L’apport de l’archéologie à une approche renouvelée de l’histoire du fait religieux

Abstract

Archeology can allow a more concrete and subtle approach to the religious phenomenon, particularly fertile for the first part of the Middle Ages, where the written sources are rare, or even non-existent. This study was deeply renewed by archaeological excavations, which are more concerned with the medieval past, and by the Building Archaeology; knowledge of urban topography has also progressed considerably by combining archaeological data and textual criticism. The interest of the archaeologists has also turned to secondary settlements, even villages, which are often ignored by written sources. Thus, the funerary function of the suburban churches built in the former necropolises should not be regarded as an urban aspect only. We can also perceive it in a certain number of rural churches where an aristocratic family mausoleum could have been at the origin of the place of worship. The remarkable rise of monastic communities throughout Western Europe from the 7th century onwards led to the construction of monasteries with several churches with different functions—monastic, funerary—, and open to the outside, some of which were studied by excavation. In addition to all this scientific progress, the advancement of knowledge of the medieval religious phenomenon must now be based on elaborate scientific projects carried out in symbiosis with historians; the time for discussion, confrontation and synthesis must, for this reason, becomes a scientific priority.

Keywords

• Religious history
• early Middle Ages
• late Antiquity
• urban topography
• funeral practices
• Christianization