Castles of God : Fortified Religious Buildings of the World

Throughout history, great faiths have been subjected to persecution and attack from beyond the wall - literally walls, in Peter Harrison's remarkable book of the great monastery-fortresses, and church-fortresses, of the world.The fortified religious buildings of Christendom, Islam and Tibetan Buddhism are some of the most dramatic buildings of the middle ages. Though they shared a common purpose in defending the living faith from the armies of the unbeliever, they are astonishingly different from each other. Peter Harrison has spent a lifetime in scholarly pursuit of fortified religious buildings dating from a thousand years ago and more, in the Old and New Worlds, the Orient, and the Occident, ranging through New Mexico, North Africa and Tibet, though the majority are to be found in Europe.The wild, often hostile, terrain in which these fortresses were built speaks of a militant faith, and Peter Harrison's purpose is to show how and why religious establishments incorporated military architecture. He considers this unstudied subject from a uniquely wide point of view, historical, military, and architectural. Every form of religious building that received fortifications is illustrated, from the humble parish churches of the Anglo-Scottish Borders to the Potala Palace of the Dalai Lama and the Vatican.Particular features of this book are the author's photographs, taken in some of the wildest and most inaccessible parts of the world, and his own very detailed plans and illustrations of many of the buildings described.SHORTLISTED FOR THE LONGMAN-HISTORY TODAY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2005 AWARD.Dr PETER HARRISON is Research Associate, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York. Castles of God: Fortified Religious Buildings of the World / Peter Harrison......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Illustrations (Placed between pages 150-151)......Page 7 Figures......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 9 Introduction......Page 12 The literature......Page 13 Presentation......Page 14 The principles of selection......Page 15 Origins......Page 18 The fortified Coptic monasteries......Page 21 The monasteries of the Wadi al-Natrun......Page 23 The monasteries of Palestine......Page 25 The fortified pilgrimage sites and the tower churches of Syria......Page 29 Survival and destruction in hostile environments......Page 32 The early Gaelic monasteries......Page 34 The enigma of the Irish round tower......Page 35 The role and origins of the Irish round tower......Page 37 St Patrick’s Rock and the town of Cashel, Co. Tipperary......Page 39 The crossing towers of the Cistercians......Page 43 The fortified residential attachments to churches within and without the Pale......Page 44 Summary......Page 47 The Holy Land......Page 49 The origins of the military orders of the Templars and the Hospitallers and the development of the conventual castle......Page 50 Fortified churches, pilgrimage sites and monasteries in Outremer......Page 54 The Iberian peninsula......Page 58 Sancho Ramírez and the origin of the conventual castle......Page 59 The conventual castles of the military orders in Spain......Page 60 The fortress monasteries of the kings......Page 62 Portuguese independence and the establishment of the kingdom: castles and cathedrals......Page 63 The crusades against the Cathars and the great cathedrals......Page 66 The Brethren of the Sword and the Teutonic Knights......Page 69 Teutonic Knights and their brick-built conventual castles of Prussia......Page 71 The capitular castles of the bishoprics in Livonia......Page 74 Summary......Page 76 The English Marches......Page 77 The pele towers......Page 81 Monastic fortifications in the north of England......Page 84 The ecclesiastical fortifications of the Scottish Marches......Page 88 Church fortifications of the Anglo-Welsh border and the Southern Marches......Page 91 The western towers of the marcher villages......Page 92 The arcaded parapets of Bishop Henry of Gower......Page 95 The monastic gatehouse......Page 96 Summary......Page 97 Introduction......Page 99 The free-standing fortified church towers of Gotland......Page 100 The parish forts of Öland and their archers’ galleries......Page 102 The fortified round-tower churches of Denmark......Page 104 Summary......Page 107 Introduction......Page 108 Vikings, pirates, Islamic raiders and heretics......Page 109 The Romanesque fortress churches of the south of France......Page 110 The bastides......Page 111 The fortified rural parish churches of the south and west of France and the ‘scourge of God’......Page 114 The fortifications of the rural population......Page 115 The manner of church fortifications......Page 116 Souterrains......Page 120 Normandy......Page 121 Aisne......Page 122 Soissonais......Page 123 The Ardennes......Page 124 The Dordogne region of Aquitaine in south-western France......Page 125 Monastic fortifications......Page 126 Summary......Page 131 Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain......Page 132 The fortress monasteries of the islands of the Aegean Sea and Crete......Page 135 The sky monasteries of Meteora......Page 137 The painted monasteries of Bukovnia, ‘the country of beech trees’......Page 140 The Saxon fortress and fortified churches of Siebenland in Transylvania......Page 141 The fortified monasteries of Bulgaria, Serbia and the Dalmatian coast......Page 144 Summary......Page 146 The episcopal palaces of the prince bishops......Page 148 The fortified monasteries......Page 150 The fortified churches of Germany......Page 153 ‘A defiant third-rate fortress; a chicken coop’......Page 154 A response to the Turkish threat......Page 155 Ecclesiastical fortifications in the Czech and Slovak Republics......Page 156 The fortified churches of Austria......Page 157 Background......Page 159 Monastic fortifications......Page 160 Cefalù, Sicily, a fortified cathedral......Page 161 Fortified churches and the cortinas of Friuli......Page 178 The fortification of the Vatican......Page 179 Castel Sant’Angelo......Page 181 The pontifical castles of the Papal States......Page 182 An oddity......Page 183 Summary......Page 184 Introduction......Page 185 The defences of Moscow, the Kremlin and the fortress monasteries......Page 186 Novodevichy, the New Convent of the Virgin......Page 187 The Russian gate-church......Page 188 The fortress monasteries of the Golden Ring......Page 189 The fortress monasteries of Russia’s European borderlands......Page 192 The wooden fortress monasteries of Siberia......Page 194 Summary......Page 196 The fortress monasteries of New Spain......Page 197 The missions of Spanish New Mexico......Page 202 The missions of Texas and their relationship with the presidio......Page 206 The missions amongst the Maya of the Yucatan peninsula......Page 210 The reducciones of the Jesuit province of Paraguay......Page 212 The need for and manner of mission defences......Page 213 Comparisons between the missions of North and South America......Page 215 The fortified churches, convents and towers of the islands......Page 216 The fortified monastic complex......Page 218 The fortress monasteries of Greater Armenia......Page 222 Georgia......Page 223 The fortified monastic cave-city of Vardzia......Page 225 The fortified churches of Dzhvari, Ninocminda and Ananuri......Page 226 Summary......Page 232 Introduction......Page 233 The Portuguese expedition to Ethiopia and the fortress monastery of Debra Damo......Page 234 The influence of the Jesuits between 1543 and their expulsion in 1633......Page 236 The palace castle of Fasiladas and Debra Berhan Selassie church, the Trinity church of the Mountains of Light in Gondar......Page 237 The fortified rectangular and round churches......Page 239 Impressions......Page 241 The influences of early Roman and Byzantine fortifications......Page 242 Jihad, the ‘path of God’ and the role of the Murabitun, the ‘soldiers of the Faith’......Page 245 The role of the ribat......Page 247 The architecture and typography of the ribat, exemplified by the ribat of Sousse......Page 248 The ribats and ville-ribats of the Ifriqyan coast......Page 250 Summary......Page 252 Introduction......Page 254 The congregational mosque......Page 255 The mosque as part of urban fortifications......Page 257 The minaret, its origins and function......Page 258 Islamic monasticism and the khanaqah......Page 260 The citadel......Page 261 The caravanserai and its relationship to the Hajj......Page 262 The pilgrimage caravanserai......Page 263 Ukhaidir, a fortified palace in Mesopotamia......Page 264 The origins of the Ismaili sect of Islam......Page 266 The Assassins......Page 267 The castles of the valleys of Alamut......Page 269 The castle of Alamut and the ‘garden of streams’......Page 270 Expansion of the Assassins into Syria......Page 271 The arrival of Sinan, the ‘Old Man of the Mountains’......Page 272 The castles......Page 273 The relationship between the Assassins and the Crusaders......Page 274 The final years......Page 276 The origins of Tibetan Buddhism......Page 277 The rise of the sects and the ascendancy of the Gelukpas......Page 279 The monasteries......Page 280 Architectural techniques and form in the Tibetan cultural region......Page 281 Monastic types......Page 282 Monastic siting and defensive considerations......Page 283 The warring monks and the Dob Dobs......Page 284 Gyantse, the monastery of Pelkhor Chode......Page 285 The ‘Great Fifth’......Page 287 The Potala Palace......Page 288 The present situation......Page 290 The western Indian Himalayas......Page 291 Nepal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and China......Page 293 Ngawang Namgyal: the Shabdrung......Page 294 The development of the Bhutanese dzong......Page 295 The architecture of the dzong......Page 297 The ‘Palace of Great Happiness’: Punakha dzong......Page 298 Local variations and adaptations......Page 300 The fortified cantilevered bridges of Bhutan......Page 301 The dzongs today......Page 302 Religious fortifications: their reasons and purposes......Page 303 Architectural considerations......Page 304 The effectiveness of ecclesiastical fortifications......Page 305 Whither now?......Page 306 Glossary of Terms......Page 308 Bibliography......Page 312 Index......Page 318 An exploration of the incorporation of military architecture into religious buildings, the forms it took, and the circumstances which gave rise to it - from East to West.Throughout history, great faiths have been subjected to persecution and attack from beyond the wall - literally walls, in Peter Harrison's remarkable book of the great monastery-fortresses, and church-fortresses, of the world.The fortified religious buildings of Christendom, Islam and Tibetan Buddhism are some of the most dramatic buildings of the middle ages. Though they shared a common purpose in defending the living faith from the armies of the unbeliever, they are astonishingly different from each other. Peter Harrison has spent a lifetime in scholarly pursuit of fortified religious buildings dating from a thousand years ago and more, in the Old and New Worlds, the Orient, and the Occident, ranging through New Mexico, North Africa and Tibet, though the majority are to be found in Europe.The wild, often hostile, terrain in which these fortresses were built speaks of a militant faith, and Peter Harrison's purpose is to show how and why religious establishments incorporated military architecture. He considers this unstudied subject from a uniquely wide point of view, historical, military, and architectural. Every form of religious building that received fortifications is illustrated, from the humble parish churches of the Anglo-Scottish Borders to the Potala Palace of the Dalai Lama and the Vatican.Particular features of this book are theauthor's photographs, taken in some of the wildest and most inaccessible parts of the world, and his own very detailed plans and illustrations of many of the buildings described.SHORTLISTED FOR THE LONGMAN-HISTORY TODAY BOOKOF THE YEAR 2005 AWARD.Dr PETER HARRISON is Research Associate, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York. Throughout history, great faiths have been subjected to persecution and attack from beyond the wall - literally walls, in Peter Harrison's remarkable book of the great monastery-fortresses, and church-fortresses, of the world. The fortified religious buildings of Christendom, Islam and Tibetan Buddhism are some of the most dramatic buildings of the middle ages. Though they shared a common purpose in defending the living faith from the armies of the unbeliever, they are astonishingly different from each other. Peter Harrison has spent a lifetime in scholarly pursuit of fortified religious buildings dating from a thousand years ago and more, in the Old and New Worlds, the Orient, and the Occident, ranging through New Mexico, North Africa and Tibet, though the majority are to be found in Europe. The wild, often hostile, terrain in which these fortresses were built speaks of a militant faith, and Peter Harrison's purpose is to show how and why religious establishments incorporated military architecture. He considers this unstudied subject from a uniquely wide point of view, historical, military, and architectural. Every form of religious building that received fortifications is illustrated, from the humble parish churches of the Anglo-Scottish Borders to the Potala Palace of the Dalai Lama and the Vatican. Particular features of this book are the author's photographs, taken in some of the wildest and most inaccessible parts of the world, and his own very detailed plans and illustrations of many of the buildings described. Dr PETER HARRISON is Research Associate, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York Peter Harrison's Purpose Is To Show How And Why Religious Establishments Incorporated Military Architecture. He Considers This Unstudied Subject From A Uniquely Wide Point Of View, Historical, Military, And Architectural. Every Form Of Religious Building That Received Fortifications Is Illustrated, From The Humble Parish Churches Of The Anglo-scottish Borders To The Potala Palace Of The Dalai Lama And The Vatican. Particular Features Of This Book Are The Author's Photographs, Taken In Some Of The Wildest And Most Inaccessible Parts Of The World, And His Own Very Detailed Plans And Illustrations Of Many Of The Buildings Described.--jacket. Middle Eastern Origins -- Ireland -- The Crusades -- Great Britain -- Scandinavia -- France -- The Eastern Mediterranean And Eastern Europe -- Central Europe -- Italy -- Russia -- America And The Philippines -- The Caucasus Region -- Ethiopia -- Islam I -- Islam Ii -- Iran And Syria -- The Himalayan Region. Peter Harrison. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [285]-290) And Index.