The Religious Reuse of Roman Structures in Early Medieval England

Book excerpt: This work examines how and why Roman structures - commonly villas, forts, and bathhouses - were reinvented as religious centres in the Post-Roman period. Two principal lines of enquiry are pursued: the relationship of post-Roman burials with Roman buildings, and the relationship between early churches and Roman buildings. The aims of this research were to establish a unified corpus around which the study of these type-sites may be pursued; to present a balanced, judicious, and informed consideration of the problem of continuity, and to critically assess various models for the progress from secular structures to sacred sites; and to demonstrate that the physical remains of Roman structures had a significant impact on the religious landscape of Early Medieval England sites.