DU2336 Fortified sacral buildings of medieval Europe

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Taught online.
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Aleš Flídr (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Pavel Suchánek, Ph.D.
Department of Art History – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Aleš Flídr
Supplier department: Department of Art History – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 18:00–19:40 K31
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
Within the course students become acquainted with the liturgical spaces situated inside of fortifications. From the very beginning of the studies devoted to the sacral architecture its defensive and refugial function was obvious. In Europe the fortifications surrounding some monasteries are rather well preserved, the comturias of order knights were fortified, from the iconographic sources the strong defence of the churches based in rather small and non-fortified settlements is well known. This situation is less obvious in the countryside, esp. in the period of early Middle Ages. Even though the country churches are surrounded by the moats, earthworks and high cemetery walls, it is often very difficult to determine their age and original purpose. From the period of late Gothic many fortified churches are well-preserved in West Bohemia, in the Highlands and esp. in South Moravia endangered by the Turkish invasions then. Abroad from the Czech Rep. the fortified churches are to be found in Germany, Austria and Slovakia. Widest range of fortification elements is preserved in Transylvania – formerly German villages whose inhabitants were in the Middle Ages and even in modern history protected by monumental church fortresses. Many of them have not changed their look since the times of Turkish wars.
Learning outcomes
to describe basic trends in the development of the European fortified sacral architecture; to identify particular fortification elements; to determine function of different spaces in the church and conventual building; to determine social factors and their reflection in fortification of the churches; to identify most important examples of fortress churches in the Central Europe
Syllabus
  • 1. Historiography and terminology 2. Beginnings of fortification of the sacral buildings in the late Ancient period and early Middle Ages 3. Churches and their fortification in early and high Middle Ages in Bohemia and Moravia 4. Examples of Bohemian and Moravian fortified churches in late Gothic 5. Walled churches in Germany, Austria and Slovakia 6. Beginnings of the fortified churches in Transylvania 7. Defence of the Transylvanian municipalities against the Turkish threat 8. Golden Age of Transylvanian fortress churches
Literature
    recommended literature
  • LEFNEROVÁ, Libuše. Pozdně gotické opevněné kostely na Moravě. 68 s. 1958. info
  • Dana Běhalová, Jihomoravské opevněné kostely na přelomu 15. a 16. století. In: Dějiny staveb 2015. Sborník příspěvků z konference Dějiny staveb. Plzeň 2015, s. 216-222.
  • Jan Sommer, Gotické kostely s obrannými zařízeními na českém venkově. In: Sborník Společnosti přátel starožitností 1 (Sborník Kruhu přátel Muzea hl. m. Prahy). Praha 1997, s. 111-114.
  • Jiří Varhaník, Středověký vesnický kostel jako refugium. In: Archaeologia historica 24, Brno 1999, s. 313-317.
  • Martin Čechura, Opevněné kostely v Čechách. In: Hláska : zpravodaj Klubu Augusta Sedláčka 11, č. 2. Plzeň 2000, s. 17-21.
  • PACHNER, Jaroslav. Opevněné kostely na Chomutovsku. Photo by Hugo Sedláček. Vyd. 1. V Chomutově: Oblastní muzeum. 85 s. ISBN 9788090434295. 2013. info
  • Eva Bittermann, Wehrkirchen im Waldviertel. Diplomarbeit Universität Wien – Historisch-Kulturwissenschaftliche Fakultät. Wien 2012 (Digitalisat)
  • Martin Gojda, Opevněné kostely v Sedmihradsku. Dějiny a současnost. Kulturně historická revue. 14, č. 4, 1992, s. 52-56.
  • Miroslav Plaček, Opevněný kostel (reflexe spojení laického a církevního světa na příkladu Sedmihradska). In: Archaeologia historica 21, Brno 1996, s. 259-279.
  • Hermann Fabini, Die Kirchenburgen der Siebenbürger Sachsen. Hermannstadt 2013.
  • FABINI, Hermann. Atlas der siebenbürgisch-sächsischen Kirchenburgen und Dorfkirchen. Hermannstadt: Monumenta. viii, 392. ISBN 3929848155. 1999. info
  • FABINI, Hermann. Atlas der siebenbürgisch-sächsischen Kirchenburgen und Dorfkirchen. 3. überarbeitete Aufl. Hermannstadt: Monumenta. xxxii, 874. ISBN 3929848325. 2002. info
  • George Oprescu, Die Wehrkirchen in Siebenbürgen. Dresden 1961.
  • Robert Stollberg - Thomas Schulz, Kirchenburgen in Siebenbürgen. Köln 2007.
  • Karl Kafka, Wehrkirchen Niederösterreichs : Wehrkirchen, Wehrkirchhöfe, Wehrkirchtürme. Wien 1969.
  • Karl Kafka, Wehrkirchen in Oberösterreich, Salzburg, Tirol und Vorarlberg. Wien 1979.
  • Karl Kolb, Wehrkirchen und Kirchenburgen in Franken, Würzburg 1990.
  • Gerhard Seib, Wehrhafte Kirchen in Nordhessen. Marburg 1999
  • Hans-Jürgen Hessel, Befestigte Kirchen (Wehrkirchen) : Ein vernachlässigtes Kapitel unserer Geschichte. Langenweißbach 2019.
  • Dirk Höhne und Reinhard Schmitt (Hrsg.), Wehrhafte Kirchen und befestigte Kirchen. Langenweißbach 2015.
Teaching methods
The course is taught in the form of lectures, special scholarly excursion will allow practical view on current state of the medieval fortified sacral architecture in Moravia.
Assessment methods
Oral examination.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2020/DU2336