EAA2020: Session #478
27 Aug 16:00 - 18:00Title & Content
Title:
The Rise of the Religious Landscape in Carpathian Basin: The Archaeology of Round Shaped Churches and Their European Context
Content:
Round churches represent one of the most important part of the medieval ecclesiastical landscape in Europe. Inspired by the architecture of the Holy Sepulcher and subsequently the imperial chapel in Aachen, this special architectural type has spread especially between the 9th and 13th centuries, but examples are not missing outside this time period. Round churches were built in very different contexts, over time with various functions: baptisteries, court/palace chapels (following the example of Aachen), funerary or cemetery chapels, ossuaries and, most frequently, parish churches (especially in Eastern Europe) – or a combination of the above.
Round churches were built all over Europe, both in territories of eastern and western Christianity, and represent the oldest church-building type in the Carpathian Basin: over 100 buildings being documented as having medieval origins. A lot of examples are known in Saxony, Poland, Bohemia, Moravia, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, too, staying at the beginning of Christianization and religious architecture.
Although much has been written on this subject, there are a number of issues that have not yet been resolved and require a deeper approach. In addition, in the last decades archaeological researches have brought much news on this topic, by discovering new objects and in-depth analysis of the phenomenon, which are not yet inserted in the context.
This session invites a debate on this topic, to explore the complex world of round churches from an archaeological perspective. There are a lot of questions to be answered regarding the circumstances of their life, the chronological and architectural frame, the funerary perspective or the network of building sites. Their sources of inspiration (Western or Eastern origin?), function and role in the process of Christianization may be some of the topics discussed, but any perspective will be welcome, especially a comparative approach at European level.
Round churches were built all over Europe, both in territories of eastern and western Christianity, and represent the oldest church-building type in the Carpathian Basin: over 100 buildings being documented as having medieval origins. A lot of examples are known in Saxony, Poland, Bohemia, Moravia, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, too, staying at the beginning of Christianization and religious architecture.
Although much has been written on this subject, there are a number of issues that have not yet been resolved and require a deeper approach. In addition, in the last decades archaeological researches have brought much news on this topic, by discovering new objects and in-depth analysis of the phenomenon, which are not yet inserted in the context.
This session invites a debate on this topic, to explore the complex world of round churches from an archaeological perspective. There are a lot of questions to be answered regarding the circumstances of their life, the chronological and architectural frame, the funerary perspective or the network of building sites. Their sources of inspiration (Western or Eastern origin?), function and role in the process of Christianization may be some of the topics discussed, but any perspective will be welcome, especially a comparative approach at European level.
Keywords:
church archaeology, medieval archeology, round shaped churches
Downloads:
organisers
Main organisers:
Peter Levente Szocs1
Co-organiser:
Daniela Veronica Istrate2
Martin Čechura3
Martin Čechura3
Affiliations:
1 County Museum Satu Mare
2 Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest
3 Museum of West Bohemia
2 Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology, Bucharest
3 Museum of West Bohemia
Abstracts
These abstracts are part of this session: