Use & Abuse of Sacred Places in Late Medieval Towns

Church buildings dominated the medieval towns. Higher and stronger than mostbuildings in town they offered a venue for various kinds of activities.Primarily the... » 

Church buildings dominated the medieval towns. Higher and stronger than mostbuildings in town they offered a venue for various kinds of activities.Primarily the faithful flocked towards the churches to attend masses. Howeverthe use of sacred places was not restricted to religion. Secular authoritiesthe ruler the town government the trades or guilds also made use of theseecclesiastical buildings for practical or sociopolitical reasons. As such thesacred places were perceived to lend a kind of sacral aura to all proceedingstaking place inside. Apart from a mere enumeration and description of thedifferent uses eleven scholars explain why these sacred places were suchappreciated venues for various kinds of secular activities and why somechurches and monasteries were more popular than others. «