PART FIVE The Intellectuality of Early Medieval Art

Aachen Cathedral's cupola, the earliest surviving arching vault north of the Alps and the highest until Gothic cathedrals, symbolizes the transformative impact of early medieval stone architecture. This study highlights how monumental structures like Charlemagne’s chapel, alongside palaces and chapels, reflected the resurgent wealth and power of early medieval monarchs, contrasting sharply with the humble wooden or wattle-and-daub dwellings of the time. It explores the cultural significance of these structures, emphasizing their role in political rituals, religious practices, and the accumulation of wealth derived from rural economies. The research also examines the rarity and value of books and images, noting their seductive yet perilous power in a world where idolatry was both forbidden by rival civilizations like Islam and Byzantium and actively destroyed by Frankish warriors and missionaries.

(Ed.). (2016). PART FIVE The Intellectuality of Early Medieval Art. The Long Morning of Medieval Europe, 295–296. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315238548-36