The Monastery Of The Ascension is a community of fifteen Benedictine monks which has been in Southern Idaho since 1965. We live a life of prayer, work and reading accordng to the Rule of St. Benedict and try to serve the Catholic Church and the people of southern Idaho through various ministries which include parochial work, retreats, teaching and scholarship, ecumenical activities, counseling and spiritual direction, and social service.

Benedictine Distance Learning:
Syllabus: Art and Monasticism

Further Information: Courses / History and Mission / Procedures / Tuition Costs

Art and Monasticism

Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD.
Version 3: April, 1997.

Goal: The purpose of this course is twofold: (1) to look at the actual art and architecture produced in and for Benedictine monasteries during the last 1500 years and (2) to think theoretically about the affinities between Benedictine monasticism on the one hand and art and architecture on the other. The reading list is eclectic. The focus is on architecture and pictorial art; music and poetry are excluded.

Procedures: Those taking the course will be provided with a packet of readings, some required, some optional, which is to be returned to the tutor at the end of the course. In addition they will need to have a copy of the Rule of Benedict and of Wolfgang Braunfels, Monasteries of Western Europe. The Architecture of the Orders. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1972. Students who cannot locate a copy of Braunfels may borrow one from the tutor. In addition, as students work through the course, they will be provided with packets of slides to view in conjunction with the lessons. There are 9 lessons and ten assignments, all of which include readings and a written assignment (six of them are accompanied by slides). The assignments are opportunities for the participants to reflect on what they have seen and read. Both instructors will read and comment on the papers, then return them with comments to the participants. The purpose of the comments is dialogue, not evaluation.

I. The Rule of Benedict

The Rule of Benedict was not written for artists. It dates from a time in which there was no sharp distinction between artist and artisan. It uses the word “art” (ars) seven times. Once in reference to the instruments of the spiritual craft, the instruments of good works (4.75), three times in reference to tasks assigned during the work periods of the day (46.1; 48.24; 66.6), and three times in a chapter devoted specifically to the artisans (artifices) of the monastery (57.1-3). Words for beauty are strikingly absent in the Rule. Nevertheless, there is a theology of art implied in the Rule, a theology which may seem alien or refreshing or both when compared to later ideas on art.

Assignment #1: Read the Prologue and chapters 1-7, which sketch Benedict’s basic admonitions for the monk. These chapters draw heavily on the earlier Rule of the Master. The chapters on obedience (a word whose root means “listen”) and humility (whose root means “dirt”) seem to some modern ears to verge on unhealthy self-deprecation. However, they also suggest that monks--and in particular artist-monks--must try to free themselves from ego and pride and competitiveness. Please write a 3-4 page essay (750-1000 words) on how Benedict’s idea of a virtuous monk might apply to an artist.

Assignment #2: Read Chapters 31 and 57 on the cellarer and artisans of the Monastery respectively. (Note also the texts gathered by Braunfels into his reading #1, pp. 232-233, and the functional nature of the oratory, RB chs. 19-20.) The cellarer was in charge of the physical goods of the monastery. One of the most important lines in the Rule is 31:10-11: “He ought to regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar, aware that nothing is to be neglected.” Neither of these chapters is found in the Rule of the Master. Please write a 3-4 page (750-1000 words) essay on how these texts might relate to the work of the artist today.

II. St. John of Damascus, On the Divine Images: Three Apologies Against Those Who Attack the Divine Images. (Tr. David Anderson. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1980) Read the introduction and the three apologies (the supporting texts which follow each apology are optional).

Assignment #3: Because there is such a dearth of material on Benedictines and art, we include this important work by a monk-theologian in Palestine in the eighth century. John of Damascus wrote in the midst of the great iconoclastic controversy, in which several emperors sided with the iconoclasts who maintained that figural imagery led to idolatry. The opponents of the iconoclasts, noteworthy among whom were the monks Theodore the Studite and John of Damascus, developed a theological justification for Christian art. Here John of Damascus gives several theological arguments for the use of figural art in the Christian church. Please summarize and comment on several of these justifications in a 4 page paper (@1000 words).

III. Carolingian--Ottonian Monasticism and the Arts. Braunfels, ch. 2-3, pp. 27-46, and readings ##ii--v, 234-238.

Assignment 4: The Rule of Benedict became the dominant guide for monks and nuns in the West around the time of Charlemagne. Some abbeys were closely associated with the emperors and richly endowed which enabled them to build large monastic complexes and to develop the arts. The Plan of St. Gall is a product of the expansive thinking associated with this flourishing of Benedictine monasticism. Please comment on the plan of St. Gall in relation to the actual monasteries of the same period: 3-4 pages (750-1000 words).

Slides. Most of the slides for this section deal with book arts. This is in part because of the great importance which reading had in the Benedictine Rule and in the liturgy. Monasteries were centers of book art until around the twelfth century when commercial production and lay artists came to predominate. The last four slides are devoted to architecture. They include the plan of St. Gall and some monastic complexes contemporary with it. The reading from Braunfels provides further background.

15758 - Luxeuil
15771 - Benedictional
15359 - Benedictional
15757 - Codex Aureus
28508 - Echternach
15637 - Echternach
15754 - Echternach
15833 - Golden Gospels: Christ
15273 - Golden Gospels: Crucifixion
15751 - Irish Gospel 
64047 - Ramsey Psalter
64005 - Codex aureus
63226 - Pericopes of Henry II
15763 - Psalter of Corbie
15847 - Psalter of Folchard
63230 - Reliquary of St. Foy
60623 - Gospel Book of Vota
63251 - Psalter. St. Germain
16408 - Codex Egberti
16402 - Cotton Psalter
64066 - Gospel Book of Corbie
80027 - Gospel Book of St. Bernin
66272 - Carolingian Monastery
31128 - Fulda
19447 - Germigny-des-Pres
31016 - Reichenau

IV. Theophilus, The Various Arts. Tr. Dodwell (London: Nelson, 1961).

Assignment #5: Theophilus was the pseudonym of a Benedictine monk (perhaps Roger of Helmarshausen) who wrote this guide to the various arts between 1110 and 1140. His practical guide is divided into three sections, each of which is preceded by a preface which contains Theophilus’ theology of art and the artist’s vocation. Read the three prefaces and Dodwell’s introduction. In an essay of 3 to 4 pages (750-1000 words) summarize his views on these two topics and critique them.

Slides. (Romanesque) Most of the slides in this section portray monastic art and architecture from 11th and early 12th century, the time of Theophilus. The two monasteries of Caen, Holy Trinity and St. Stephen, were built by William the Conqueror and his wife Matilda for Benedictine nuns and monks respectively. Jumieges and St. Benoit (Fleury) are ancient and venerable monastic sites in France. In Spain Ripoll was founded in 9th c., flourished especially in the 11th c.; Santo Domingo (f. 10th c., restored in 11th c. under St. Dominic of Silos) prospered for most of its long history. It has a stunning cloister. Recently the monks of Silos produced a chant recording which sold millions of copies. Maria Laach was founded for Benedictines in 1093. It was reoccupied by monks from Beuron late in the 19th century. Its romanesque church still stands.

40414 - Albugnano
28771 - Albugnano
51635 - Pomposa
37853 - Santa Scolastica
40137 - Vezzolano
54957 - Pulpit fragment
24874 - Ivory
45494 - Caen
27607 - Caen
29943 - Caen
60240 - Caen
45492 - Caen
45490 - Caen
27606 - Caen
27604 - Caen
17199 - Caen
17200 - Caen
31018 - Jumieges
15839 - St. Benoit
60963 - St. Benoit
43412 - Ripoll
41060 - Ripoll
41566 - S. Domingo
43409 - S. Domingo
43403 - S. Domingo
65701 - S. Domingo
39697 - S. Domingo
61129 - Maria Laach
20881 - Maria Laach
80032 - Maria Laach
20883 - Maria Lanch
20220 - Maria Laach
20751 - Tombstone of Abbot Gilbert
29940 - Marmoutier
62907 - Murbach
46518 - Tewkesbury
59835 - Souillac

V. Cluny & Citeaux: Bernard of Clairvaux, Apologia 28-29.; Braunfels, 47-110, readings vi-xiii, 238-245.

Assignment #6: Cluny (f. 909 AD) and Citeaux (f. 1098 AD) were two leaders of reform and development in Benedictine monasticism. During the twelfth century, these two groups of monks were sometimes at odds. One bone of contention was art. In his Apologia, par. 28-29, written in 1125 at the request of William of St.-Thierry, Bernard succinctly gives his views on the place of art in monastic life. His views are quite restrictive, when compared to those of Theophilus or Abbot Suger (below) . The reading for this section is quite extensive. It includes the two chapters of Braunfels (pp. 47-110) devoted to Cluny and Citeaux, plus two commentaries on St. Bernard’s Apologia. Read not only Braunfels, but also the commentaries by C. Rudolph pp. 3-19, 193-201 (notes, pp. 306-337 optional) and H. Feiss. In an essay of 4 pages (1000 words) discuss these two questions: What are Bernard's views? What validity do they have?

Slides. The first part of the slides illustrate various Cluniac monasteries. Conques was founded in the early 9th century, and Benedict of Aniane wielded influence there ca. 820. The relics of St. Foi attracted many pilgrims, and the monastery became a stopping place on the way to Compostela. Vezelay was a pilgrimage center in honor of Mary Magdalene before becoming an important stop on the way to Compostela. It became Cluniac in 1058. Moissac in southern France was founded as a Benedictine Abbey in the 7th c. It became a dependency of Cluny in 1047. The second part of the slides illustrates early Cistercian art. There seem to have been some differences between St. Stephen Harding and St. Bernard regarding the place of art in Cistercian life. The manuscript of the Moralia originated at Citeaux. Five Cistercian monasteries named Chiaravalle (after Bernard’s Clairvaux) were founded in Italy between 1135 and 1147. Of course all were added on to and restored in the course of centuries, and so do not represent the earliest (Bernardine) Cistercian ideals. Nevertheless, in an relatively unchanged, early Cistercian church, one can sense the beauty which simplicity of form and ornament could obtain.

60234 - Cluny
66300 - Cluny
41075 - Demon-Musician Cluny
21209 - Conques
21208 - Conques
15230 - Paral-le-Monial
19035 - Vezelay
19036 - Vezelay
19034 - Vezelay
29941 - Vezelay
15231 - Vezelay
60962 - Vezelay
24138 - Vezelay
21087 - Moissac
64012 - Moissac
21171 - Moissac
21088 - Moissac
24136 - Moissac
23060 - Moissac
62760 - Moissac
56911 - Gospel of S. Martin & Eliphe
64009 - Moralia: St. George
33903 - Chiaravalle
40991 - Chiaravalle
33109 - Chiaraballe
32570 - Chiaravalle
37786 - Chiaravalle
40119 - Chiaravalle
40819 - Soro, Cistercian

VI. Abbot Suger, On the Abbey Church of St. Denis. Ed. tr. Erwin Panofsky. 2nd ed. Princeton, NJ: Princeton U P, 1979.

Assignment #7: Abbot Suger (1081-1151) oversaw the building of a new church at St. Denis in Paris. He gives an account of his aims and goals for the building and the theology involved in his De Administratione (ca. 1144-1148). Please read the translation of De Administratione (and whatever part of the notes by Panofsky you wish) and summarize and comment up Suger's theological explanations and justifications: essay of 4 pages (1000 words).

Slides.

80023 - St. Denis
66269 - St. Denis
32987 - Chalice of Suger
4310  - Reims, St. Remi
21184 - St. Benigne

VII. From the Later Middle Ages to the Baroque. Braunfels, chs. 8-10.

In these chapters Braunfels studies three moments of great flourishing in monastic architecture and art:

1. The English Cathedral Monasteries. Braunfels, ch. 8: Many Benedictine monasteries in England served cathedrals. Technically, the bishop was abbot of the monastery, but the prior was the day-to-day superior.

Slides. Peterborough was an abbey already in Saxon times. William the Conqueror was crowned in Westminster Abbey, which was almost continuously rebuilt for centuries. Bath Abbey church was built in the 15th century in perpendicular style. Melrose was an Irish monastery in Scotland which became Cistercian. Tewkesbury was a Benedictine monastery which was not a cathedral.

43323 - Westminster Psalter
26789 - Westminster Psalter
56914 - Peterborough Psalter
86938 - Bath
86944 - Bath
86945 - Bath
86941 - Bath
86942 - Bath
86943 - Bath
86946 - Bath
86940 - Bath
86939 - Bath
86937 - Bath
44110 - Melrose
38153 - Melrose
57032 - Tewkesbury window
57011 - Westminster window

2. Late Renaissance. Braunfels, ch. 9: Because of special conditions in certain countries whereby some monasteries played special secular roles, those monasteries underwent remarkable architectural expansion in early modern Europe.

Slides. Melk, as Branufels writes (pp. 182ff.), was a citadel as well as a monastery. It led a reform in the early 15th century and has never been secularized. Mont-Saint-Michel gradually emerged as a full-blown monastery in the 10th century. The Normans made it a monastery and fortress. It was later a little used monastic prison. Poblet was a Cistercian abbey in Catalonia, to which the kings of Spain attached a palace. Poblet has a classic Cistercian layout (see Braunfels, 192-195). St.-Germain-des-Pres was founded in the 6th century. It flourished in Carolingian times, then was destroyed by the Normans. The partially surviving Romanesque church was consecrated by Pope Alexander III in 1163. It became a flourishing spiritual and intellectual center under the Maurists (a centralized Benedictine congregation which pioneered modern historiographical methods). The superior general of the congregation and forty monks were massacred in 1792.

19009 - Melk
20511 - Melk
20512 - Melk
20506 - Melk
20508 - Melk
20507 - Melk
56998 - Bilingual Book of Hours
56910 - Dialogues
28698 - Mont St. Michel
28703 - Mont St. Michel
15578 - Mont St. Michel
46540 - Mont St. Michel
21040 - Mont St. Michel
47498 - Poblet
56011 - St. Germain
56106 - St. Germain
21144 - St. Germain
84729 - St. Germain
32581 - Molding, St. Othmarkirche

3. Baroque. Braunfels, ch. 10, and #xv, pp.246-248. Finally, especially in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, there was a final flourishing of monasticism during the Baroque period, when many monasteries were rebuilt in the Baroque style.

Slides. St. Florian is Augustinian, not Benedictine, but it is nevertheless a stunning example of Baroque monastic architecture. It is a reminder that from the 12th century on, Benedictine monasticism was paralleled in the West by canons regular who followed the Rule of St. Augustine, but whose life style approximated that of Benedictine monks.

40877 - St. Florian
15838 - Ottobeuren
31091 - Weltenburg
18996 - Wibligen

Assignment #8. These three episodes may well represent the last time in Western history that monasticism,and the church in general were the/a dominant force in art and architecture. The secularization of art can perhaps be seen as marking the end of the Constantinian era. In any case, having read Braunfels and looked at the accompanying slides, write an essay (750-1000 words) on the monastic art of one of these three periods or moments. (Those who wish may write on two or all three of the periods, but that is not required).

VIII. Monasticism and Art Today.

Assignment #9: Benedictine monasticism provided most of the leaders for the liturgical movement which bore fruit in Vatican II. Abbot Herwegen's pamphlet “The Art Principle of the Liturgy,” was a key factor in launching the liturgical movement in Germany just before World War I. Braunfels ch. 11 and Monasticism and the Arts., ed. Timothy Verdon ß(New York: Syracuse UP, 1984), ch. 13 (313-344) discuss modern monastic architecture.

Slides. This section of the course will be accompanied by a packet of slides representing contemporary Benedictine architecture. One might also consult the book Loci Ubi Deus Quaeritur which is available in many monastic libraries. Please write a reflection paper on Abbot Herwegen’s pamphlet OR on modern monastic architecture: 3 pages, 750 words.

IX. Conclusion

Assignment #10: This final paper is an invitation to reflect about what you have learned in this course about the interplay of monasticism and the arts. If you are a member of a monastic community or an oblate closely associated with a monastery, you may write a reflection paper of 3-4 pages (750-1000 words) on the implications of what you have studied for your own community. Or, if you are a lay person, you may write about what lessons might be derived from the interaction of monasticism and art for the place of art in your life or the life of your contemporaries. Verdon, pp.1-29 might suggest ideas for this essay.

Further Information: Courses / History and Mission / Procedures / Tuition Costs

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Jerome, ID 83338
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