The Suffering Middle Ages

Before you is the third, revised gift edition of The Suffering Middle Ages. This book will tell you how in Christian art the sacred intertwined with the comical, the monstrous, or the obscene. It will discuss not only the past but also how to read medieval images today. Where do the monsters in monk's robes come from on the pages of Psalters and Hours? Why were lovers depicted in indecent poses on the walls of temples? Why were Satan and the Antichrist sometimes represented with halos, like saints? How did Christ become an allegory of the philosopher's stone in alchemical treatises? It is commonly believed that artists of that time acted within strict frameworks set by church canon, the will of the patron, and ancient examples. But in reality, medieval masters had room for visual experimentation with sacred themes. Together we will determine where the line was drawn in medieval art between permissible laughter and sacrilege. This book was created at the initiative of the Suffering Middle Ages community, which has united more than half a million subscribers.