Religion – Map – Image. The Medieval Map as the Projection of a World Concept

Abstract

Th e present paper analyses the fundamental diff erences between the concept and use of current and medieval maps. Th e latter had diff erent functions determined by the physical context, i. e. by the frame of their making and the world view, namely the religious background. Aft er a short survey of terminology applied to describe the ’map’ in the middle ages, the paper analyses the main features of the maps as well as the essential periods of map-making. Then, it examines the correlation of the content, the forms and the functions to answer the main question whether medieval cartography really stands out in sharp contrast to ancient and early modern map-making, and how the medieval worldview, especially the Christian faith, infl uenced the realization of mappemundi.