The Cathedral and the City - Revealing the Plan of Salisbury (Paperback)

This book explores how medieval citizens used philosophical concepts in the making of their cities, using Salisbury as a special example. As Salisbury was created as a new city on virgin land at the start of the 13th C., it offers particularly clear evidence of the relationship of the foundation of the cathedral to the overall plan of the city. It is clear that key people in the diocese of Salisbury at the time that the new city was being planned were highly educated, and as such they would have been aware of the most advanced theological ideas of the time. In particular, the three definitions of time would have been understood by the prime movers and it is likely that all three aspects of time had an influence on the city plan in some way: firstly the history of events which led up to the relocating of the city, secondly the actual events surrounding the relocation (such as the foundation ceremony, and the consecration) and, thirdly, the legacy of the founding of the new city and the way the foundation came to be commemorated in the future. The three aspects of time considered by the author are: memoria, contuitus and expectatio. Throughout the book, the city will be placed in a context of symbolism which is representative of the founders' mentalities.