‘Truly the cause of this was the land’: Materiality and portability of place in Marco Polo’s le Devisement du Monde
Location: Online via Zoom
Speaker: Lucy Donkin, University of Bristol
Contact: ihr.reception@sas.ac.uk
Lucy Donkin’s research interests lie in the perception of place during the Middle Ages, with particular reference to Italy and the Mediterranean. Her work so far has focused on sacred space, especially the creation, use and decoration of holy ground. She is currently completing a book, Standing on Holy Ground, which examines themes such as the design and function of ecclesiastical floor mosaics, the liturgical shaping of consecrated space, and the phenomenon of holy footprints. Her new research project focuses on the portability of place, exploring the spiritual and political connotations of moving earth to and from Rome. She is a member of the University of Bristol Centre for Medieval Studies and of several research clusters, including Early Italian Studies, Materialities and Religion.