Public religious practice lay at the heart of civic society in late medi- eval Europe. In this illuminating study, Andrew Brown draws on the rich and previously little-researched archives of Bruges, one of medi- eval Europe’s wealthiest and most important towns, to explore the role of religion and ceremony in urban society. The author situates the religious practices of citizens – their investment in the liturgy, commemorative services, guilds and charity – within the contexts of Bruges’ highly diversified society and of the changes and crises the town experienced. Focusing on the religious processions and festiv- ities sponsored by the municipal government, the author challenges much current thinking on, for example, the nature of ‘civic religion’. Re-evaluating the ceremonial links between Bruges and its rulers, he questions whether rulers could dominate the urban landscape by reli- gious or ceremonial means, and offers new insight into the interplay between ritual and power, of relevance throughout medieval Europe.