College Arts and Humanities Institute

Professor Reilly will discuss her recent book, The Cistercian Reform and the Art of the Book in Twelfth-Century France (Amsterdam University Press). 

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Communal singing and reading of the Latin texts that formed the core of Christian ritual and belief consumed many hours of the Benedictine monk’s day. These texts—read and sung out loud, memorized, and copied into manuscripts—were often illustrated by the very same monks who participated in the choir liturgy. The meaning of these illustrations sometimes only becomes clear when they are read in the context of the texts these monks had heard read. The earliest manuscripts of Cîteaux, copied and illuminated at the same time that the new monastery’s liturgy was being reformed, demonstrate the transformation of aural experience to visual and textual legacy.

Diane Reilly is Professor in the Department of Art History, where she currently serves as Chair. She specializes in art of medieval Europe; monastic culture; and art, text, and sound in medieval pedagogy. She is the author or editor of five books and many scholarly articles.

Presented by CAHI and the IU Arts and Humanities Council.