(slides 41, 42) The 12th century was a significant time for the process known to most historians as the Reconquista or the reconquest. We can learn a lot about the Reconquista by examining art and architecture from Andalusia. The Reconquista was in effect Christian re-possession of Andalusian territories and cities formerly held by the Muslims. Eventually, these battles came to be viewed by the Papacy in Rome as a "holy war" or a Crusade. The fact that certain Andalusian territories were conquered by Christian forces, however, did not result in the immediate purging of Muslim and Jewish residents. The Jewish population (especially those who were educated) were vital to the process of bridging the linguistic gap between the Christian rulers and their subjects. Some Muslims were given the option of moving to lands that were still under Muslim control. Those who stayed had to move to areas that the Christian rulers had especially designated as Muslim neighborhoods. Beginning in the 13th century, Christian authorities adapted more reactionary attitudes towards the non-Christian population. Social and religious freedoms for non-Christian sectors of society were severely curtailed. These increasingly repressive policies were reflected in the art and architecture of the region. For example, there is a slow but steady trend toward the prohibition of construction of new synagogues or mosques in the cities taken over by Christians. It also became increasingly common to convert Jewish and Muslim places of worship into Christian churches. Close on the heels of the Reconquista or reconquest of Muslim-held territories by Christian forces, came a process of repopulation of the newly acquired territories by Christians. Monastic structures were established in recently conquered territories. These monasteries sometimes doubled as fortresses, and the monks sometimes doubled as soldiers. These structures, known as rabita in Spanish, were instrumental in the creation of a Christian presence in the region. The monasteries were sometimes adorned with wall paintings. The images depicted in slides 41 and 42 depict wall paintings from one such monastery, known as San Baudelio de Berlanga. These wall paintings employ bright colors and elegant, decorative forms. Wall paintings depicted religious themes, such as the Last Supper, and secular activities, such as hunting. Back to slides