Page 81 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(2) (2024)

Author contributions This paper explores the case of Santa Maria
Zorana Đorđević: Conceptualization, Investigation, d’Àneu, a church located in the Àneu valley in the Cata-
Methodology, Funding acquisition, Project adminis- lan Pyrenees, focusing on its potential auditory relation-
tration, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – ship with nearby parishes in the medieval Àneu deanery.
review & editing. Xavier Costa-Badia: Conceptualiza- Although historians have debated Santa Maria d’Àneu’s
tion, Investigation, Visibility analysis, Writing – original significance within this district, its role as a potential ec-
draft. Natalia González Vázquez: GIS and Sound Map- clesiastical center remains unclear. Positioned in the
ping Tool simulation, Visualization. Lidia Alvarez Mo- middle of a valley without an adjacent settlement, the
rales: Methodology, Formal analysis, Validation, Data church’s strategic location could have enabled its bells
curation, Writing – review & editing. to reach the surrounding parishes. This study seeks to
test that hypothesis through an acoustic analysis of bell
Summary sound propagation and visibility studies.
In medieval Europe, church bells were more than just The methodology involved a three-part approach: 81
time markers; they served as powerful communicative onsite acoustic measurements, virtual sound propa-
tools in both secular and sacred life. Bells announced gation simulations, and visibility analysis. Sound levels
significant events, served as alarms in times of danger, were measured in real-time using sound level meters
and conveyed messages of joy, sorrow, and communi- and audio recorders to capture both the bell sounds and
ty identity. The sound of bells permeated the landscape, background noise. The virtual simulations were con-
shaping daily life and reinforcing social bonds. Often ducted using ESRI ArcGIS Desktop and the SPreAD-
called the “voice of God,” bells held symbolic and po- GIS script to model the propagation of the bells across
litical power, uniting people under a common audito- the deanery, accounting for variables like distance, to-
ry experience. The sound of a bell can be considered pography, and atmospheric absorption. The visibility
an earcon— a symbolic sonic event that gains meaning analysis used QGIS to examine the viewshed of Santa
through repeated exposure in specific contexts, as de- Maria d’Àneu and its visual relationship with other par-
fined by Blesser and Salter. As such, bells were crucial in ish churches in the deanery. Unveiling the Historical Significance of Santa Maria D’àneu
shaping medieval people’s emotional responses to their Results indicate that Santa Maria d’Àneu’s bell
environment, fostering a sense of place and belonging. sounds were audible in at least two nearby parish
The audibility of bells often coincided with par- churches and several more parish districts within the
ish boundaries, contributing to a shared sense of com- deanery. Due to its central location in the valley, San-
munity among those who could hear them. As unique ta Maria d’Àneu had the potential to initiate an audito-
soundmarks, bells helped define the acoustic commu- ry network that allowed messages to be quickly broad-
nities of medieval parishes. Understanding the range of cast throughout the region. These findings support the
bell sounds and the inclusivity of these soundscapes is hypothesis that Santa Maria d’Àneu may have served as
essential for a fuller comprehension of the medieval au- an ecclesiastical center during the medieval period, al-
ditory environment and the communication networks though the evidence is inconclusive.
between neighboring parishes. This fits Mills’ definition The study’s results highlight the need for further
of auditory archaeology, which explores the relationship research into the medieval aural network of the Àneu
between people, sound, and their environment. Recent deanery. Higher-resolution DEM and NLCD data are
studies have mapped sound in archaeological contexts required to improve sound propagation models’ accu-
using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), such as racy. Additionally, measuring the acoustic properties
Mlekuž’s 2004 simulation of medieval bell sounds in of medieval bells still in use in the Catalan region and
Slovenia. These advancements in sound mapping tech- investigating the interaction between bell sounds and
nologies, particularly SPreAD-GIS, have allowed re- background noise would significantly enhance our un-
searchers to understand sound propagation in historical derstanding of medieval auditory networks and their
landscapes better. role in shaping community life in the Àneu valley.