Light and Darkness in Medieval Architecture

In medieval thought, light in its manifestations as lux and lumen is a central element, charged with metaphorical and symbolic meanings of the divine, but also a means of expressing prestige and magnificence. In general, studies of lighting in pre-modern architecture focus on the Gothic period with its large, translucent stained glass windows. A long-term study, from Early Christian basilicas to Early Medieval and Romanesque churches in different regions of Europe, shows the diversity of approaches - sometimes antagonistic - that could be described as different ‘economies’ of light.

The course aims to provide an introduction to medieval religious architecture as a ‘machine’ in which various media - liturgy, relics, space, images and inscriptions - contribute to the staging of the sacred. Attention will therefore be focused on the functional means of lighting, both the natural lighting of the building - orientation, dimensions, openings, vaults, surfaces, spatiality - and artificial lighting - oil lamps, candles, candelabras and their positioning. How do we talk about such an elusive medium as daylight in architecture? What tools should we use to document the effects of natural light in a building, depending on the season and time of day? Can we find traces of the consideration of natural and artificial light in architecture in written sources from late antiquity to around the 15th century? What were the roles attributed to darkness?

A selection of passages on the metaphors, perception and effects of light and darkness are taken from philosophical, theological, and architectural contexts (Plato, the Old and New Testament, Vitruvius, Paulinus of Nola, Procopius, Paulus Silentius, Suger of Saint-Denis, Leon Battista Alberti), as well as from inscriptions found on the buildings themselves. These are related to buildings selected as case studies from around the same period, in an attempt to reconstruct the relative theoretical, semantic and architectural contexts regarding the modulation of light in built space.

The course provides an introduction to Medieval architecture, with particular reference to the devices used to manage natural and artificial light in a chronological span from late Antiquity to around 1400.

In presence

50% lectures, 20% text readings, 30% seminar discussions

Presentation of an in-depth study during the course or at the oral examination (50%)  

Oral examination (readings and topics covered in the course (50%)