Immersive Global Middle Ages

Catalonia, a region of what is now Spain, was conquered by the Frankish Empire at the beginning of the ninth century, has a complex cultural history. Catalonia played a very important role for the Carolingian dynasty during the Middle Ages. This region of northern Spain saw the beginnings of Carolingian intellectual, religious, and political reform. As the handwritten script known as Carolingian miniscule created a more universal method of writing and preserving manuscripts, Catalonia became one the first regions to implement this new style of writing (Tischler, 112). Catalonia also experienced a shift in political and royal authority, as wealthy Frankish counts were placed in governmental positions, which created social conflict amongst those in positions of royal or monastic power as well as members of Carolingian aristocracy  (Chandler, 740).

The history of Septimania, located in the southernmost edge of Carolingian territory and ruled by Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious, presents a perhaps greater insight into the inner conflicts within the Carolingian realm as their power over Western Europe continued to spread. As Charlemagne and his imperial courts strived for their Empire to construct its own identity separate from that of previous Visigothic societies, the religious, political, and social tensions that accompanied this cultural shift would also become a critical part of Carolingian historical narrative. Two of the most prevalent of these conflicts would be those concerning religion and ethnic diversity amongst these neighboring regions that were now brought together under the same rule. The Visigothic population was predominantly Arian Christians, whereas the Frankish population was Catholic. Although the Visigoths were not forced to convert to Roman Catholicism, many of them did, as Frankish elites were often judgemental of people of Arian Christian faith, (Kramer, 259).

As the Carolingian Empire continued to develop, religion, more specifically, Roman Catholicism, remained at the center of shaping their cultural identity. In the Carolingians’ focus on Catholic Christianity, a strong communal emphasis was placed on the establishment of churches. During the seventh and eighth centuries, these sacred spaces were rapidly being built across many regions. This expansion of churches and monasteries fostered a sense of community across Europe, and contributed to the Carolingians overall societal and economic progression with the emergence of imperial courts and council meetings which were held on local, regional, and national levels (Noble, 294.) The church as its own entity led to a more refined hierarchical system within Carolingian societies.

This new system, which had been put into action by members of the clergy as well as political leaders, created more complex intellectual, and even moral, expectations for members of different social classes. For instance, during this period of reform, every monastery and cathedral was also required to have a school, which promoted more rigorous educational standards. Charlemagne and his contemporaries became fixated on ideals of propriety and correctness, and as a Roman successor state, many of these ideals were modeled after the Roman Empire itself. With the church as a driving force in all aspects of Carolingian reform, people began looking toward monastic leaders, some of whom became saints, for guidance.

Saint Benedict, Abbot of Aniane and  Inde is one of the most important figures in Benedictine monasticism, second only to Saint Benedict himself (213). Most of the information known about Benedict of Aniane comes from Ardo’s Life of Benedict. Ardo wrote Life after witnessing the work of Benedict of Aniane in Inde, one of the many monasteries he oversaw. Ardo’s account of Benedict of Aniane’s life and work shows historical scholars that he was a significant and influential figure in the Carolingian Empire. Prior to devoting his life to the monastery, Benedict of Aniane was born into Visigothic nobility in Septimania and served in the Frankish military (217). According to Ardo, Benedict of Aniane made the choice to serve God faithfully after almost perishing trying to save his brother from drowning in a river (218). He then joined a monastery but ultimately left because he experienced worry over the other monks’ level of devotion to God’s work. Benedict then went on to found a hermitage on the river Aniane.

It is during this period that Benedict’s life’s work began. According to Ardo, Benedict pursued “without delay to be generous to those seeking lawful things” and “the care of guests, children, and poor folk he exercised with assiduity” (220) While serving at the hermitage in Aniane, Benedict influenced the students there. These students bore witness to Benedict’s faithfulness and good character and strived to become more like him (222). Since Benedict began attracting more students, there was a need for a new monastery to be erected. It was Benedict’s desire that this monastery remain modest and not become opulent (223). Many people saw Benedict’s work as a model for how they should live their lives and chose to become monks because of his influence (223).

One of the most important aspects of Benedict’s work was his unwavering compassion and kindness to those in need. Benedict was deeply affected by the number of people he saw suffering from starvation, and he began giving food out to people experiencing hunger (224). Ardo notes that Benedict was a man of love and forgiveness who treated even thieves with compassion (225-226). Benedict is also known for performing many miracles which Ardo documents in his writings. Some of these miracles, according to Ardo’s testimony, include ceasing a house fire by praying and banishing locusts (226). Through his selfless generosity and miracles, Benedict became well-known throughout the region, even gaining the interest of Emperor Charles (229). Emperor Charles endowed Benedict with “almost forty pounds of silver” which he then gave to the monasteries and the poor (231-232). According to Ardo, “Benedict had great concern not only to refresh his own people with food of preaching, but also to nourish with heavenly bread whomever he happened to encounter” (232). Benedict’s selflessness and kindness served as an example of faithfulness and Benedict began visiting monasteries across the region where he spent time teaching the Rule (232-234; 238). Esteemed individuals like Louis, King of Aquitaine and Count William, a member of the emperor’s court, were inspired by Benedict’s example and decided to lead lives of faithfulness and charity (237-239). Benedict was eventually made leader of “all monasteries in his realm” (244).

Successor states of the post-Roman world, such as the Carolingian dynasty in the Frankish Empire, strived to emulate the Roman Empire’s religious, cultural, and artistic traditions, as well as urbanization and architecture.  

By keeping these Greco-Roman ideals alive, the Franks challenged the historical framework of Rome’s ultimate fall and decline. Regions that did not inherit Roman practices, on the other hand, quickly lost their Roman influence, resulting from the fact that invaders or settlers who moved into these areas came from places with little to no knowledge of the Roman Empire. However, in larger kingdoms who modeled Roman urban life was kept alive by political and religious leaders.

“...the visual and symbolic proclamation of authority remained fundamentally linked to the practical exercise thereof in the seventh century and beyond, and that the semiotics of power continued to be encoded in the contour of urban architecture, above all in the processional routes that framed and enabled the public appearances of the most exalted urban inhabitants," (Dey, 137).

The Church was a very important structure in keeping the idea of a “Roman City” alive. Rulers of Visigothic cities often used their extravagant churches, palaces and political centers as displays of power for visitors, with many of these infrastructures intentionally lining their roads in order to gain people’s attention and respect. The influence that the Roman Empire had on the Franks remained long after the fall of Rome, such as the monastic architecture found in Carolingian Francia. In the middle of the seventh century, Charlemagne, with his contemporary and abbot, Angilbert, established Centula in what is now Normandy, France. The property consisted of three main monastic churches, with seven nearby villages and local parishes.

“The abbey church was an imposing edifice, some eighty meters long, with a transept and massive crossing tower at both the east ends, dedicated to St. Richarius, and the west, dedicated to the Savior, linked by a short nave. The east end terminated in an apse, the west in an arcaded facade fronted by an atrium (paradisus) with entrances on the north, south, and west sides. Far to the south rose the centrally planned church of St. Mary and the Apostles, with a twelve-sided exterior wall surrounding an internal hexagon, topped by a lofty spire that joined two of the abbey church to evoke the Trinity to the northeast, along the banks of the river Scardon, stood the smallest of the monastery’s three churches, dedicated to St. Benedict and reserved for the exclusive use of the monks. But the most remarkable feature of this topographical ensemble was the covered colonnades, called longanaie by Angilbert, which connected these churches together and delimited the periphery of a massive, irregularly shaped enclosure,” (Dey, 222-23).

"Jerusalem provided a second template that was assiduously evoked at Centula, above all in the abbey church, whose configuration was manifestly inspired by the Holy Sepulcher complex, where the Anastasis rotunda on the site of Christ's tomb in the west faced the basilical-plan martyrium of the Holy Apostles to the east. So too at Centula, the western part of the church, with its massive, centrally planned crossing tower and its grand reliquary in the crypt beneath containing twenty-five relics of Christ, was dedicated to Christ the Savior, while the nearly identical eastern end, dedicated to Richarius and the Apostles, housed relics of the apostles in the apse, as did the martyrium in Jerusalem," (Dey, 230).

The churches in the Carolingian Empire, like most Carolingian architecture, were modeled in the styles of Roman classicism and Late Antique. However, the Carolingians also had their own unique architectural style which they incorporated into their replication of Roman classicism and Late Antique architecture. This unique combination distinguishes Carolingian architecture from others during the medieval period. The churches were usually multistoried and featured towers on the exterior.

Modeller's Note: I used the floor plan to build the church walls. After outlining those, I raised them twenty feet and began building a roof. I went through several versions, all of which looked wonky and not at all like Carolingian architecture. I was able to use SketchUp's tools to get the walls, columns, windows, and altars to look semi-accurate. Same for the front roof. However, using the circle, follow me, and move tools to build sloped, half-circular roofs at the back of the church was much, much more difficult. My best attempt ended with what looked like a cymbal sticking out of the back of the church. My difficulty speaks to some larger issues with using SketchUp to recreate a medieval church. The disconnect between these two platforms - modern software and medieval building techniques - is one digital humanists must grapple with. It offers a chance for creativity and imaginative thinking to enter the preservation and recreation process, but also puts somewhat of a limit on what we're able to accomplish. -- David Greenspan

Relics were items placed within the reliquary at the altar in medieval churches. It was the belief of medieval Christians that these relics provided a closer connection to saints and God. Relics were usually items that had some connection to a saint including items that had been owned or touched by a saint. These items held great significance for Christians because they served as reminders that through Christ, they would have eternal life.

Oil lamps also served a significant role in Medieval churches. Not only did they provide light for the churches, but Medieval Christians felt that the lamps helped them feel a closer connection to God. These lamps were crafted from a variety of different materials including glass and were made into different shapes and sizes. They could also be made to sit flat or to be hung somewhere within the church.

Modeller's Note: I used details from a primary source on the monastery by Ardo, Life of Benedict of Aniane, to design the chandelier, I also referenced archeological findings from Byzantine churches, with a circular design, chains for support, openings for the lamps to be placed, and oil lamps within the largest circle. --Rachael Packer

Altars were placed at the front of Medieval churches. In the second phase of building the church of Aniane, the main altar is described as one solid surface on the front, with an open space in the back in which holy relics were stored on ferial days. Three small altars were also placed near the main altar in order to indicate or represent the Holy Trinity. There were items, like paintings, occasionally placed at the altar during religious holidays and celebrations.

Modeller's Note: To design the “great altar,” I interpreted descriptions from the primary source by Ardo, Life of Benedict of Aniane, translated by Allen Cabaniss. Chapter seventeen states that the main altar “is one solid surface on the front, but inwardly concave” (228). It reads that the altar featured a “little door behind where on ferial days chests containing various relics of the fathers are enclosed” (228). The altar’s decorative style suggests what Moses built in the desert, and additionally, three small altars should be placed nearby, in such a way that the persons of the Trinity may be “figuratively indicated” (228). --Brooke Harries

In the ninth and tenth centuries, the mixing of Frankish, Visigothic, and Andalusi cultures in the Marca Hispanica in what is now southern France and northern Spain, led to the creation of a new and distinctive artistic and cultural milieu. The Romanesque style was a fusion of Roman, Carolingian, Germanic, and Byzantine art and architecture; in Catalonia, it had it's own expression coming from the region's successive rule by Romans, Visigoths, Arabs, Carolingians, and local aristocrats.