Every architectural space has a gravitational center, one that may be spatial or symbolic or both; for the medieval church, the altar fulfilled that role. This essay will explore what transpired at the altar during this period as well as its decoration, which was intended to edify and illuminate the worshippers gathered in the church.

Nov 18, 2022 · Previously in this series, we touched upon the Paleochristian and Early Medieval forms of the altar. In this next instalment we shall treat of the later medieval forms that developed from this arrangement.

Altarpieces were one of the most important products of Christian art especially from the late Middle Ages to the era of Baroque painting. [3] The word altarpiece, used for paintings, usually means a framed work of panel painting on wood, or later on canvas. In the Middle Ages they were generally the largest genre for these formats.

Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and modern paganism. Many historical-medieval faiths also made use of them, including the Roman, Greek, and Norse religions.

East end of the 8th-century Roman basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, showing the altar, under a 13th-century ciborium behind a templon screen of columns. The foreground forms the liturgical choir, surrounded by low cancelli screens, to …

Nov 18, 2021 · Altars are (or ought to be at least), architecturally and liturgically, the central focal point of the interior of our churches. Given their evident importance, it is no surprise that there can be much in the way of disagreement as to what the ideal form of the altar is.

Though its invention came about in the Middle Ages, the altarpiece is rooted in the ancient Church tradition of employing sacred imagery to enhance the liturgy with visual aids (adiaphora) for the instruction of the faithful; a tradition definitively upheld by the Second Council of Nicaea in the eighth century and by Trent some seven hundred yea...

Oct 1, 2001 · Whether created for a church or for a private individual, medieval reliquaries have been subject to widespread destruction during times of religious and political strife. Those that survive bear precious witness to exceptional artistic creativity inspired by contemporary faith.

Feb 9, 2022 · Brief overview of the styles of altarpiece used in Europe in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Here you will find information on known surviving medieval European portable altars, created between 600 and 1600 CE. Links to the current institution's information and/or object biographies are provided where available.