Experiencing Material Christianity
Piety, Perception and Performance from the Middle Ages to the Present
Experiencing Material Christianity
Piety, Perception and Performance from the Middle Ages to the Present
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Description
This volume brings the history of Christian devotional culture in Europe from the Middle Ages to the present to life through the objects, texts, and images that people have used to practise and express their religion.
At the heart of Experiencing Material Christianity are 21 empirical case studies, each of which captures the writer's encounter with a particular 'thing' that has played a role in the religious lives of European Christians. The examples are drawn from across the continent and include both well-known objects, such as the famous Scala Santa, or Holy Stairs, in Rome and the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, and lesser-known places and curiosities, such as a pilgrimage site in the mountains of Kosovo and votive objects from Greek Orthodox devotional practice. The concise and illustrated chapters provide an accessible and compelling overview of the breadth of material expressions of Christianity in Europe.
The introduction and afterword frame the rich examples by outlining overarching themes in the study of material religion, including practices, expressions, and instruments, that reoccur throughout the collection. As a whole, the volume acts as a fresh entry point to the multi-disciplinary study of the cultural and material dimension of Christian devotion that shows how the material and the sensual have interacted with the spiritual across several centuries throughout Europe.
Table of Contents
Introduction, Henning Laugerud (University of Bergen, Norway), Salvador Ryan (St Patrick's Pontifical University, Ireland) and Samantha L. Smith (University of Oslo, Norway)
1. The Sacred Percussion Instrument of Panagia Gerontissa: Greek-Orthodox Anatomical Votives and their Ancient and Byzantine Traditions, Jørgen Bakke (University of Bergen, Norway)
2. The Dream of the Rood: Living Matter and Performative Experience in Anglo-Saxon Piety, Henning Laugerud (University of Bergen, Norway)
3. Cosmos in a Box: The Eco-semiotics of the Medieval Portable Altar, Mads Heilkov (University of Aarhus, Denmark)
4. The Schmetterlingsreliquiar of Regensburg: Ways of Seeing, Barbara Baert (Catholic University Leuven, Belgium)
5. 'The Sense Perceptions are Gradually Transformed into a Spiritual Harmony': Sensory Devotional Practice and Inner Life, Rob Faesen (Catholic University Leuven, Belgium)
6. 'Sorrow Doesn't Smile Much': The Man of Sorrows and the Franciscan Order in Late Medieval Ireland, Malgorzata Krasnodebska-D'Aughton (University College Cork, Ireland)
7. Following St. Olaf: Pilgrimage and Holy Wells in Medieval Scandinavia, Terese Zachrisson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
8. Christ as Toy Boy: Ludic Animation, Playful Parishioners and a Flying Figuration, Hans Henrik Lohfert Jørgensen (University of Aarhus, Denmark)
9. Between Miracle and Idolatry: Theological Explanations and Popular Responses, Kaja Merete Hagen (University of Oslo, Norway)
10. Looking for Our Lady of Grace: Place and Pilgrimage in the Landscape of Orkney, Peter Marshall (University of Warwick, UK)
11. Impressions of Christ: The Trope of 'Imprint' in Early Modern Christian Devotion by Way of an Illustrative Plate in Alfonso Paleotti's Esplicatione del Lenzuolo (1598), Samantha Leanne Smith (University of Oslo, Norway)
12. A Martyr's Hand and a Puritan's Pulpit: Material Traces of Conflict from the English Reformation, Peter McGrail (Liverpool Hope University, UK)
13. Re-encountering the Gunpowder Plot: Relics, Martyrs and the Hidden Heritage of a Hand-held Crucifix, Hannah Thomas (Bar Convent, York, UK)
14. St Patrick's Purgatory and the Salvation of Ireland, John McCafferty (University College Dublin, Ireland)
15. Cake Altars and the Virgin Mary: On Churching Women and Lay Devotion, Teresia Boström (Bishop of Härnösand, Swedish Lutheran Church, Sweden)
16. Discerning the Heart: The Origin and Purpose of a French Broadside, David Morgan (Duke University, USA)
17. Saints, Mantles and Materiality: The Tactile Dynamics of Performed Devotion at a Marian Shrine in Spain, Amy R. Whitehead (Massey University, New Zealand)
18. Majka Božja Letnicka /Nëna e Letnicës: A 'Mixed' Pilgrimage Site in the Mountains of Kosovo, Salvador Ryan (St Patrick's Pontifical University, Ireland)
19. The Water of Lourdes: Experiencing the Holy through Fluid Materiality, Jon P. Mitchell (University of Sussex, UK)
20. Bodies in Motion: Climbing the Scala Santa in Rome, Laura Katrine Skinnebach (University of Aarhus, Denmark)
21. Medals and a Modern Saint for Catholics on the Move: St Christopher, Alana Harris (King's College London, UK)
Epilogue, Mary Laven (University of Cambridge, UK)
Bibliography
Index
Product details
| Published | 18 Feb 2027 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 272 |
| ISBN | 9781350609143 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 44 colour and 14 bw illus |
| Dimensions | 234 x 156 mm |
| Series | Bloomsbury Studies in Material Religion |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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