The Story of the Great War (vol. II, 1916)

Then on September 18, 1914, the shelling of the city began and a bombardment of the most terrific character. . . . Rheims Cathedral . . . was said to have been demolished by the German guns. The act created a sensation throughout the world, for Rheims Cathedral was like a gem from Paradise, regarded by most art lovers as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Every civilized country was shaken with grief when the news of the disaster to Rheims Cathedral was published.

From Mons to Ypres With General French (1916)

After luncheon I ran to Rheims with the General to see the ravaged cathedral. The stately Gothic pile was reported to be a heap of ruins. It was hardly that, but nevertheless had been cruelly knocked about. Streets near by were choked lanes between rows of desolate monuments to the German love of wanton destruction.

American doughboy as Crusader (ca. 1920)

Brodie helmet

Heaven & Earth: Sacred & Secular

1) Gothic cathedrals (Abbot Suger)

In what ways do these examples show attempts to link sacred & secular together? How do they illustrate attempts to bring about order & harmony during the Central Middle Ages?

4) Bestiaries (Aberdeen bestiary)

6) Medieval maps (mappamundi)

2) Divine Comedy (Dante Alighieri)

5) Scholasticism (Thomas Aquinas)

3) Inquisition & Heresy (Bernard Gui)

Aberdeen Bestiary (ca. 1200)

The Creation of Man (Genesis 1:26-28)

The Lion: Mightiest of Beasts

The Beaver: Shameless Acts & Vices

The Pelican: Death & Resurrection

The Crane: Keep Christ in Your Mind

For every virtue & for every sin there is an example drawn from bestiaries, and animals exemplify the human world.

Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

Hereford Map (ca. 1290)

Medieval Maps

T-O Maps

Zonal Maps

Mappae Mundi

Portolan Charts