Reading Response 6 : Mapping our Space

   The Saint Gall Monastery Plan was seen as important in implementing order and unity for the various Benedictine Monasteries dedicated to providing stability and order to Charlemagne's empire. It is alluded that the Saint Gall Plan was a new idea in 814 (Roth 310). Because of the lack of cities in Europe in the Middle Ages, monasteries served, not only the resident monks, but travellers as well. The plan takes this into consideration and it is clear by the plan that its main purpose is to service the monks who lived there, not the visitors. The plan describes the large, main building as the church which is oriented from east to west. The cloister was situated to the south of the church and surrounded by monks' dormitories and the dining hall, keeping it the most secluded and private. All around the church and living quarters were the essential food and beverage making and storage facilities. The monastery, according to this plan, was equipped with its own infirmary, cemetery, and school. The monastery was an organized model of self-sufficiency, growing and producing food and animal husbandry. The places designated for the travellers and guest were near the entrance and kept very separate from the cloister.

http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/bevans/Art101/Art101B-7-EarlyMedieval/WebPage-Full.00050.html

http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/bevans/Art101/Art101B-7-EarlyMedieval/WebPage-Full.00049.html

   This model of organization is very similar to the organization of importance of the ancient Greeks in that there is a specific entry way, inside the complex is a court, or gathering place (the church) and the hearth, which I see as the cloister. I believe this building model serves as a way of mapping one's surrounding and placing significance on places based on their location relevant to the entrance or the center.

http://www.planetware.com/map/athens-acropolis-map-gr-acro.htm

    We still employ similar methods to organize and plan large complexes today. We see this type of organization in a variety of public spaces such as college campuses, airports, and hospitals. Mapping is an important way for us to emphasize that which is important to us and to learn the area which surrounds us.

http://www.uncg.edu/mat/sermon/map.html

http://www.flyfrompti.com/airport-maps-directions/terminal-maps/