Church Orientation in the Landscape: a Perspective from Medieval Wales
Anne Sassin Allen
Studies have proposed diverse explanations in attempting to find meaning behind the varied range orientation of church buildings. From patronal feast days, seasonality their foundation, from magnetic east, Easter Calendar, and most recently harvest festival celebrations, no one assessment has resulted a definite answer. This paper aims consider orientations obtained 630 medieval churches Wales, first macro-scale survey Welsh structures, large number which were aligned far traditional 90°, indicating other factors at play. The study argues that, more than elsewhere Britain, was set relation prominent human-made natural features surrounding landscape, many had acquired strong significance local collective memory.
The Archaeological Journal