Organiser: Eleonora Rava, St Andrews Institute of Mediaeval Studies, University of St Andrews. Chiar: Frances Andrews. Speakers: Andrew Cecchinato, Defining Cities through Walls?: A Vexing Question in Legal History; Ana Del Campo, Border Control: Clergy and (Hired) Mourners in Funerary Rituals; Eleonora Rava, Material Walls, Intangible Bridges: Recluses’ Cells. Abstract: Walls and borders have become a source of anxiety in the contemporary world, as transnational movements of people have exacerbated old and new rivalries. These markers are mostly invoked as barriers to enclose and protect or to divide and segregate. Yet, historical investigation shows that walls and borders often united people, allowing multiple interactions both within and beyond the domain of time. Our panel seeks to explore these relations by looking at how walls and borders in the Medieval West could be variously permeable, connecting rather than dividing. The papers adopt three contrasting approaches: juridical, religious and social.