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Couple of comments and questions! I always thought that the factional name "Ghibelline" came from the small town of Waiblingen in Swabia -not from the name of the antipope Clement III which was Guibert but I could be wrong! The Welf dynasty. a lot further down the line of course, in the form of the cadet branch, the house of Hanover, became the rulers of Great Britain until the death of queen Victoria in 1901.And the other comment refers to the empress Mathilda -whose son Henry II of England founded the Plantagenet dynasty. She was married to Holy Roman emperor Henry V until his early death - and actually this Mathilda acted as regent for him in Italy while he was absent elsewhere. Now countess Mathilda of Tuscany would still have been alive at this time and I wonder if there was any connection between the names - and also the other Mathilda's history like the Scottish queen ( I think) and Mathilda of Blois wife of king Stephen I of England. I think the name "Mathilda" in early German means something like shield maiden (or similar military associations) and this is very appropriate for the other Mathildas I mentioned who were also involved (personally) in military struggles.
I think the word "fief" would be better than "feud" as the latter word in English has overtones of quarrels and vendetta - though in Italian the word "feudo" would be appropriate.
I’ve recently spent two nights here and experienced something odd. The sound of running footsteps on stone. I wasn’t scared, just excited and I can’t wait to return for another stay. It’s so atmospheric
The Holy Catholic Mass of the Ages was said in that chapel for about a thousand years. Most days, I attend that Mass (or as near as I can get to it 1962 rite), which is humbling, to say the least.
De Tracy family also had a manor at Newington next Sittingbourne in Kent, their manor abutted that of Richard De Lucie (King Henry's justiciar) who was instrumental in the encouragement of the knight's killing of Thomas. De Lucie was close friends with his neighbours the De Tracy family, so don't assume De Tracy was living in Devon with that branch of the Tracy family.
He wasn't called Archbishop Becket in his life time, he was known as Thomas of London, Thomas of Canterbury after death and the A' Becket assigned to him sometime in the late middleages. His father was rarely mentioned by usually refered to by his eldest daughter as Gilbert of Bec. His three sisters refered to him as Thomas of London, and his nephew, a son of Agnes, was known as John of London, priest at Canterbury later priest of Lower Halstow Kent.
A church building is a place for worship. It's not a place for entertainment for all and sundry to camp in. Using it thus smacks very much of the temple money changers; and we know what Jesus Christ thought of them !!
Amazed at how many just seem to be shoved away out of view with little ornamentation or celebration of their lives … as for just popping them in where there is a bit of space with others seems quite disrespectful
A fascinating talk with some great examples. Thank you for sharing. Slightly off topic but the example of Coventry Whitefriars being repurposed as a school with the choir seating being used as rows of desks facing each other reminded me of the seating in the House of Commons chamber which I understand was only laid out like that as it was based on the original seating in St Stephen's Chapel. It made me wonder about the influence of church architecture in other secular buildings.
🫵 Decline of Christianity in the Western world The decline of Christianity in the Western world is the decreasing Christian affiliation in the Western world. While most countries in the Western world were historically almost exclusively Christian, the post-World War II era has seen developed countries with modern, secular educational facilities shifting towards post-Christian, secular, globalized, multicultural and multifaith societies. While Christianity is currently the predominant religion in Latin America, Europe, Canada and the United States, the religion is declining in many of these areas, including Western Europe, North America and Oceania. A decline in Christianity among countries in Latin America's Southern Cone has also contributed to a rise in irreligion in Latin America. Wiki 🫣 Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline - The Guardian 23-Jan-2023 - As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year!
It’s worth a visit to St Fagan’s Museum of Welsh Life where a medieval church (Llandeilo Talybont) has been re-sited stone by stone. The interior has been fashioned and decorated as a typical late medieval Welsh church and includes a rood screen painted brightly as per the period.
What a wonderful lecture by Dr John Munns. I came across this by happy accident. I have his book which I find excellent, it’s a fascinating survey of the place of the Cross imagery in Anglo Norman culture and a great find when I was researching St Mary’s Kempley. It is great to see him in person. I just wanted to express my thanks directly. I wish it had been longer and there was more time for questions but you can’t have everything! Thank you so much.
i used to put my alarm on for 5am so i could watch this man and his church programmes on channel five.. interesting subject, window on a lost world.. thankyou for sharing this 🙂
My reception is experiencing sporadic flashes of static. I may have to stop watching, which I don’t want to do. I managed to keep watching despite the noise. Once the lecture began, the irritating static stopped.
