This collection of 7 essays presents test cases for the usefulness of the terms secular and sacred when applied to examples of medieval art and architecture. First presented at College Art Association Conference sessions held in February 2006 in Boston, the essays address topics that include the rock caves of Cappadocia, Christian monasteries and Umayyad architecture in Syria, celestial imagery in a Carolingian manuscript, and the illuminations of the Taymouth Hours. The final chapter, by Samuel Crowell Morse (Amherst College), addresses the mix of genre and religion in pilgrimage mandalas of 16th-17th century Japan. The book is well illustrated with b&w and some color plates. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)