Bøger i Mediaevalia Lovaniensia serien

In context of the late medieval state centralisation, the political autonomy of the towns of the Low Counties, Northern France and the Swiss Confederation was threatened by tensions with higher levels of power. Within this conflict both rulers and towns employed symbolic means of communication to legitimise their power position. The authors of Symbolic Communication in Late Medieval Towns explore how new layers of meaning were attached to well-known traditions and how these new rituals were perceived. They study the public encounters between rulers and towns, as well as the use of rituals to express the political and religious relations between the various social groups within the town.

Church buildings dominated the medieval towns. Higher and stronger than most buildings in town, they offered a venue for various kinds of activities. Primarily the faithful flocked towards the churches to attend masses. However, the use of sacred places was not restricted to religion. Secular authorities, the ruler, the town government, the trades or guilds also made use of these ecclesiastical buildings for practical or socio-political reasons. As such the sacred places were perceived to lend a kind of sacral aura to all proceedings taking place inside. Apart from a mere enumeration and description of the different uses eleven scholars explain why these sacred places were such appreciated venues for various kinds of secular activities, and why some churches and monasteries were more popular than others.