Brown, Andrew. Civic ceremony and religion in medieval Bruges c.1300-1520

Folger bibliographic ID: 247030
Folger call number: BL980.B4 B76 2011
Folger holdings ID: 318570

"Public religious practice lay at the heart of civic society in late medieval Europe. In this illuminating study, Andrew Brown draws on the rich and previously little-researched archives of Bruges, one of medieval Europe's wealthiest and most important towns, to explore the role of religion and ceremony in urban society. The author situates the religious practices of citizens - their investment in the liturgy, commemorative services, guilds and charity - within the contexts of Bruges' highly diversified society and of the changes and crises the town experienced. Focusing on the religious processions and festivities sponsored by the municipal government, the author challenges much current thinking on, for example, the nature of 'civic religion'. Re-evaluating the ceremonial links between Bruges and its rulers, he questions whether rulers could dominate the urban landscape by religious or ceremonial means, and offers new insight into the interplay between ritual and power of relevance throughout medieval Europe"--

General notes

Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-350) and index

Contents

1. The Holy Blood procession -- 2. General processions -- 3. Feast days and liturgical commemoration -- 4. Guilds: feast, festivity and public worship -- 5. Guilds and civic government -- 6. Civic charity -- 7. Civic ceremony, religion and the counts of Flanders -- Conclusion and epilogue: civic morality c.1500

Extended title: Civic ceremony and religion in medieval Bruges c.1300-1520 / Andrew Brown

Bruges (Belgium) Civil religion Rites and ceremonies HISTORY / Europe / General

author: Brown, Andrew, 1964-