Product Description

The medieval parish church was central to most people's lives, and the Mass, the characteristic pre-Reformation service, exercised a defining influence upon the lives of clergy and laity alike. The laity were expected to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day; for many, daily Mass was also a reality. The role of the Mass was enhanced by the dominant belief in Purgatory, since celebration of Masses reduced the length of time the soul remained there. All this was swept away by the sixteenth-century Reformation. This book, written by authors from different disciplines, explores the importance of late-medieval parish religion against the backcloth of medieval York. How many Parish churches were there? What was the form of the Mass and how was it celebrated? How were the church interiors arranged and how were they decorated? What contribution did music make? What was it like to be a cleric at the time? What changes did the Reformation bring? A substantial appendix provides a reconstruction of the pre-Reformation Mass as celebrated in York. This is a real work of scholarship by authors who are leaders in their specialism, and essential reading for all interested in the middle ages.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #857474 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
edited by P S Barnwell, Claire Cross and Ann Rycraft

Customer Reviews

Great all round guide
Trying to understand medieval religion is hard enough, but most books and articles assume a level of general knowledge about how the Mass featured in society that if you lack, you'll never get to grips with the detail. This book is aimed at everyone, from the interested amateur church historian, to specialists in liturgy, religion and even music. The best things in this book are the clear accounts of how the Mass featured in daily life in the late Middle Ages (using York as a case study), and there are dozens of maps, diagrams and photographs to illustrate these elements. The authors represent a mix of historians, heritage specialists, musicians and those who work in the church, and all bring their special knowledge and enthusiasm to their particular chapter. There is a full text of the Mass as it would have been celebrated in late medieval York churches at the end of the volume - in Latin but with full textual translations of the service. If you have read Eamon Duffy's 'Stripping of the Altars', this is a perfect accompaniment that really brings the medieval parish to life on the eve of the Reformation.