My Temple Should Be a House of Prayer
The Use and Misuse of Carolingian Churches
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3292341 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dana M Polanichka (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 87 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 371-398 |
| Publication date | 2018-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Church History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-6407 • E-ISSN: 1755-2613 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0009640718000859 |
| OpenAlex | W2886347042 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
This essay explores eighth- and early ninth-century Frankish understandings and experiences of churches as holy spaces, arguing that myriad textual genres demonstrate the widespread Carolingian belief in churches as highly sacred spaces as well as the significant variations in the specifics and execution of that belief. The first part of the article details how Carolingian legislation worked to define, recognize, and maintain the sacred space of churches by insisting upon specific, respectful behaviors within them. The central portion of the article considers epistolary and hagiographical texts that describe and, at times, accept transgressions of these laws, including by an elite member of the Carolingian court. The article contends that not all misbehavior and misuse of churches defiled them; rather, inappropriate behaviors often highlighted or activated the sanctity of a space in a way that legislation could not. This essay, in triangulating Carolingian legislative, hagiographical, and epistolary texts, opens a window onto the views of the laity regarding churches as sacred spaces. Ultimately, it raises questions about the extent (and limits) of Frankish beliefs regarding spatial sacrality, the reach of the Carolingian reform efforts, and the nature of lay religiosity
Aesthetics · Art · Elite · Legislation · Legislature · Linguistics · Literature · Ninth · Political science · Politics · Prayer · Religiosity · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Law · Medieval Literature and History · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Religious studies
The Settlement of Disputes in Early Medieval Europe
The End of Ancient Christianity
Sanctuary and Crime in the Middle Ages, 400-1500
Space and place
To take place
Culture and Religion in Merovingian Gaul, A.D. 481-751
The Carolingian Liturgical Experience
Sanctuary, Penance, and Dispute Settlement under Charlemagne
The Carolingian Age
The production of space
Carolingian Debate over Sacred Space
Discourses of Purity in Transcultural Perspective (300-1600)
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |