The Medieval Cathedral of Trondheim: Architectural and Ritual Constructions in their European Context (review)

Seated in my office in the world's southernmost university, it seems appropriate to be reviewing a collection of essays written about the northernmost cathedral. The cathedral at Trondheim (or Nidaros, the town's medieval name) was a significant site in medieval Norway. It was an important ritual site for the Norwegian kings, as well as being a burial place for the royal family. It also housed the shrine of St Olav (995-1030), one of Scandinavia's most popular saints. It became an archiepiscopal see in 1152-53, overseeing an enormous province that included Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroes, Orkney and Shetland Islands. The building itself is one of the largest churches in Scandinavia.

This particular collection evolved out of a meeting at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2004, co-sponsored by the Trondheim Centre and the Danish National Research Foundation (University of Copenhagen, Denmark). The aim was to bring together international scholars whose work focuses on the study of the Cathedral at Trondheim.

One of the striking elements of this collection is the strong emphasis on ritual and liturgy. These studies explore the inherent problems faced in melding a study of ritual, and disparate surviving texts, with that of architecture. Those involved in this book include art historians, musicologists, an archaeologist and specialists in medieval ritual from Norway, Denmark, Germany and England. As is evident from the title, considerable attention is given to the role of liturgy and ritual in these studies. There is an intention to place the cathedral within an international framework, particularly England and Germany. Unlike other similar collections, however, these essays do not read like expanded conference papers but are, rather, extensive examinations of the existing literature. The introduction outlines the history and historiography of the cathedral, as well as exploring the difficulties facing modern interpreters. The editors cite Hans Sedlmayr, who points to the importance of setting aside our modern experiences of these buildings. A deeper understanding, he asserts, will be reached if we envision the cathedral in terms of its original shape and function. They also reference the German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer's ideas about 'play' and 'structure' to highlight the difficulties in such a project, at the same time arguing for the place of liturgy and music in the construction of a 'complete' building.

Paul Binski provides a thoughtful and nuanced essay arguing, against Krautheimer's classic article on the iconography of medieval architecture (1942), that there was a 'draining away of significatory content'. Binski counters this by proposing that the symbolic and the aesthetic spheres were not of necessity in conflict but sometimes provided a 'mutual reinforcement of content'. He also reminds us that these buildings exist as part of a broader Christian belief system that was less rational than poetic. He makes the important point that, although churches have a liturgical function, this did not necessarily enforce a uniform architecture; liturgies can operate in variety of different architectural settings. Binski draws on a wide range of theoretical texts including those from anthropology as well as from art history. He also brings into his discussion brief case studies of Westminster Abbey, Canterbury, Lincoln and Ely cathedrals and their influence on Trondheim.

Margrete Syrstad Andås discusses the intersection of ritual and space in a study of entrances and liminality, locating the iconography of Trondheim's north transept and south chancel portals. She explores this both in terms of the anthropological construct and in terms of major festivals and services including the dedication of churches, baptism, marriage and the churching of women, as well as the more local konungstekya, the ritual acclamation of Norwegian kings. She also discusses the impact of understandings of secular and sacred law in the decoration of...