The Sainte-Chapelle and the construction of sacral monarchy : royal architecture in thirteenth-century Paris

This Book Offers A Novel Perspective On One Of The Most Important Monuments Of French Gothic Architecture, The Sainte-chapelle, Constructed In Paris By King Louis Ix Of France Between 1239 And 1248 Especially To Hold And To Celebrate Christ's Crown Of Thorns. Meredith Cohen Argues That The Chapel's Architecture, Decoration, And Use Conveyed The Notion Of Sacral Kingship To Its Audience In Paris And In Greater Europe, Thereby Implicitly Elevating The French King To The Level Of Suzerain, And Establishing An Early Visual Precedent For The Political Theories Of Royal Sovereignty And French Absolutism. By Setting The Chapel Within Its Broader Urban And Royal Contexts, This Book Offers New Insight Into Royal Representation And The Rise Of Paris As A Political And Cultural Capital In The Thirteenth Century-- 1. The Making Of A Royal City: Paris And The Architecture Of Philip Augustus -- 2. The Sainte-chapelle: Parisian Rayonnant And The New Royal Architecture -- 3. The Architecture Of Sacral Kingship -- 4. Private, Public, And The Promotion Of The Cult Of Kings -- 5. Louis' Later Patronage In Paris -- Conclusion. Meredith Cohen University Of California, Los Angeles. Bases On The Author's Thesis (ph. D.--columbia University, 2004). Includes Bibliographical References (pages 269-286) And Index. The Importance Of Cultural Contacts In The East Mediterranean Has Long Been Recognized And Is The Focus Of Ongoing International Research. Fieldwork In The Aegean, Egypt, Cyprus, And The Levant Continues To Add To Our Understanding Of The Nature Of This Contact And Its Social And Economic Significance, Particularly To The Cultures Of The Aegean. Despite Sophisticated Discussion Of The Archaeological Evidence, In Particular On The Part Of Aegean And Mediterranean Archaeologists, There Has Been Little Systematic Attempt To Incorporate Anthropological Perspectives On Materiality And Exchange Into Archaeological Narratives Of This Material. This Book Addresses That Gap And Integrates Anthropological Discourse On Contact, Examining Exchange Systems, The Gift, Notions Of Geographical Distance And Power, Colonization, And Hybridization. Furthermore, It Develops A Social Narrative Of Culture Contact In The Mediterranean Context, Illustrating The Reasons Communities Chose To Engage In International Exchange, And How This Impacted The Construction Of Identities Throughout The Region. While Traditional Archaeologies In The East Mediterranean Have Tended To Be Reductive In Their Approach To Material Culture And How It Was Produced, Used, And Exchanged, This Book Reviews Current Research On Material Culture, Focusing On Issues Such As The Biography Of Objects, Inalienable Possessions, And Hybridization - Exploring How These Issues Can Further Illuminate The Material World Of The Communities Of The Bronze Age Mediterranean.--publisher's Website. Introduction: Connected Worlds -- Colonies In The Bronze Age Mediterranean -- Entangled Worlds: Hybridization And An International Style -- Greeting Gifts And Competitive Gift Exchange -- Commodities, Luxuries And The Creation Of Desire -- Technologies Of Enchantment -- Materiality And The Biography Of Objects -- Conclusions. Louise Steel. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "This book offers a novel perspective on one of the most important monuments of French Gothic architecture, the Sainte-Chapelle, constructed in Paris by King Louis IX of France between 1239 and 1248 especially to hold and to celebrate Christ's Crown of Thorns. Meredith Cohen argues that the chapel's architecture, decoration, and use conveyed the notion of sacral kingship to its audience in Paris and in greater Europe, thereby implicitly elevating the French king to the level of suzerain, and establishing an early visual precedent for the political theories of royal sovereignty and French absolutism. By setting the chapel within its broader urban and royal contexts, this book offers new insight into royal representation and the rise of Paris as a political and cultural capital in the thirteenth century"-- Provided by publisher