symbolism in the Cloister, is a visual reminder of

Created by Master of the Retable of the Reyes Catolicos (also known as Master of the Catholic Kings), this is another version of The Annunciation, a very common subject for artists ever since the inception of Christianity. It was produced between 1466 and 1499 as oil on pine panel, and it stands at 60 3/8 x 37in. It is now located in San Francisco, CA in the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum as a gift from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

In this paper, I will describe, compare, and contrast two paintings of the same name, The Annunciation by Gerard David and Joos van Cleve. Beginning with Joos van Cleve’s work, we see the virgin Mary kneeling down before an opened book. An illuminated dove with its wings spread is suspended above Mary. An angel is standing beside her, making a gesture. Both figures are inside an ornately decorated, well lit bedroom.

in detailed carvings. The new cathedral was built to stabilize the older cathedral. There is an

A reflection on religious monuments and their implements in their connection to their faith and use of prayer. This reflection uses Christian, Islamic, and Jewish religions as examples of study in the Medieval era.

The maintenance and completion of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, one of the oldest and most significant buildings in Florence, was entrusted to the Arte del Calimala Guild. This wool merchants’ guild was the oldest of Florentine guilds and was extremely powerful and wealthy. This wealth and power was due in large part to the fact that Florence was the fabric capitol of Italy. The Baptistery was dedicated to Florence’s patron saint John the Baptist. Consequently, the first set of doors created by Andrea Pisano in 1336 depicted scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist and was installed on the east or main entrance side. Plans for the other two sets of doors were delayed because of the economic crash, political unrest, and the

“Than longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,” said Gregory Chaucer in his book, The Canterbury Tales, meaning people long to go on religious pilgrimages. The act of pilgrimage during the Middle Ages had been a very popular and traditional practice in the Christian society. This visit to shrines or holy places was an act of religious devotion and played a role in the lives of many Europeans, especially those in the western regions of Medieval Europe. In order to understand the importance of pilgrimages, we will emphasize the purpose of pilgrimages, the diversity of pilgrims that took part in them, and the various shrines pilgrims visited.

This work would have been located in a private Flemish home for private worship but it now located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Annunciation is significant to history because it demonstrated the shift of public worship at a church to private worship in the home. This shift would eventually lead to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

For being over eight hundred years, the Christ in Majesty with Symbols of the Four Evangelists remained in remarkable condition. However, pieces of the original piece, which originated in the Catalan chapel in Spain, have faded. Portions, especially along the bottom, have disappeared over time. Even though historians moved it to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, it has not been fully restored. The artist identified each of the apostles in the Christ in Majesty with Symbols of the Four Evangelists, but the writing has grown fainter and this creates a difficulty for art historians. Another key factor in the overall story represented has faded--one of the lamps or incense holders beneath Christ.

While constructing both of these cathedrals there were sculptures created that represented narratives of theology and mysticism. Both were created for a place of worship that’s why sculptures and paintings of religious images were added. This showed a great respect for the belief in Christ and the surrounding believers.

The increase of wealth during the twelfth century allowed artists to showcase their talents in churches. The apse titled Christ in Majesty with Symbols of the Four Evangelists in the church of Santa Maria de Mur displays the representation of divinity through its subject matter, technique, and style. In the apse, the main subjects revolve around scenes from the Old and New Testament with Christ as the focal point. For technique, the artist employed fresco painting instead of mosaics to show the images. The style of the apse avoids a sense of realism by hiding the bodies of the figures in the drapery and using the hierarchy of scale.

St. Peter Claver was a humble looking church, without the towering spires or detailed architecture that some churches possess in order to fill you with worshipful awe. In fact, it would have been almost unrecognizable as a church if it were not for the relatively small silver cross that hung above the door, not even raised above the line of the roof. Walking into the church did not change the sense of humility that the outside professed. Dark wood lined the walls and floor, and made up the pews. It felt almost like stepping into a cabin that had been built in the 1970’s. Along the walls there were small portrait sized depictions of the fourteen stations of the cross. Unlike St. Agnes’s eye catching and baroque decorations, St. Peter Claver’s artwork almost blended into the background, and was not immediately visible. It appeared that the artwork mirrored the nature of the building itself, almost as if the church wanted to dispense with frivolity and maintain its focus on the practice of its faith.

These findings as well as findings in layer 1 and layer 5, figure 3.3, in the western mound, seem to add some support of the Brothers of the Abby Church of St. Vincent of finding the tomb of their patron saint. While not necessarily the bones of a saint, there is indication of Roman occupation/ activity of the site. Labeled a and e in layer 7 of Figure 3.2 of the eastern mound, a is a fragment of bronze, highly polished on one side, inscribed “Avgvsta” and e a fragment of glass that is undated and unsourced. In the western mound, figure 3.3 in layer 1 a Roman coin of Constantine the Great dating between 288-337. Also in the western mound in figure 3.3 labeled g, 18 sherds of early Medieval pottery from about 1200 AD. The western mound is viewed and excavated at the road that was cut into the barrow in 1136. Evidence of this being of the work in the building of the church is seen in the pottery from this time period. There seems to be a possibility of the brothers stumbling on a Roman burial in their activities. It is to note that there is claims that the burial uncovered was contained in a sepulcher of marble carved with scenes from the life of Christ and inscribed VINCENZO VIVATIS IN CHRISTO. According to Brother Wilfrid in a letter this burial and stones from it were moved to under the alter in the nave of the church. In an interesting study of the bones and relics with the bones could shed light in if the site did at one point contain a Roman era burial. There is a shadow of doubt concerning the burial as described due to the era’s relic trade and need to draw pilgrims to the church to help with their income. Research in the Roman, burial practices after Constantine the Great’s conversion to Christianity should also be research. In the final layers, layer 1 in figures 3.2 and figure 3.3 of both sides of the barrow are now covered with modern topsoil showing no more

The artist, Robert Campin and his disciples, incorporated the patrons of this piece, on the left panel. The two figures pictured were the patron and his wife, which was supposed to connect the viewers with the piece and Christianity as well. The trend of making the artwork more realistic appears frequently, and artists did so through making the holy figures more humanly. Looking at earlier pieces created in the Middle Ages, the Virgin Mary, Saints, and other holy figures were depicted as on a higher, more heavenly level. Artists would elevate the feet, have them facing away from the viewer, and be depicted as highly stylized. However, as shown in The Annunciation Triptych, Campin and his workshop aspired for the viewers and the general public to feel more connected to their religion. Altarpieces were used commonly in early European’s homes, leading the artist to create a typical household scene in the second panel where Mary and the angel were pictured. Thus adding to the connection between the viewer and the Christian religion. Another altarpiece, the Isenheim Altarpiece, shares similar