Call for papers: Saints in the City

Special Session at the International Medieval Congress

University of Leeds, 9-12 July 2007

To complement the theme of the 2007 International Medieval Congress, Medieval Cities, I am organising a special session devoted to the relationship between saints and cities. For example, early Christian saints sometimes shaped the geographic evolution of medieval cities. Early saints’ cults often developed around the tombs of martyrs; therefore shrines were constructed in cemeteries that lay outside Roman towns. These shrines occasionally became the nuclei around which churches expanded, with communities in turn developing around them. This shift away from the Roman centre of settlement is evident at, for instance, Bonn, Cologne, Xanten, Tours, and St Albans. This demonstrates just one aspect of possible associations between saints and urban centres.

I am seeking papers that explore not only the effect of saints on geography, but any aspect of the relationship between saints and cities in the early medieval period.

Please note that I am only organising a session proposal. The International Medieval Congress Programming Committee determines which sessions are accepted, and they usually make their decisions in November. It should also be mentioned that all session speakers and moderators at the International Medieval Congress are required to pay their own travel, registration, and accommodation fees. Information and applications for bursaries are available at http://imc.leeds.ac.uk/imcapp/Submit/BursaryApplicationForm.jsp.

Organiser: Michael Garcia, PhD Student, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds

Please send an abstract of no more than 300 words to Michael Garcia at saintsinthecity at googlemail.com by 1 September 2006.

The fourteenth International Medieval Congress will take place in Leeds, from 9-12 July 2007. For more information on the International Medieval Congress, go to http://www.leeds.ac.uk/ims/imc.