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The Diminishing of the Magnetism ofMedieval Municipalities

Johan Huizinga (1872-1945), Dutch historian, authored The Waningof the Middle Ages (1924)a study of thought, iterature and art inthe 14thand 15thcenturies in !estern "uro#e$ %his tour de force, inits #reface,is #redicated on the foo&ing thought 'y its generator%he decay of o*erri#e for+s of ci*iization is as suggesti*e as#ectace as the gro&th of ne& ones$ JH 'eie*ed that artists,theoogians, #oets, chronicers, #rinces and states+en, &ere not

necessariy to 'e #ercei*ed as the #recursors of a forthco+ingcuture, 'ut as #erfecting and concuding the od$ JH thought that&e &oud ha*e to &ait ti the eighteenth centuryfor e*en the.enaissance does not truy 'ring the idea of #rogress'efore +enresoutey enter the #ath of socia o#ti+is+$

/et, is it ogica to say that the 0idde ges, this o*erri#e for+ ofci*iization, has concuded &hen so +any of its tra##ings are stiin eistence today, and those &ho continue to i*e in its shado&sand sustain its +e+ories, +ight 'e considered #risoners of this3ast that ust does not conclude 'ecause no "uro#ean &ants it toconcude, nor any "uro#ean force is ca#a'e of concuding it Hasthe 0idde ges faded out as an idea of history 6s it sti &ith usre &e sociay o#ti+istic r, &orse, are &e retrograding to a e&0idde ges (Le Nouveau Moyen ge: ain 0inc$)

6f &e consider the four southern "uro#ean nations of reece, 6tay,3ortuga and :#ain, &e +ust adudge that there sti re+ains therea #ethora of the +ateria re+nants of the 0idde ges$ 0any of

these residua are churches, con*ents, +onasteries, castes,+onu+ents, #u'ic ad+inistration 'uidings, et alia %hey do notconfor+ to the e#ectations of *isitors fro+ other societies &ho#ri+ariy *acation in the 0editerranean nations in order to satisfyso+e cutura, e*en at ti+es reigious, curiosity$ 6n addition,+edie*a rituas, incuding historica #ageants, anni*ersaries ofsaints, cuinary deicacies, oca festi*as and ani+a sacrifices areon offer, and these #resentations, entertain+ents are regarded asstrange and inco+#rehensi'e 'y strangers to those ands$ 6nreece, 6tay, 3ortuga and :#ain the sense of .o+an ;athoicis+and ree< rthodo theoogy #er+eates #u'ic 'uidings, 'an

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+ight 'e oaded u# &ith the accoutre+ents of traditiona+edie*a ife, &hich is o'*iousy i+itati*e, they certainy cannote+#athize &ith ree

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socia arrange+ents$ %he *ery o'ects that ure the curiosity of*isitors to southern "uro#ethe artefacts and orna+entation of the0idde gesare the+se*es decaying fro+ negigence and thesu'conscious desire of +iions of southern "uro#eans to do a&ay&ith this +istonethe 0idde ges$ 0ost &anting of a is so+e

ife #rinci#e that +ight identify southern "uro#ean #eo#e as'eings dis#osed to create, to reu*enate$ .ather, they are see#edin unha##iness and de#ression$ %hey are in an inacti*e state of+ind ho#ingho#e is the +ost uttered southern "uro#ean'anaityBthat so+e change +ight 'e in the offering$ %hey are&aiting= they are not as yet res#onding$ %hese une+#oyed,uneducated (5@C of southern "uro#eans #ossess a high schoodi#o+a), chee

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Ha*e a nice night+areB

uthored 'y nthony :t$ John

25 Dece+'er 00G666

;aenzano, 6tay

&&&$scri'd$co+the&ord&arrior

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