Medievalism at the Foundations

This Collection illustrates how medievalism has always existed ‘in plain view’ in Australian public life, as a conspicuous cultural memory ghosting Australia’s modernity. It focuses on discourses about, debates over, and changing interpretations of i) Australia’s medievalist political and religious institutions and rituals, ii) its architecture, and iii) its civic environment. In this Collection are items relating to all three of these key areas. Firstly, you will find items that point to the medieval influences and inflections that still permeate and influence our political, legal and religious institutions and traditions. Secondly, you will find numerous examples of neo-gothic and neo-romanesque architecture, and some cases where architectural features are known to have been modelled on specific medieval buildings. Thirdly, you will find items relating to the ways in which medievalism is incorporated into our civic environments and expressed through statues, monuments and war memorials.