Place and Space: Modifications and Adaptations of the Sacred in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras, Online, June 8, 2023

The relationship between sacred practices and space in the medieval and early modern periods is intricate and varies from place to place in medieval communities. The use of charms, graffiti, personal pieces of artwork, and depositions of everyday materials customised and determined the use and behaviour within sacred spaces. This symposium seeks to explore how communities adapted different spaces for spiritual and religious purposes.

Suggested themes for papers include (but are not limited to):

• Use of material culture in elite or non-elite domestic spaces
• Engagement with the sacred through materiality in rural or urban settings
• Use of visual culture in differing spaces
• Changes or continuity in the significance of spatial contexts for spiritual practices
• The materiality of belief in popular religion
• Regionality of spatial engagement with sacred material culture
• Interdisciplinary approaches combining written and material sources
• The role of architecture in medieval spiritual phenomenology

This symposium will be held in an online format and is hosted by the University of Leicester and the University of Exeter.