Le monastère face aux laïques au haut Moyen Âge : lieux de culte secondaires et accueil aux limites de l’espace monastique dans le contexte italien 1

Abstract

Bulletin du centre d'études médiévales d'Auxerre | BUCEMA Hors-série n° 8 | 2015 Au seuil du cloître : la présence des laïcs (hôtelleries, bâtiments d'accueil, activités artisanales et de services) entre le V e et le XII e siècle.

The Archaeology of the Earliest Monasteries in Italy and France (Second Half of the Fourth Century to the Eighth Century)

“…39 It sits along the route which leads to the pass of Moncenisio in the western Alps and the quadrangular apse of its abbatial church and chapels pertains to a style quite common throughout the whole alpine region. This foundation represents one of the most significant examples of an early medieval monastic complex in the Italian context, given the presence of a number of religious buildings which, all lying within the area of the monastery, have different but complementary roles to the abbatial church -from funerary functions, intended not only for the community but also for lay people who had the privilege of being buried on monastic ground (see also Brescia, Sesto al Reghena 40 , and S. Vincenzo al Volturno) 41 to those which offered spiritual assistance to pilgrims and worshipers who arrived at the monastery (also at Brescia and other sites) 42 . In other cases the monasteries organised space for pastoral care outside of the area strictly defined by the enclosing wall; this space was intended for the community which built up around the monastery, forming what was to become a genuine monastic burgh.…”