International Medieval Congress Leeds 2026
Deadline: 14 September 2026

One of the most important structural elements in the formulation of the architectural language of sacred space in the Middle Ages was the creation of varied roofing systems (wooden roofs, stone vaults, domes). It is the roofs that decisively conditioned the internal spatiality and assumed a primary importance also in formulating the external form of the churches, because the entire construction is based on the shape that the roof will have.

Roofing systems, therefore, have an enormous potential for the study of sacred spaces: if these structures are studied with an interdisciplinary approach they can be compared, contextualised and better understood.

The aim of this session is to delve deeper into some case studies from Europe to the Christian East in a multidisciplinary perspective, integrating seamlessly elements of the history of architecture and restorations, archaeometry, archaeology, and art history. Although these methods are native to different disciplines, they constitute indispensable and complementary approaches for a holistic analysis of medieval roofing systems.

Potential topics include, but need not be limited to, the following:

• The structure of roofing systems and the construction phases of individual buildings
• Analysis of groups of buildings: contextualization and regional or international comparison of building ensembles
• Dating and structural analysis of timber roof frameworks
• Stereotomy and construction techniques of vaulted stone structures
• Nineteenth- and twentieth-century restoration campaigns

This session forms part of the activities of the CaMeRoofs (Cataloguing Medieval Roofs) project, coordinated by the University of Cyprus and funded by the European Commission under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions.

If you are interested in participating, please send an abstract of max. 200 words, 2-4 relevant index terms (https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/imc-index-terms/), a short bio with full affiliation details (department, institution, email address) to: passuello.angelo@ucy.ac.cy.

Source : Medieval Art Research