The Stones of Naples

The rich architectural legacy of the Angevins, three generations of French kings who regined in southern Italy from 1266 to 1343, is very little known today. This groundbreaking book examines Angevin religious architecture, bringing to light for the first time the novelty and importance of these buildings while extending current understanding of the variety of medieval architecture beyond the well-known cathedrals of France and England. Caroline Bruzelius explores the complex encounter of the French with the worlds of the Mediterranean and of Italy. Although the Angevin period has often been associated with a vigorous renewal of the Gothic style in Italy, she contends instead that the principal Angevin monuments are built of local materials, reviving traditional building techniques and aesthetic preferences. The result is an architecture of adaptation and integration rather than one of colonial importation.