Doksaal in de Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in Nieuwpoort, België before 1887

Here is an anonymous image of the Doksaal, or rood screen, in the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk in Nieuwpoort, Belgium. This image captures a structure that would have been central to the church experience, particularly in the late medieval and early modern periods. Consider the screen itself as a divider, both physically and symbolically, between the clergy and the laity, between the sacred and the communal. Who was allowed to pass, and who was kept at bay? These spaces reflected a strict social hierarchy, with the clergy as intermediaries between the divine and the common people. The screen, adorned with religious figures and symbols, was more than just a partition. It was a statement of power and control. How did such divisions shape the religious experience and social identities of those who gathered here? What did it mean to be included or excluded from the holiest spaces? These rood screens are reminders of a time when access to the divine was carefully mediated, reflecting the complex interplay of faith, power, and social order.