The rites of the Latin Church were central to medieval European civilisation, yet the field of liturgical studies continues to suffer from neglect even among scholars of medieval Christianity. Students of medieval liturgy often work in compartmentalised speciality areas – sacramental theology, musicology, art history – that rarely provide a synthetic, macrocosmic understanding of the liturgy of the Church and its impact upon medieval society. This collection of essays attempts to achieve such a synthesis by integrating the study of the physical spaces, iconographic monuments and textual sources for the rite of the consecration of a church in Latin Christendom. The historical parameters for this inquiry are identified by the general editor, Didier Méhu, as the ‘Central Middle Ages’. The essays presented by Méhu were gathered from an international round table of medievalists from Europe, Asia and North America, who met at the invitation of the Centre for Medieval Studies in Auxerre (27–29 June 2005). Twenty-two papers were presented at the conference, half of which are published in this volume. Méhu's nuanced presentation in the general introduction and Dominique Iogna-Prat's capacious epilogue underscore the scrupulous research, impeccable documentation and refined analysis of the essays. The reconstruction and analysis of the rite of the consecration or dedication of a church is achieved through careful reading from a plethora of sources: ordines, pontificals, sermons, liturgical commentaries, historical chronicles, foundation charters, epigraphic inscriptions and the surviving iconographic evidence. This study also features ninety-two photographs of both visual and documentary sources that greatly enhance the overall presentation. Each of these essays makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of the religious and social implications of medieval church construction and consecration. Méhu's collection of essays is exemplary in the depth and breadth of the research presented: one would expect no less from such an esteemed publisher of patristic and medieval texts as Brepols. One can hope that this work, with its panoramic integration of various subspecialties in liturgical studies, will serve as a paradigmatic starting point for future work on the medieval liturgy.