Fortress-Churches of Languedoc

Fortress-Churches of Languedoc traces the changing relationship between military and religious realms as expressed in architecture across medieval Europe. The scholarship of medieval architecture has traditionally imposed a division between military and ecclesiastical structures. Often however medieval churches were provided with fortified enclosures crenellations iron-barred doors and other elements of defence demonstrating the strong link between Church and state and the military and religious realms. In her study of fortress-churches Sheila Bonde focuses on three twelfth-century monuments in southern France - Maguelone Agde and Saint-Pon-de-Thomire which are among the earliest examples of the type. She analyses her archaeological surveys of these structures and also re-examines their documentation which is here presented both in the original Latin and in English translations. The book also explores the larger context of fortification and authority in twelfth-century Languedoc and examines the dynamics of architectural exchange and innovation in the Mediterranean at a moment of critical historical importance.