Benedictine monastic building in England, 1200-1540
Date
1980
Authors
Bugslag, James Frederick Peter
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Abstract
The magnificence of the Gothic style has understandably drawn the interest of many art historians - but with the result that the appearance of Gothic buildings is better known than the way they functioned. Even the type of building is often regarded to be of secondary or even no importance compared with its stylistic features. The purpose of this thesis is to consider the functional development of medieval architecture. In order to observe a wide enough range of buildings in fine enough detail, a case study has been made of Benedictine monasteries in England from 1200 to 1540.
It is proposed here that the form of a monastic fabric and changes to its buildings are motivated primarily by considerations of use and reflect not only how the buildings were used by the monks who inhabited them, but how monasteries functioned in contemporary society. Thus, they give evidence of current monastic practice and of the social status of monasteries in general. Since monasteries were basically publicly supported institutions, there was a dynamic relation between monastic practice and social status especially apparent in monastic buildings; the great expense of such architecture must represent very fundamental social aspirations.
Benedictines engaged in building of the most varied character. The main thrust of their building was directed toward the monastic precinct and particularly toward the monastic church. The church, the most important building of a monastery, forms the subject of Chapter One of this thesis. The second chapter deals with the cloisters and the buildings around them, which comprised the main domestic buildings of the monks. The third chapter examines other building in the precinct and also treats briefly of building outside the precinct.
The results of these investigations combine to show, through changes in the monastic fabric, that the early 13th century was the high point of monastic popularity and popular participation in the monastic enterprise. From the later 13th century that long process of decline which eventually led to the demise of monasticism in England under Henry VIII is also traceable in monastic building practices. The thesis ends with conclusions which form a chronological summary of the main currents of this process.