Art History 231 - Medieval Architecture

To step inside a medieval cathedral is still a profound experience. Nowadays, their majestic heights and elegant forms are objects of quiet contemplation. Yet medieval buildings were seldom still or silent, and their audiences were rarely disinterested observers. This course surveys the architecture of Europe and the Mediterranean between the fourth and the fifteenth centuries. The course explores the development of the distinctive forms of medieval architecture in both the East and the West—from churches and monasteries to mosques, synagogues, cities, and palaces—and how these spaces were activated in contexts of ritual, liturgy, and performance. (E)