Sacred Places

The body or relics of a saint could attract divine protection on the community and the place where they were kept. If, in some cases, the monasteries were structures of assistance to sanctuaries of certain notoriety, starting from the 7th century, they increasingly played the role of protagonists, autonomously managing the devotional activities derived from the acquisition or translation of relics. The need to preserve the isolation of the 'clausura' and to manage, at the same time, an increasing flow of pilgrims led these monasteries to build new spaces for prayer, communion and assistance.

This book includes the Proceedings of the International Conference held in Naples (Italy) on November 28-29, 2022. The Conference - organized, as part of a Marie-Curie research project, by the Fondazione San Bonaventura with the contribution of the Italian Ministry of Culture - brought together historians, archaeologists, and art historians to discuss the theme of spatial articulation of monasteries chosen as places of pilgrimage during the Early Middle Ages in Western Europe. From this interdisciplinary discussion, exciting insights have emerged on aspects of particular relevance, such as the organization of the funerary space and interaction between monks and laypeople, the elements of balance or clash between 'clausura' and hospitality and the comparison between male and female monasteries as devotional centers.