Call for Papers

Late Medieval Pilgrimage Architecture in Northern Europe, c. 1250-1520,
Recent Research & New Perspectives

Session, Society of Architectural Historians, Annual Meeting 2004, April
14-18, Providence, Rhode Island

Since Arthur Kingsley Porter's epochal 1923 study on "Romanesque Sculpture
of the Pilgrimage Roads," the high medieval pilgrimage routes to Santiago
de Compostela have been the subject of much scholarly attention. However,
the types of questions raised in studies on the art and architecture of
pilgrimage sites have concentrated almost exclusively on style, whereas
functional and liturgical aspects were long neglected. In recent years,
these approaches have emerged as an exceedingly productive field. The
majority of pilgrimage churches combine different functions as cathedrals,
collegiate monasteries or abbeys. In some cases the pilgrimages started
later and may have influenced the form of a new building or reconstruction
project, as in the case of Frederick Barbarossa's translatio of the relics
of the Three Kings to Cologne cathedral in 1164. In other cases, a miracle
or the acquisition of relics launched the construction of a new church
complex, as with the cult of St. Elizabeth of Thuringia in Marburg
immediately after her death in 1231. Another factor complicates a
comprehensive survey. Whereas famous attractions such as Santiago and Rome
were dominant in the early and high Middle Ages, the changes in devotion
since the 12th century led to new forms of pilgrimages, for example those
originating in bleeding Hosts.
Running parallel to this diversification of pilgrimage objects and goals,
numerous regional and local centers now competed with the traditional
pilgrimage sites. Numerous recent case studies differentiate our
understanding of this central aspect of medieval piety. Due to the
complexity of the field, the significant progress in research has not
resulted in any attempt to summarize our current state of knowledge. The
main purpose of the session is to bring some of these loose ends together
as a basis for future comparative studies. This session concentrates on
the late Middle Ages (c. 1250-1520) with an emphasis on northern and
central Europe (including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany,
Poland, and Scandinavia). Especially welcome are architectural studies
with an interdisciplinary approach addressing church architecture in its
functional context, including decoration and furnishings.

Send proposals to: Dr. Gerhard Lutz, Technische Universität Dresden,
Philosophische Fakultät, Institut für Kunst- und Musikwissenschaft,
Fachgebiet Kunstgeschichte, D-01062 Dresden, Germany; e-mail:
Gerhard.Lutzmailbox.tu-dresden.de / GFLutzaol.com.

Deadline: 1 September 2003.

Further information:
http://www.sah.org/annual%20mtg/current/providencecfp.htm