With reference to two societies, each from a different region, to what extent were

developments in architecture the most significant cultural and intellectual development?

Architecture contributed in many ways during the Middle Ages to culture and intellectual
development. It was used for many purposes such as religious or educational reasons;
however, depending on the zone, its influence was bigger or smaller.

In Spain, architecture was used to collect knowledge and share cultures, because until
1492, jews, muslims and christians coexisted in the same country, generating a melting pot
of cultures, languages and religions. From the 8th to the 14th centuries, many monuments
were built in Spain, such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba or the School of Translators of
Toledo (Escuela de Traductores). Both were significant in the country and also were used
as a way of representing religion (the Great Mosque) and for the sharing of knowledge
(School of Translators). The Great Mosque of Córdoba was built in 785 a. C. by Abd ar-
Rahman, and is regarded to be one of the most important monuments in islamic
architecture. The Mosque suffered many extensions as the time passed, and by 1236, it was
converted by the christians to a cathedral, when the city was “reconquered” by them. The
building of such an impressive monument inspired later architecture in Spain, known as
Mudejar Art. This type of art was applied in many Romanesque, Visigothic and Gothic
churches, creating a whole new style. The Toledo School of translators, on the other hand,
was founded in the Cathedral of Toledo, which was used as a translating center during the
13th and 14th centuries. It was Archbishop Raimond, who invited not only jewish scholars
but also muslim wises to translate phylosophical and religious texts in arabic and hebrew
to Spanish. The translation of these texts later led to (while the country was ruled by king
Alfonso X (el sabio/ the wise)) the new form of translating; not into Latin but into Old
Spanish, which is the foundation of the Spanish language. For all of these reasons, in
Spain, architecture was significant in the shaping of religion, art and intellectual
development.

Japanese architecture arose when Buddhism was introduced into the country. Buddhism
was brought into the island from China and Korea, in the 6th century. Since this “new”
religion was welcomed by the upper and ruling classes, this led to large-scale temple
building in medieval Japan. These temples were absolutely innovative, since they were all
made completely of wood, using very complicated techniques. Some examples of them are
Yakushi-ji temple in Nara, Horyuji temple, and Todaiji temple. This last temple, the
Todaiji temple in Nara, which was built in 738 a.C., is the biggest Buddhist temple in Japan.
Inside the temple, a huge bronze Buddha statue was (and still is) housed, which also
symbolized the union between the Nara court and Buddhism as their religion. Just the
monument itself, was a way of showing how powerful the Japanese could be to the rest of
the world (specially China and Korea); how grandiose their religion was. Architecture was
a way of spreading Buddhism, but also a way of showing off the power of the country. In
Japan as well, when talking about intellectual development, women played a very
important role. They were allowed to write; it was considered to be elegant, and in
literature, women’s voices were welcomed. This permitted them to be delicate,
descriptive, romantic… and also helped shape the time’s literature, in which women were
considerably important. For these reasons, architecture wasn't the most significant
intellectual development, it was, nevertheless, quite important in religion (Buddhism),
since it was used for its spread and permanence within the island.

To sum up, both Japanese and Spanish architectures had an influence and a considerable
impact in their culture, religion and in the country’s intellectual development. However, in
Japan, architecture had more to do with religion (Buddhist temples) and still, didn’t shape
its culture as much as for example the religion itself or women’s writing which actually
impacted the island’s literature (and therefore intellectual development). In Spain,
architecture wasn’t only used for religious purposes but also for the collecting of
philosophical, medical, religious, folkloric and many other types of texts, which had a
crucial role in the sharing of cultures and languages, therefore maybe in Spain,
architecture was the main shaper of intellectual and cultural development.