Session: #361

Content:

Castles and fortified residences are too often researched separately from their associated religious holdings: monasteries, abbeys, churches, hospital foundations, monuments such as stone crosses, and landholdings. Rarely do we find a full examination of the interplay of the social, political, commercial, architectural and symbolic influences between the generally inter-dependent powers of the secular and religious within their settlements and landscapes.
Pushing beyond the paradigms established by previous research, this session aims to explore the contemporary relevance, or otherwise, of fortifications and their associated religious buildings. Only by examining the wider context of landscape, archaeological, architectural, historical and place-name evidence, can the joint secular and religious powers be hoped to be fully understood within their administrative and political landscapes. It is recognised that such secular-religious configurations in the landscape, and their resultant interpretations, will not be the same in all European countries; this is therefore a further and fundamental premise for collaborative research and discussion.
This session aims to provide a valuable contribution to future multidisciplinary research, where the reconnection of the contemporary significance of fortified and religious landscapes is examined. Papers are invited, of case studies which take multi-disciplinary, multi-period and methodological approaches. The intention is to provide a platform for on-going discussion, that
- explores research approaches and discoveries focusing on fortified and religious communities
- debates issues relating to the preservation and restoration of monuments or landscape features relevant to the theme of this session
- encourages debate on the similarities and differences of secular and religious communities between countries.

Session: #361

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