| Popis: |
Addressing the issue of mausoleums during the Middle Ages implies taking into account several realities: the future of pagan mausoleums, on one hand, the appropriation then the gradual abandonment of mausoleums by Christians, on the other hand, and the conversion of several pagan mausoleums into churches. Depending on their location, pagan mausoleums could be either spoliated or preserved, especially if they could be re-used as funerary monuments or as building materials. However, a significant number of these buildings still existed in the Late Middle Ages. Among the Christian mausoleums, those that were later converted into churches are the most famous. Their shapes and dimensions are varied. Most of them are located in public cemeteries, but some of them are isolated on the edge of large private estates. Gradually, mausoleums were abandoned in favour of funerary annexes added to churches, churches-mausoleums, or anonymous burials located in or around churches. These changes reflect a new social approach to death. Finally, the conversion of pagan mausoleums into churches can be interpreted in different ways: does it reflect the Christianization of former pagan families, or merely the practical recycling of disused buildings? |
