Bringing the Holy Land Home Symposium, College of the Holy Cross, March 25, 2023
In conjunction with the Cantor Art Gallery exhibition, Bringing the Holy Land Home: The Crusades, Chertsey Abbey, and the Reconstruction of a Medieval Masterpiece, this daylong symposium explores the impact that the Crusades had on medieval western Europe. At the heart of the exhibition are digitally reconstructed medieval floor tiles depicting the Crusades unearthed at Chertsey Abbey in England. Created during the time when the Holy Land was actively occupied by crusader kingdoms—the tiles are unexpectedly rare and a valuable witness to a significant historical event.
The Crusades were marked both by brutal violence, much of which was directed against people who were not European (Latin) Christians, and by sustained cross-cultural encounters which, for many Europeans, affected their sense of self for centuries to come. It can be difficult to process both of these truths simultaneously, yet essential to develop this more complex and more accurate understanding of the Crusades.
The symposium is held under the auspices of the New England Medieval Consortium and is supported by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.
Advance registration required.