Chapter 7 - Form versus Function

Summary

COMPOSING FORMS ATTUNED to the function of a building was a skill increasingly employed by trhe dynasties in Younger Europe, especially the Piasts, Přemyslids, and Árpáds. It was originally one developed by architects and builders, capable of comprehending the requirements and designing a suitable solution—or taking existing examples and adapting them to the local conditions.

Any architectonic form will inevitably carry semantic codes; furthermore, once combined with other forms, it will always need to serve the purpose defined at its creation.

In the case of religious buildings, the particular combination of form and function(s) reflected the ideological purposes and needs of the authorities and the liturgy. In the region and period that we are examining, from the ninth to eleventh centuries in what we are calling Younger Europe, the newly Christian rulers applied these elements with an ever-greater awareness of how to build a space of faith, in both the literal and metaphorical senses. Everything was connected under the need for the salvation of the soul.

In this context we should also analyze the founding of cathedrals—the most important places for both ecclesiastical and secular powers. The bishop's role and significance and the place where he discharged his duties were all associated with the ruler and his position in both domestic and international politics. A ruler commissioning works that would change the form of a cathedral might reflect an intention to redeem his sins, or create a new image or change his existing image, and we have seen this already in the construction of new churches. Such actions could involve the preserving or highlighting of a special place (genius loci), or maintaining earlier forms of architecture in ways to prevent the erasure of the original codes and their associated ideological meanings.

Naturally, Piast, Přemyslid, and Árpád rulers took advantage of these opportunities. Three bishoprics and cathedrals established in the tenth and early eleventh centuries were subjected to such treatment.

The bishop's residence and its location were taken from places already associated with Christianity: previously established strongholds with existing palaces and churches. In most cases, the construction of a new episcopal church would begin shortly after the appointment of a bishop; or construction could already have been in progress with completion imminent.