Civic ceremony and religion in medieval Bruges c.1300-1520
By: Andrew Brown
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 368
ISBN-13: 9780521764452
Subjects: Religious life and customs; Religion; Rites and ceremonies; Church history; Civil religion; HISTORY / Europe / General
Description: "Public religious practice lay at the heart of civic society in late medieval Europe. In this illuminating study, Andrew Brown draws on the rich and previously little-researched archives of Bruges, one of medieval Europe's wealthiest and most important towns, to explore the role of religion and ceremony in urban society. The author situates the religious practices of citizens - their investment in the liturgy, commemorative services, guilds and charity - within the contexts of Bruges' highly diversified society and of the changes and crises the town experienced. Focusing on the religious processions and festivities sponsored by the municipal government, the author challenges much current thinking on, for example, the nature of 'civic religion'. Re-evaluating the ceremonial links between Bruges and its rulers, he questions whether rulers could dominate the urban landscape by religious or ceremonial means, and offers new insight into the interplay between ritual and power of relevance throughout medieval Europe"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: Introduction; 1. The Holy Blood Procession; 2. General processions; 3. Feast days and liturgical commemoration; 4. Guilds: feast, festivity and public worship; 5. Guilds and civic government; 6. Civic charity; 7. Civic ceremony, religion and the counts of Flanders; Conclusion and epilogue: civic morality c.1500.