Something Distinct, Or Business As Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland
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religions Article Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine Monastery in Naantali, Finland Visa Immonen * and Janne Harjula Department of Archaeology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland; janhar@utu.fi * Correspondence: vialim@utu.fi Abstract: This article analyses modern interpretations of the medieval plan of the Bridgettine Monastery of Naantali, Finland. Instead of seeing the distinct spatial organisation as deviation from the Bridgettine norm, we consider it as an expression of a medieval process, by which monastic principles were re-conceptualised in order to be realised in material form. This perspective builds on the shift in thinking that has taken place in the study of medieval urban planning. Instead of being ‘organic’, meaning disorganised, medieval urban development has come to be considered as intentional, guided by general principles, although not in a manner that is always obvious to the modern mind. We concur that models such as St Bridget’s visions and the plan of Vadstena Abbey are important tools for reconstructing medieval monastic plans. Meanwhile, we propose that such models can also add latent and counterproductive baggage to this field of study by encouraging modern expectations of regularity within monastic architecture. If the designs of monasteries do not follow such models perfectly, discrepancies are often erroneously misconceived as indications of the Citation: Immonen, Visa, and Janne builders’ insufficient skills and knowledge. Harjula. 2021. Something Distinct, or Business as Usual? Interpreting the Keywords: architecture; bridgettine order; Finland; monastic archaeology; Naantali; plan; spatial or- Plan of the Late Medieval Bridgettine ganisation Monastery in Naantali, Finland. Religions 12: 432. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060432 1. Introduction Academic Editor: As a degree of uniformity in attitudes and practices existed in monastic orders across Steinunn Kristjánsdóttir medieval Europe, it is common for scholars interpreting the archaeological remains of monastic sites to assume that these followed a uniform scheme. Such assumed common- Received: 3 May 2021 alities have influenced reconstructions of individual monastic sites and local practices, Accepted: 7 June 2021 especially in countries such as Finland, where the written and archaeological record of Published: 10 June 2021 monastic institutions is fragmented and scarce. Although such presumptions are an im- portant aid to archaeological interpretation, they can also lead it astray, leading to local Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral features being overlooked or cast as particularities, explained by marginality and thus with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- by lower levels of knowledge and skill. In this study, we will lay the foundations for iations. an alternative approach, in which differences in monastic architecture are considered as intentional, even as conforming to the medieval tradition of accommodating principles within actual practices. Material evidence of this (e.g., archaeological remains) would therefore provide evidence of a premodern rationale. This approach follows a shift that has taken place in the study of medieval urban planning in the last two decades. Instead Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. of being ‘organic’ or disorganised, this considers urban development as an intentional Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. process, guided by general principles, although not in a sense that is always obvious to the This article is an open access article modern mind. distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons The present case study explores this hypothesis by analysing modern interpretations Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// of the plan of the Bridgettine Monastery of Naantali (Nådendal in Swedish, Vallis Gratiae in creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ Latin). It considers whether this plan should be considered as a significant deviation from 4.0/). the Bridgettine norm, or as just another expression of the medieval relationship between Religions 2021, 12, 432. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060432 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/religions Religions 2021, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 15 Religions 2021, 12, 432 2 of 14 in Latin). It considers whether this plan should be considered as a significant deviation from the Bridgettine norm, or as just another expression of the medieval relationship be- monastictween monastic principles principles and their and their realisations realisations in material in material form. form. This This norm norm is is understood understood asas being defined defined not not only only by by St StBridget’s Bridget’s rather rather ambiguous ambiguous architectural architectural visions, visions, but also, but also,to some to someextent, extent, by the byactual the plan actual of planthe motherhouse of the motherhouse of the Bridgettine of the Bridgettine Order, Vadstena Order, VadstenaAbbey in AbbeySweden, in Sweden,which scholars which scholarsconsider consider to be an to architectur be an architecturalal paragon paragon for other for otherBridgettine Bridgettine monasteries. monasteries. NaantaliNaantali MonasteryMonastery isis thethe onlyonly actualactual monastery—amonastery—a building building in in which which monks monks and/or and/or nunsnuns livelive andand worship worship in in an an enclosed enclosed community community without without leaving leaving the the premises—in premises— Finlandin Fin- (Figureland (Figure1). During 1). During the Middle the Middle Ages, Ages, the Diocese the Diocese of Turku of Turku covered cover theed land the land area ofarea the of presentthe present country country of Finland,of Finland then, then constituting constituting the the eastern eastern province province of of the the Kingdom Kingdom ofof Sweden.Sweden. Within this diocese, oneone BridgettineBridgettine monasterymonastery andand fivefive mendicantmendicant conventsconvents werewere founded in the the 13th 13th to to 15th 15th centuries centuries (Immonen (Immonen 2019). 2019 Archaeological). Archaeological fieldwork fieldwork has hasbeen been conducted conducted at the at sites the sites of these of these since since the mid the- mid-19th19th century, century, but none but none havehave been beenfully fullyexcavated, excavated, and the and available the available documentation documentation remains remains problematic. problematic. This situation This situation empha- emphasisessises the importance the importance of the hypotheses of the hypotheses upon which upon the which interpretations the interpretations of such sites of such are sitesbased. are A based.particularly A particularly pertinent pertinentexample of example this is provided of this is by provided the Bridgettine by the Bridgettine monastery monasteryat Naantali at. Historian Naantali. and Historian archivist and Reinhold archivist Hausen Reinhold (1850 Hausen–1942) (1850–1942)conducted excavations conducted excavationsthere in 1872 there–1873 inand 1872–1873 produced and a reconstruction produced a reconstruction of the monastery’s of the plan monastery’s, which has plan,since whichremained has largely since remained unchallenged. largely unchallenged. FigureFigure 1.1. NaantaliNaantali ChurchChurch onon thethe right,right, andand thethe hillhill withwith thethe ruinsruins ofof thethe monasticmonastic buildingsbuildings onon thethe left.left. TheThe towntown ofof NaantaliNaantali inin front.front. PhotoPhoto byby J.J. Reinberg,Reinberg, 1880–1889/Finnish1880–1889/Finnish Heritage Agency. InIn thisthis article,article, we we will will first first present present the the existing existing research research into into the the Bridgettine Bridgettine Monastery Monas- intery Naantali, in Naantali, starting starting from from Hausen’s Hausen’s predecessor predecessor Sven GabrielSven Gabriel Elmgren, Elmgren continuing, continuing with Hausen’swith Hausen’s reconstruction reconstruction and its and later its revisions,later revisions, and then and proceedingthen proceed toing note to thenote insights the in- providedsights provided by more by recentmore recent excavations. excavations. After After this analysis, this analysis, we consider we consider the study the study of me- of dievalmedieval town town planning planning ingeneral, in general and, and how how a shift a shift has has taken taken place place from from a view a view that that urban ur- settlementsban settlements developed developed naturally naturally to one to one that that considers considers their their development development to have to have been been in- tentionallyintentionally planned planned and and controlled. controlled This. This paradigm paradigm change change makes makes it possible it possible to re-evaluate to re-eval- theuate plan the ofplan Naantali of Naantali Monastery. Monastery. By assessing By assessing how justified how thejustified assumptions the assumptions of homogeneity of ho- aremogeneity within theare studywithin of the monasticism study of monasticism in Finland, wein Finland, argue that we suchargue assumptions that such assump- can be fruitfultions can when be fruitful the dynamics when the between dynamics monastic between principles monastic and principles their architectural and their realisation architec- aretural not realisation defined by are a mindsetnot defined that by is a exclusively mindset that modern. is exclusively modern. 2. Hausen’s Work on Naantali Monastery Unlike the Dominican and Franciscan convents in Finland,