ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the visual expression of memory in northern Spain from the tenth to the thirteenth century. It considers a wide range of media including the architecture of mausolea, sculptural decoration on tombs, and liturgical furniture, and engages with questions about the relationship of the family to the burial site and the respective roles of men and women in memoria. The pantheon of the kings at León together with its treasury constitutes a remarkable and cohesive example of effective memoria. The chapter looks at other major royal and aristocratic Spanish pantheons to see if these throw any further light on the respective roles of women and men. During the course of the twelfth century Cluniac dominance began to decline as an increasing number of Cistercian monasteries were founded in northern Spain. The period of Cluniac dominance in northern Spain seems to have eroded any earlier female control, but it did not interfere with women’s traditional family role in mourning.
