The aim of this study is to examine intangible aspects of medieval church architecture from an art historical perspective, by using the theoretical frameworks of the theologist Alf Härdelin’s theory on multidimensionality and the philosopher of languages John Langshaw Austin’s theory on speech acts and performativity. It studies the relationship between church architecture and liturgy during the 15th century. This case study’s main material is the Upland parish church Ärentuna and the liturgical sources Missale Upsalense novum (1513) and the devotional book Siælinna thrøst (15th century). The interior of the church has been examined to understand how the church interior may have been furnished during the 15th century. During the 15th century the church had many more altars and devotion pictures than what one can see in the current furnishings of the church. There is a narratological succession in the construction of the building, as well as the iconographical motifs, from West to East, thus the meaning of it becomes increasingly sacred. In that way, the construction of the building, as well as the wall paintings converses, with the liturgy – which has its core in the choir. When laypeople entered the sacred space of the church, they perceived things in a specific order, which creates a sense of order and cohesion within the liturgy. The study found that liturgy produces meaning in the church architecture by giving a visual expression to faith through images. Through performative speech acts found in the liturgy, a multidimensional experience is created by the (theological) fact of Christ's presence in the church. The nave's paintings enhance the visitor’s experience of the church interior as an eternal heavenly presence with motifs such as the Seven days of Creation, the Ten Commandments, the Passion of Christ and finally the Last Judgment.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-505137 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Karlsson, Cecilia |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Konstvetenskapliga institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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