The book encompasses a broad historical panorama and considers the presence of litanic prayers and songs in different religions, beginning with written records in the Egyptian, Sumerian and Hebrew languages and finishing with Christian works of diverse denominations.

Issu de deux colloques pluridisciplinaires qui se proposaient d'étudier les notions relevant du champ sémantique de la croyance religieuse, ce volume part du constat que ces termes sont le plus souvent équivoques, ce qui pèse encore sur les recherches en sciences sociales.

Through careful analysis of the Romanesque cathedral of Molfetta (in Apulia, southern Italy), Williams demonstrates how the commercial boom of the medieval Mediterranean changed the way churches were funded, designed, and built.