El confort de lo inhóspito. Historia medioambiental del monasterio de Skellig Michael (cdo. Kerry, Irlanda)

Emilio Velado Pérez

doi:10.6018/pantarei.651891

Authors

Emilio Velado Pérez Universidad Politécnica de Madrid https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6712-2860

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/pantarei.651891

Keywords: archaeology, architecture, environment, cultural heritage, Middle Ages

Supporting Agencies

Polytechnical University of Madrid

Abstract

Skellig Michael is an inaccessible island in the southwest coast of Ireland, home of a well- preserved early medieval monastery. This World Heritage Site provides numerous natural hazards that favour its isolation and defence in conditions that are extreme for life but conducive to spirituality. However, archaeological and environmental studies have enabled a new interpretation of its architecture. The location of the monastery, the arrangement of its buildings, and their construction method reveal a deliberate and astute search for well-being. This feature contrasts with the heroic ideal (even of mortification) so often presented in monastic literature. These parameters, sometimes invisible but tangible, have added a new environmental layer to the history of the monastery: a climatic island hidden within the island.

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