When William of Normandy won the Battle of Hastings, he gained a crown but not yet the support of his new subjects. Within forty years, the Normans had replaced virtually every Anglo-Saxon cathedral and introduced the castle as a widespread building type, transforming the English landscape. Most famously, their patronage produced the Bayeux Tapestry, a Norman account of the Conquest made by Anglo-Saxon hands. Lisa Reilly ’78, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural History and Director of the Undergraduate Architectural History Program at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, explores how the Normans drew on both Anglo-Saxon and continental traditions to craft an image of themselves as legitimate rulers, and what that tells us about the power of images to make a kingdom.

Sponsored by the Art Department, this event is free and open to the public.