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CS92PROD
The Art, Architecture, and Archaeology of the Monastic Reform Movement 1050 - 1250
ARHA 313
Fall 2007 not offered

In 1098, a small group of men led by Robert of Molesme left their Benedictine Monastery to go into the forest to found a new, purer, and more austere utopian community, one modeled on a combination of prayer and manual labor. Their site, Citeaux, gave its name to a new Cistercian order, that created a new, restrained form of Romanesque architecture and nonfigural decoration. Attracting visionaries like Bernard of Clairvaux and Ailred of Riveaulx, the Cistercian order created 500 new monasteries and convents during its first 100 years. At the same time, the order struggled with the place of figural art and the role of women in its form of monasticism. This course will consider the evolving Cistercian vision of utopian life, as well as the problems created by new forms of art and architecture, by the order's conflicted view of the role of women in monastic life, and by the rapid growth and expansion of the order and the wealth that accompanied it.

Essential Capabilities: None
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ART
Course Format: SeminarGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: None

Last Updated on DEC-21-2024
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