Romanesque Art and Architecture: Pilgrimage and Reform between Rome and Santiago

Overview

In this module we will consider Santiago, Cluny, and the art of eleventh- and twelfth-century Italian peninsula, with a special focus on Montecassino, Salerno, Modena, Nonantola and Rome, discussing how the themes of the Pilgrimage, as well as the ‘Gregorian Reform’ shaped the study of the history of the art of this period. In fact, from the beginning of the twentieth century, in particular Arthur Kingsley Porter’s seminal Romanesque Sculpture of the Pilgrimage Roads (1923), the topic of pilgrimage to Santiago has been at the core of research
on ‘Romanesque’ art. Specifically, emphasis has been placed on the role of the order of Cluny and its impressive mother abbey church (Cluny III, 1088- ca. 1120) and later, on the ‘Gregorian Reform’ in relation to the creation of works of art. We will investigate the more recent scholarship, which challenges past theories and assumptions and sheds new light on the relationships between art, architecture and history.

Aims

By the end of the module, students should have acquired:

• A good knowledge of the key monuments of twelfth-century Western Europe
• An understanding of the methodological theories related to twelfth-century art and architecture
• A critical approach to the art-historical debates, and an awareness of how other disciplines help shape the study of the field