Sir Kenneth Clark’s ‘Civilisation’: Part II

Last week we saw how the essential elements of European civilization survived through some 700 years of regime change and barbarism. Sir Kenneth Clark now describes the sudden (re)awakening of European civilization in the 12th century. He sees this as a pivotal moment in human history and explores its roots in Christianity, traces it from its first manifestations in the Cluny Abbey to the Basilica of St Denis, and onto its high point, the building of Chartres Cathedral in the early 13th century.

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THE TWELFTH CENTURY RENAISSANCE

The Great Thaw: Clark goes to great lengths to emphasise the extraordinary intellectual and cultural upheaval that characterized the 12^th century in Europe:

There have been times in human history when the earth seems suddenly to have grown warmer or more radio-active. Three or four times in history humanity has made a leap forward. One such time was around the year AD1100 and the most dramatic effect was in Western Europe. In…