Relics, Liturgical Space, and the Theology of the Church.

Abstract : The author begins by considering, on the basis of the symbolic background treated briefly, the relationship between the cult of relics and the architecture of medieval churches, using specific examples to outline the possible influence of the cult of relics on architectural design and the evolution of church architecture over the courses of the Middle Ages. In the second section he considers the arrangment of liturgical spaces, informed by the cult of relics as well as by various aspects of ritualized performance that directly implicated the presentation of relics in the context of the church.