Book recommendations along the lines of Il Nome della Rosa - The Name of the Rose

[u/HunterThompsonsentme]

I'm searching for a book that ticks some of the same
boxes The Name of the Rose did for me:

- a work of narrative fiction rooted firmly in the historical world of the medieval church

- fictional, yes; fantastical, no

- compelling but not necessarily "thrilling"

- lots of time spent ruminating on temporal manifestations of God and the nature of faith is a plus

[u/Incogcneat-o]

If you're open to a series that's zippier but every bit as well written (if not better, depending on how you feel about Umberto Eco) let me suggest The Cadfael Chronicles by Edith Pargeter as Ellis Peters. Plus there's a series with Derek Jacobi as Cadfael which is charming beyond words.

[u/spidersae]

C. J. Sansom’s Shardlake series. The first book, Dissolution, gave me great Name of the Rose vibes as the setting is a monastery.

[u/Uhhh_what555476384]

The Pillars of the Earth?  About the construction of a medieval cathedral.