In the 12th century, the use of memory techniques spread from orators and clerics to include parishioners, who used them when passing by the village church to recall the gist of sermons or moral lessons they had heard. Sculptural and architectonic elements on 12th century rural French churches show distinct parallels with known textual and mnemonic practices of that period. The use of specific visual devices, shocking imagery, and patterns of order within the decorative scheme of these churches transform the structures into literal memory palaces that continue to provide visual clues to lessons and texts long since forgotten.
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Category: Elon Faculty
