For the week of October 5th, 2015, we were asked to read “Imagined Pilgrimage in the Maps of Matthew Paris” by Daniel K. Connelly, and “Medieval World Maps; Embedded Images, Interpretive Frames,” by Marcia Kupfer.
Connelly’s text explains the idea behind imagined pilgrimages and how they relate to Matthew Paris’ maps. The text produces multiple examples of Paris’ maps and how they were used in medieval times, focusing on Paris’ Chronica majora. Matthew Paris was a monk at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Albans, England. His maps were very elaborate and included textual references, though they were not always accurate. Connelly points out that, in Chronica majora, “as soon as the itinerary moves south of the city of Paris, […], inaccuracies creep in.” This inaccuracy is mostly due to Mathew Paris’ lack of personal travel experience, but also because the maps were meant for imaginary pilgrimage, and therefore, focused on the details that are pertinent to the St. Albans monks.…show more content… She states that “one of the most remarkable aspects of medieval world maps is the way in which they integrate temporal an social structures.” This means that maps can be interpreted differently depending on the time period of their creation and their use in society, for example, religious versus political use. The text shows numerous examples of maps and different people’s analysis of them, and Kupfer also offers her own opinion on their interpretations and uses. She also explains in depth how changes in social life, like a change in religious practices, affected how maps were