The Use and Abuse of Sacred Places in Late Medieval Towns

Church buildings dominated medieval towns. The faithful flocked to the parish and monastic churches and chapels to attend masses, to receive the Sacraments, to offer up their prayers. However, secular authorities, from the ruler to the town government, the trades or guilds, also made use of these ecclesiastical buildings for storage and preservation, for defense, and to host large gatherings such as coronations, elections, and meetings. This book discusses how secular authorities made use of churches and monasteries in the Low Countries, the German regions and the British Isles during the late medieval period. Mediaevalia Lovaniensia 38