What is a reliquary and why are they important to pilgrims?

Part 1
Video lecture
Video 2
OUTSIDE READING: Medieval Pilgrimage (attached)
What is pilgrimage? According to your outside reading (“Pilgrimage in Medieval Europe”), what is the relationship between pilgrimage and sacred art (both art and architecture)? PLEASE USE A DIRECT

QUOTATION!

What is a reliquary and why are they important to pilgrims?
How do we see the benefits of pilgrimage visually represented on the cathedral of St. Lazare in Autun, France? YOU MUST BE SPECIFIC!

Part 2

Friends, this week we begin the Gothic Period, which we very much associate with the rising power of the Capetian Dynasty in France. Although your lectures dance around this issue, the rise of the Gothic style is very much a response to the increasingly powerful and centralized power of the kings of France. After all, the massive Gothic cathedrals built around Paris in the 1100’s and 1200’s couldn’t have happened in a period of economic and political chaos. Please note, this week, you have two outside lectures, one quite short (which discusses the Church of St. Denis), and a much longer one on the crown jewel of the Gothic period, Chartres Cathedral outside of Paris (be aware that “Chartres” is pronounced as “shartra”in French and typically as “shart” by English speakers). You also have two brief readings. The second of these is an article on the restoration of Chartres Cathedral from 2017 which I find fascinating (so should you!!). Please read everything carefully.
Reading
Outside lecture
Outsude lecture 2
OUTSIDE READING: The “Scandalous” Restoration of Chartres (attached)
Abbot Suger was the administrator at the Abbey of St. Denis (note: Abbot is his title, not his name). What was so important about this church? Why did Suger feel the church needed to be more spectacular? What new building techniques did Suger implement at St. Denis (particularly in the ambulatory, the walkway behind the altar of the church)?
For Suger, what did the emphasis on decoration, and particularly stained glass represent?

Finally, read the article on the controversial restoration of Chartres Cathedral from 2017. What was so controversial about this restoration? Which side do you think is right? PLEASE USE A DIRECT QUOTATION IN YOUR ANSWER!

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