Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland

This article analyses modern interpretations of the medieval plan of the Bridgettine Monastery of Naantali, Finland. Instead of seeing the distinct spatial organisation as deviation from the Bridgettine norm, we consider it as an expression of a medieval process, by which monastic principles were re...

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Main Authors:	Visa Immonen, Janne Harjula
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	MDPI AG 2021-06-01
Series:	Religions
Subjects:	architecture bridgettine order Finland monastic archaeology Naantali plan
Online Access:	https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/432

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spelling	doaj-2da546daa590433c8a17a9b2fa88ed112021-06-30T23:47:57ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-06-011243243210.3390/rel12060432Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, FinlandVisa Immonen0Janne Harjula1Department of Archaeology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandDepartment of Archaeology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, FinlandThis article analyses modern interpretations of the medieval plan of the Bridgettine Monastery of Naantali, Finland. Instead of seeing the distinct spatial organisation as deviation from the Bridgettine norm, we consider it as an expression of a medieval process, by which monastic principles were re-conceptualised in order to be realised in material form. This perspective builds on the shift in thinking that has taken place in the study of medieval urban planning. Instead of being ‘organic’, meaning disorganised, medieval urban development has come to be considered as intentional, guided by general principles, although not in a manner that is always obvious to the modern mind. We concur that models such as St Bridget’s visions and the plan of Vadstena Abbey are important tools for reconstructing medieval monastic plans. Meanwhile, we propose that such models can also add latent and counterproductive baggage to this field of study by encouraging modern expectations of regularity within monastic architecture. If the designs of monasteries do not follow such models perfectly, discrepancies are often erroneously misconceived as indications of the builders’ insufficient skills and knowledge.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/432architecturebridgettine orderFinlandmonastic archaeologyNaantaliplan
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Visa Immonen Janne Harjula
spellingShingle	Visa Immonen Janne Harjula Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland Religions architecture bridgettine order Finland monastic archaeology Naantali plan
author_facet	Visa Immonen Janne Harjula
author_sort	Visa Immonen
title	Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland
title_short	Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland
title_full	Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland
title_fullStr	Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland
title_full_unstemmed	Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland
title_sort	something distinct, or business as usual? interpreting the plan of the late medieval bridgettine monastery in naantali, finland
publisher	MDPI AG
series	Religions
issn	2077-1444
publishDate	2021-06-01
description	This article analyses modern interpretations of the medieval plan of the Bridgettine Monastery of Naantali, Finland. Instead of seeing the distinct spatial organisation as deviation from the Bridgettine norm, we consider it as an expression of a medieval process, by which monastic principles were re-conceptualised in order to be realised in material form. This perspective builds on the shift in thinking that has taken place in the study of medieval urban planning. Instead of being ‘organic’, meaning disorganised, medieval urban development has come to be considered as intentional, guided by general principles, although not in a manner that is always obvious to the modern mind. We concur that models such as St Bridget’s visions and the plan of Vadstena Abbey are important tools for reconstructing medieval monastic plans. Meanwhile, we propose that such models can also add latent and counterproductive baggage to this field of study by encouraging modern expectations of regularity within monastic architecture. If the designs of monasteries do not follow such models perfectly, discrepancies are often erroneously misconceived as indications of the builders’ insufficient skills and knowledge.
topic	architecture bridgettine order Finland monastic archaeology Naantali plan
url	https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/432
work_keys_str_mv	AT visaimmonen somethingdistinctorbusinessasusualinterpretingtheplanofthelatemedievalbridgettinemonasteryinnaantalifinland AT janneharjula somethingdistinctorbusinessasusualinterpretingtheplanofthelatemedievalbridgettinemonasteryinnaantalifinland
_version_	1721350411785338880

Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland

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