Patrons and Minders: the Intrusion of the Secular into Sacred Spaces in the Late Middle Ages
Andrew Martindale
From the twelfth century onwards it became common for sacred spaces—that is, churches—to be invaded by objects and imagery which are often surprising bizarre which, in their secular-ity, have little to do with fundamental teachings of Christianity. Many these familiar, some less familiar; arid topic seems appropriate a ‘generalist’ audience ecclesiastical history specialists. It should said at once that this secularity reach peak around middle fourteenth century, followed slow somewhat irregular retreat; but since entire sequence events is accompanied an almost complete silence written sources, reasons what was happening remain largely speculative. I shall return point.
Studies in Church History