A History of the Church Through Its Buildings

393 Pages·2020·2.776 MB·English

by  Allan Doig

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A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH
THROUGH ITS BUILDINGS
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Mosaic of Constantine and Justinian, south entrance of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
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A H ISTORY OF
T H E CH U RCH
T H ROUGH ITS
BU I L DI NGS
ALLAN DOIG
1
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1
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Acknowledgements
I
am deeply indebted to so many people for help in the preparation
of this book, especially considering all those who welcomed me
and shared their knowledge and enthusiasm for the many wonderful
churches that could not be included here, or made only cameo
appearances. To all of them, and for their welcome and infectious
enthusiasm, my deep and heartfelt thanks.
While preparing these chapters, I have been showered with help
wherever I went. In Jerusalem, the late Fr Jerome Murphy-O’Connor
provided a most convivial lunch as well as his immense erudition and
valuable introductions. Fr Fergus Clarke and Fr Athanasius Thomac of
the Franciscan community at the Holy Sepulchre provided unparal-
leled insight into the daily workings and limitations of the Status Quo.
At the Haram, Dr Yusuf Natsheh, Director of the Department of
Tourism and Archaeology, provided all that could be wished for in
that holy place. In Rome, the late Most Revd Mons. Francesco
Cardinal Marchisano, as Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St Peter,
and His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Comastri, as President of the
Fabbrica di San Pietro, effected introductions and access, Dr Maria
Cristina Carlo-Stella, Head of Office for the Fabbrica di San Pietro,
shared her knowledge of the fabric, and Professor Paulo Liverani of
the University of Florence shared his of the archaeology. His Eminence
Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, President of the Pontificia Commissio
de Bonis Culturalibus Ecclesiae and Vice-President, +P. Ab. Dom
Michael John Zielinski, OSB, were extremely generous with their
time. Fr Michael Dunleavy, OP, gave insight into the Basilica of San
Clemente. At Hagia Sophia, I was welcomed by Defne Tekay Kucur
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vi Acknowledgements
and Sabriye Karahan Parlak of the Archaeological Department of the
Museum. In Moscow, Olga Shashina of the Kremlin Museums opened
the collections to me and commented on an early draft of the chapter
on the Cathedral of the Dormition, and Dr Ekaterina Stanyukovich-
Denisova, of St Petersburg State University, and her colleagues intro-
duced me to the marvels of Novgorod and Vladimir. At Aachen
Cathedral, Dombaumeister Helmut Mainz showed me the fabric in
fine detail, and Professor Max Kerner and Isabel Blumenroth of the
Department of History at RWTH Aachen placed it in historical
perspective. Professor Benjamin Mouton, Architecte en chef and
Inspecteur général des monuments historiques, offered his experience
of the restoration of St-Denis. In Ewelme, Sally Fehr, Almsman of
God’s House, welcomed me into her house in the cloister, the Vicar,
the Revd Dr Patrick Gilday, told me about the contemporary parish
and Foundation, and Professor Vincent Gillespie cast an eye over an
early draft of the chapter. In Cordoba, the Praecentor and Chapel
Master Canon Antonio Francisco Murillo Turralbo received me
warmly, and in Tarragona I visited the site of the martyrdom of
Fructuosus with Dr Pablo Aparicio Durán. For the Crimean Memorial
Church, I had the benefit of the work of Dr Geoffrey Tyack, the long
experience of the incumbent, Fr Ian Sherwood, and the archival
assistance of Emma Floyd and Jette Nielsen of the Paul Mellon Centre
in London.
Besides these very specific contributions is the constant support
given by colleagues, friends, and family. There are, of course, the
librarians of the Bodleian, Weston, and Sackler libraries of the University of
Oxford and James Fishwick of the College Library. Other colleagues
at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, have given support throughout the
project and the College itself has provided generous research grants, as
has the University of Oxford from the John Fell Fund. Some of the
Fellows of the College, including Dame Frances Lannon, Professors
Anna Sapir Abulafia, Xon de Ros, Gillian Peele, Peter Hainsworth,
and Vincent Gillespie, have read and commented on sections, making
valuable suggestions and pointing out pitfalls. I would also like to
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Acknowledgements vii
thank my editorial team at Oxford University Press: Luciana
O’Flaherty, who suggested I write this book, Matthew Cotton, Kizzy
Taylor-Richelieu, Rosanna van den Bogaerde, Guy Jackson, and
Hilary Walford. My two anonymous readers were immensely helpful
with their comments, which greatly improved the final result, and Sir
Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor Richard Etlin, and Lord Williams all
made invaluable suggestions and gave generous endorsements, for
which I am extremely grateful. It has been a great pleasure to work
with them all, and together they have made it a much better book.
My sons, John, Jamie, and Nick, have been travelling companions and
tolerant listeners. Finally, Liz Jones and Mark Potter have been regular
travelling companions, readers, architectural commentators, and fre-
quent hosts over the years of research and writing, and it is to them
that I, with immense gratitude, dedicate this book.
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For Mark and Liz