The twelfth century has long been recognised as a period of unusual vibrancy and importance, witnessing seminal changes in the inter-related spheres of theology, devotional practice, and iconography, especially with regard to the cross and the crucifixion of Christ. However, the visual arts of the period have been somewhat neglected, scholarly activity tending to concentrate on its textual and intellectual heritage. This book explores this extraordinarily rich and vibrant visual and religious culture, offering new and exciting insights into its significance, and studying the dynamic relationships between ideas and images in England between 1066 and the first decades of the thirteenth century. In addition to providing the first extensive survey of surviving Passion imagery from the period, it explores those images' contexts: intellectual, cultural, religious, and art-historical. It thus not only enhances our understanding of the place of the cross in Anglo-Norman culture; it also demonstrates how new image theories and patterns of agency shaped the life of the later medieval church.

IntroductionPart I: The Theology of the Cross, c. 1066-c. 1170St Anselm, Affect, and the Site of SalvationThe Cross, the Trinity, and the Sacrifice of the MassThe Art of ImitationPart II: The Image of the CrossIn ecclesio media: The Public ImageEcce homo: Liturgy and ExpositionNarrative and Contemplation in Manuscript IlluminationPart III: The Way of the Cross, c. 1170-c. 1215Pilgrimage and Relics: Proximity to the HolyCross, Councils, and CrusadeEpilogueBibliography