Undergraduate Course: Rosslyn Chapel - Art, Architecture, and Experience in Late Medieval Scotland (HIAR10173)
Course Outline
School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Summary | This course offers a detailed examination of Rosslyn Chapel and puts it in the context of late medieval Scottish art and architecture. The course is structured as a series of two-hour seminars, of which at least one will be in the church itself. The seminars will focus each week on different themes arising from Rosslyn, which provide insights into the late Middle Ages more generally (such as death, saints, liturgical performance, grotesques). |
Course description |
Rosslyn Chapel has received an unusual level of popular attention when compared with other historic buildings in the British Isles. Regularly described as 'mysterious' and 'intriguing', it is often misunderstood or reinterpreted. This course examines the 15th century art and architecture of Rosslyn in detail, encouraging nuanced, historically grounded perspectives on this much-praised and puzzled-over church. Because the medieval church was a multimedia experience, Rosslyn is explored holistically. The course analyses its architecture, sculpture, and evidence of liturgical performances (including music) in order for students to understand how they came together to create a functional whole.
In addition, Rosslyn provides an anchor for studying the art and architecture of late medieval Scotland more broadly. From dancing skeletons to bagpiping angels, the variety of subjects depicted at Rosslyn enable students to investigate important themes in pre-Reformation piety. The course explores attitudes and practices such as those surrounding death and commemoration, devotion to the saints and the Passion of Christ, music making and the Heavenly realm, grotesques and jokes. Issues arising from Rosslyn's place in popular culture - from the Da Vinci Code to extraterrestrial experiences - are also critically examined, intertwining traditional and alternative historiographies.
If possible, there will be at least one class taught in the church itself and the nature of the course means that students will use other nearby medieval buildings, as well as objects and primary sources held in Edinburgh collections, to enliven and deepen their understanding of late medieval Scottish art and architecture.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Additional Costs | Cost of return travel to Rosslyn Chapel: £3.40 per visit. (Note that this cost may be reimbursed by the department). |
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 History of Art courses at grade B or above, and we will only consider University/College level courses. **Please note that 3rd year History of Art courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces. These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate skills of visual analysis and interpretation by looking in detail at Rosslyn.
- Analyse the way in which buildings, artworks of a variety of media, and liturgical performances work together to create an immersive pious experience.
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of how Rosslyn fits into the context of late medieval Scotland.
- Critically examine the ways in which Rosslyn has been interpreted in different cultural contexts, and reflect on their own position in this historiography.
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Reading List
Eamon Duffy, The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional Religion in England 1400-1580, (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1992).
Richard Fawcett, The Architecture of the Scottish Medieval Church (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2011).
David McRoberts and Stephen Holmes, Lost Interiors: The Furnishings of Scottish Churches in the Later Middle Ages, (Edinburgh: Aquhorties Press, 2013).
Virginia Raguin, Kathryn Brush, and Peter Draper (editors), Artistic Integration in Gothic Buildings, (1995, reprint, Toronto, Buffalo, and London: University of Toronto Press, 2000).
Helen Rosslyn and Angelo Maggi, Rosslyn: County of Painter and Poet, (Edinburgh, 2002). |
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Visual and critical analysis;
Clear thinking and the development of an argument;
Independent research;
Presentation and communication skills;
Organisation and planning. |
Keywords | Scotland,Late Medieval,Religion,Architecture,Sculpture,Liturgy,Music |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Lizzie Swarbrick
Tel:
Email: eswarbri@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Sue Cavanagh
Tel: (0131 6)51 1460
Email: Sue.Cavanagh@ed.ac.uk |
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