Title: Mapping monasticism : a digital approach to the network of Conques
Variant title:
- Mapování monasticismu : digitální pohled na klášterní síť opatství v Conques
Source document: Convivium. 2023, vol. 10, iss. Supplementum 3, pp. [134]-151
Extent
[134]-151
-
ISSN2336-3452 (print)2336-808X (online)
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/digilib.78948
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Rights access
fulltext is not accessible
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Abstract(s)
This article explores the issues related to the monastic network of Sainte-Foy of Conques, presenting the results of a project that culminated in the creation of a digital map of the lands and churches donated to Conques, from its foundation up to the end of the twelfth century. It first situates the investigation on the monastic network of Sainte-Foy within different methodological frameworks, including the debates about digital mapping and the scholarship on Conques. Second, the article considers the results offered by the mapping exercise, exploring what the digital map reveals about Conques' monastic network. It then turns attention to possible intersections between the institutional geography promoted by the abbey and artistic practices. Ultimately, the article questions how the monastic network of Conques grew over time and across space, digitally mapping this expansion, and discusses its relevance in relation to artistic production, aiming to provide a springboard for further research.
Note
The work on the digital mapping of the monastic network of Conques started in Spring 2022. I am grateful to the School of Humanities and Heritage at the University of Lincoln and its Head, Prof. Amy Livingstone, for funding short competitive bursaries for this project, and to Jasmin Richardson and Tomas Shannon, the winners of these bursaries, at that time undergraduate students in History, for working so passionately and diligently on this project, from data mining to mapping the findings on Google Maps. Subsequently, they also contributed to this article. This work was intended initially as a tool to support the delivery of the talk to the conference "From Global to Local: Conques as a Crossroads" in New York. It was then that we realized that the data collected and the map could be of use also to other scholars and the wider public. We are conscious that this project presents its own limitations, from our reliance on Desjardins, to the problematic identification of some sites and to the nature of the map itself. Nevertheless, it constitutes a steppingstone in the visualization of the monastic network of Conques. The dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7991117. Any feedback or suggestions are welcome (mvescovi@lincoln.ac.uk).