Mapa jako pałac pamięci — o średniowiecznej kartografii symbolicznej, wykresach i pielgrzymkach wyobrażonych
The map as a palace of memory: On medieval symbolic cartography, diagrams and imagined pilgrimage

Summary/Abstract: The article presents a proposal for implementing the concept of mnemotopos developed in cultural studies into the analysis of historical cartographic representations. The author’s aim is to show the cognitive potential resulting from applying the metaphor of “places of memory” to images representing geographical locations, which acquires particular significance in the case of the historical period in question (the Middle Ages), with its rich tradition of didactic applications of visual materials and their relation to the ars memoriae. First, the topic is set in the context of the cultural studies tradition. This is followed by a brief discussion of the typology of medieval maps and then an outline of a theory that argues in favour of the existence of a correlation between the form of the most popular medieval cartographic type and the so-called rotae (“wheels of memory”), which were used contemporaneously in monastic culture. The article goes on to list arguments for recognising a possible link between maps and studies on cultural forms of memory and memorising, supported by examples from source materials. Finally, the author refers to the titular metaphor of a “palace of memory.” The objective is to demonstrate how the medieval approach to cartographic locations can be linked to the mnemonic method of loci discussed in the article, which would provide a rationale for seeing them as classic mnemotopoi.

• Details
• Contents