| The following dissertation is a contextual comparative study of two distant geographies and time frames, where separate architectural and artistic expressions came into being under similar circumstances: Toulouse in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229), and Serres (northern Greece) after the Rebellion of 1416 (also known as the Rebellion of Sheikh Bedreddin). What unifies the two cases is a conflict between centrifugal dissident groups, eager to establish and protect their liberties and centralizing authorities, trying to expand and solidify their political control. Examining a site of inquisition in Toulouse and a site of execution in Serres, the dissertation compares how this conflict determined the reappropriation and reinterpretation of architecture by the authorities, in order to demonstrate their victory over the dissident groups. Then, looking at the architectural imprints that the authorities tried to leave over the two cities, it analyzes how persistent resistance from the dissidents shaped and limited authoritative architectural expressions. |
