Theme:
5. (Extreme) Environments – Islands, Coasts, Margins, Centres
Session format:
Session with precirculated papers
Title:
Islands, Monasteries and Water
Content:
This year Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy is celebrating the 1000-year anniversary of the foundation of its Romanesque Abbey and in 2024 the monastic island of Reichenau in Lake Constance anticipates the 1300-year anniversary of its legendary foundation. As UNESCO world heritage sites, they are paradigmatic examples of medieval monasticism on islands. Their situation represents both landscape types: an island in the sea surrounded by salt water and an island in a lake or river surrounded by fresh water.
There are many more landscapes of island monasteries across Europe and the World that we would like to explore in this session. While focusing on Christian monasteries on islands in Europe, contributions are welcome that examine the phenomenon of spiritual communities on islands in other world regions and religions as well as in other periods. Of special interest will be the role of water as a material or spiritual resource for island monasteries. This might become evident in their choice, use and transformation of watery landscapes, in the way they manage water within their precincts but maybe also in the diet of their inhabitants.
Continuing from Budapest, this year in Belfast, we welcome pre-circulated papers by authors who would like to contribute to an edited volume on “Islands, Monasteries and Water” which is planned as open access publication for 2024.
Keywords:
Island studies, water resources, medieval archaeology, monastic archaeology, medieval monasticism
Session associated with MERC:
yes
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
no
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Sophie Hueglin (Germany) 1
Co-organisers:
David Petts (United Kingdom) 2
Affiliations:
1. University of Tuebingen
2. Durham University
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