Examining both modest and privileged monasteries between the tenth and fifteenth centuries, Makris takes an expansive and holistic approach to the archaeological study of Byzantine monasteries and considers the monastic compound as both a religious space and one used for social and economic activities. Monastic Communities and Landscapes in Byzantium reveals the rich and dynamic exchanges monasteries maintained with people beyond their walls in cities and the countryside, presenting a more complex view of the Byzantine monastery and the boundaries between sacred and profane spheres.
Georgios Makris is Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of British Columbia.