War, Revolt and Sacred Space

Cambrai and the Southern Netherlands, 1566–c.1621

Series: 

Author:
Andrew Spicer
Churches and sacred spaces were devastated by warfare and confessional violence in the southern Netherlands during the late sixteenth century. This monograph explores how these churches were rebuilt, the material culture of worship repaired or replaced, and their sanctity restored. Work began in the immediate aftermath of the iconoclasm and rebellion of 1566–67 and continued into the early seventeenth century. How this was achieved and the multiple agents involved is analysed across the Francophone dioceses of the ecclesiastical province of Cambrai. This restoration coincided with the reassertion and revitalisation of Catholic devotion embodied in the Tridentine decrees. Drawing on extensive archival research, as well as buildings, church furnishings and religious art, this monograph provides an alternative perspective on political upheaval and Catholic renewal in the southern Netherlands under Philip II of Spain and the Archdukes Albert and Isabella.
Copyright Year:
2026
E-Book (PDF)
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-75013-5
Publication:
20 Apr 2026
Hardback
Availability:
Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-25535-7
Publication:
21 May 2026
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Andrew Spicer is Professor Emeritus of Early Modern European History at Oxford Brookes University and Associate of the Faculty of History, University of Oxford. He has published widely on the socio-cultural impact of the Reformation, particularly on church architecture, iconoclasm, Protestant art and the material culture of worship.
Contents
Preface
List of Figures and Maps
Abbreviations
Note on Place Names

1 Introduction

Part 1 War, Revolt and Sacred Space

Introduction to Part 1

2 Warfare before 1566
 1 Warfare and the Towns
 2 Warfare and Rural Churches
 3 Thérouanne and Hesdin

3 Iconoclasm
 1 Iconoclastic Fury
 2 Calvinist Republics

4 Rebellion and Reconquest
 1 Reconquest and War with the States General
 2 Defence and the Cost of War
 3 Vrijbuiters

5 War with France
 1 Cambrai under French Rule
 2 War in Artois
 3 Sovereignty of Cambrai

Part 2 Restoration of Sacred Space

Introduction to Part 2

6 Consecration and Reconciliation
 1 Sanctity of Places of Worship
 2 Reconciliation and Consecration of Churches
 3 Burials in Consecrated Ground
 4 Conclusion

7 Finance
 1 Financial Responsibility
 2 Ecclesiastical Institutions and Repairing Parish Churches
 3 Raising Funds
 4 Conclusion

8 Restoration
 1 Reconstruction after 1566
 2 Restoration after 1579
 3 Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
 4 Conclusion

Part 3 Restoration of Devotion

Introduction to Part 3

9 Relics
 1 Veneration of Relics
 2 Restoration and Replacement of Relics
 3 New Devotions
 4 Relics and Catholic Devotion

10 Sacred Histories
 1 Hagiography and Regional Saints
 2 Sacred Topography
 3 Diocesan Histories

11 Marian Devotions
 1 Urban Devotions
 2 Marian Shrines
 3 Recording Miracles and Marian Devotion
 4 Conclusion

Part 4 Reconstruction and Renewal

Introduction to Part 4

12 Church Building
 1 Rebuilding and Reconstruction
 2 Parish Churches
 3 Religious Houses
 4 Fortifying Churches
 5 Church Building
 6 Conclusion

13 The Material Culture of Worship
 1 The Setting for the Mass
 2 Post-Tridentine Church Furnishings

14 Patronage
 1 Restoration of Windows
 2 New Donations
 3 Reglazing Schemes
 4 Conclusion

15 Religious Painting and Sculpture
 1 Catholicism and Religious Imagery
 2 Sculpture
 3 Religious Paintings
 4 Conclusion

16 Conclusion
Appendix 1: Governors-General of the Low Countries, 1559–1621
Appendix 2: Archbishops and Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Cambrai, c.1559–1621
Appendix 3: Maps of the Dioceses of the Ecclesiastical Province of Cambrai
Bibliography
Index
Aimed at academics, specialists, and students interested in the late sixteenth century revolt in the Netherlands as well as church reconstruction, Catholic renewal, and sacred space amidst confessional violence and warfare.
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