The Virgin of Chartres: Making History through Liturgy and the Arts

Description

Medieval Christians knew the past primarily through what they saw and heard. History was reenacted every year in ritual observances particular to each place and region and rooted in the legends of local saints.This richly illustrated book explores the layers of history found in the cult of the Virgin of Chartres as it developed in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Focusing on the major relic of Chartres Cathedral, the Virgin’s gown, and the Feast of Mary's Nativity, Margot Fassler employs a wide range of historical evidence including local histories, letters, obituaries, chants, liturgical sources, and reports of miracles, leading to a detailed reading of the cathedral's west façade. This interdisciplinary volume will prove invaluable to historians who work in religion, politics, music, and art but will also serve as a guidebook for all interested in the history of Chartres Cathedral. Contents Preface Acknowledgments: À la recherche du temps perdu Part One: Mary before Fulbert 1. Chartres in Early Histories and Legends 2. War and Peace in the Mid-Tenth Century Part Two: Mary’s Time From Advent to the Nativity of the Virgin at Chartres 3. Adventus and Advent: History and Lineage in the Latin Rite 4. Trauma and the Remedies of History 5. The Virgin in the Second Half of the Eleventh Century: Fulbert Becomes a Liturgist Part Three: Politics and Religious Fervor in Twelfth-Century Chartres 6. New Modes of Seeing: Ideals of Reform in the Early Twelfth Century 7. Intrigue, Fervor, and the Building of Churches 8. The Campaign at Midcentury: Bishops, Dignitaries, and Canons Part Four: History Revealed The Cult of the Virgin and the Visual Arts in the Mid-Twelfth Century 9. The Virgin and the Tabernacle 10. Adventus and Lineage: The Meanings of the Jamb Statues 11. Reality and Prophecy: Exegetical Narrative in the West Façade 12. History Retold: From the West Lancets to the Afterlife of the Cult Appendixes Abbreviations Notes Bibliography