Christian Architecture: Cathedral Architecture

Contents/The fantastic Middle Ages/St.Bernard and Abbot Suger/The creative Outburst/The Canon-Builders/Working the Stone/Freemasons and Sculptors/The Architects/The Monastic Builders/Engineers and Technicians/The End of a World/Chronological Landmarks/Bibliography/Notes.

The great Gothic cathedrals of Europe, with their soaring pinnacles, brilliant stained-glass windows, and superb sculptures, have been admired for centuries as a high point of artistic creation. The development of these astonishing architectural masterpieces, from their beginnings in the twelfth century in Paris and Chartres to their magnificent late flowering in the Renaissance, is one of the most inspiring stories of art history. This impressive book presents a vivid pictorial chronicle of the great cathedrals, from the quiet Gothic classicism of Chartres to the more refined styles of Reims, Amiens, Gloucester, and Salisbury, from the expressive profusion of Strasbourg to the architectonic simplicity of Florence. The author, architecture historian Bernhard Schutz, leads the reader through these fascinating monuments country by country with an authoritative text that combines the most recent historical research with incisive formal analysis,giving new resonance to this rich heritage.

Set between the two arms of the river Seine, the lle de la Cite offers the passerby one of the most beautiful jewels of the French capital, and one of Europe's masterpieces of Gothic architecture: the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. After recounting the events linking Notre-Dame to the city of Paris, author Alain Erlande-Brandenburg explains how the city, which Clovis made his capital in the sixth century, acquired an ancient cathedral that was rebuilt beginning in the twelfth century. The history of the cathedral's construction, as well as its restoration in the nineteenth century, is recounted in detail in this exhaustive study. Particular attention is also devoted to the building's abundant sculpture, especially the moving remnants of the twelfth- and thirteenth-century programs now preserved in the Musee de Cluny.

In his lively and stimulating text David L.Edwards,Provost of Southwark Cathedral in London and a well-known historian,looks at eighteen of the most beautiful and interesting of these 'Palaces of God".He gives each cathedral a separate chapter in which he outlines its history and development.
The text is lavishly illustrated with outstanding clour photographs and with superb black-and-white photographs that show details of especial interest.A special feature of "The Cathedrals of Britain" is an introductory section which concisely surveys all the cathedrals ancient or modern,Anglican or Roman Catholic and gives the reader a firm understanding of the different styles of cathedral architecture and a clear view of he cathedral's place in history.Here in words and over 115 illustrations is a celebration of a heritage.-Dust cover.

The motives for building the Campanile have long eluded art historians.In dealing with this problem,Professor Trachtenberg discusses the political situation in Florence at the time of its construction, and shows how it is reflected symbolically in the complex sculptural program of the tower which has several layers of meaning.The volume includes 340 black and white plates and eleven color plates.

This photo book gives a chronological overview of every phase of the consruction of the new Cathedral.I was deeply impressed with the attitude of all the men and women who participated in the construction process.Many told me that they felt so blessed to be part of this historic project,and that they told their families and friends that they were not just building a new structure downtown;rather,with pride they stated that they were truly Cathedral Builders.
This photo volume illustrates many aspects of the five-year construction process and highlights the many craftsmen who participated.May you,the reader,catch some of their spirit of awe and pride in bringing forth the great Los Angeles Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels where all are welcome.-Dust jacket.

The aim of this study is to provide an architectural history of the medieval fabric of Rochester Cathedral, from its Saxon origins to the time of the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. The author places the development of the building in its artistic context by using comparisons with roughly contemporary buildings in order to assess the cathedral's significance, importance, and originality. Through an analysis of the surviving building and an examination of the documents relating to several campaigns of restoration, primarily in the nineteenth century, a new chronology for several phases of the building is proposed, significantly revising the conclusions of the standard work on the cathedral, that of W. H. St. J. Hope, published in 1898/1900. The study also takes into account the extensive body of literature that has developed since Hope's study, on the Anglo-Saxon, Romanesque, and Gothic periods in Britain. The methodology involved may in part be described as "above ground" archaeology, that is, a careful examination of the building's fabric for what it tells us about its phases, chronology, and vanished parts, allied with documentary references and comparisons with other buildings.

This book is designed to assist visitors to understand the meaning and purpose of the Cathedral of St.John the Divine.Some such aid,either written or oral,is needed,for a great cathedral cannot be comprehended in the glance of an eye.Certain features,such as its magnitude and general beauty,are obvious,but inwrought with these is a wealth of meaning which is the soul of the Cathedral-the real Cathedral-and which reveals itself only on intimate a acquaintance.When Ruskin called Amiens Cathedral "The Bible of Amiens",he used a figure of speech applicable to all great cathedrals.The Cathedral of St.John the Divine is "The Word in Stone'.It is a sacred book,written in massive pier and ponderous arch,in sculptured marble and carved oak,in stained glass and inlaid mosaic,in embroidered fabric and woven tapestry,whose are full of delight,inspiration and help for those who will take the trouble to read them.-Dust jacket.

This is the most complete and sumptuously produced volume available on Chartres,its history,its structure,its sculpture,its history,its structure,its sculpture,its music,and its glass artistry.Jean Favier,one of Fance's leading historians of the Middle Ages, has written a deeply personal,humanistic narrative of the cathedral's construction through the efforts of the newly affluent middle -class burhers-rich from the wool trade-who asserted themselves in what was previously the domain of kings and popes.Favier paints a rich picture of the life of the times and documents both the cultural heritage and political ideals of the citizenry and the extraordinary inventiveness of the architects,masons,sculptors,and glaziers who created this amazing edifice.Chartres is not perfect,as Favier admits, but in its imperfections it is one of man's stunning achievements,a kaleidoscope of sacred and profane images that is as powerful today as it was when its nine portals were first opened centuries ago.-Dust jacket.

One hundred years ago,the building of the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood at Westminster required of Roman Catholics an enourmous leap of faith.Cardinal Vaughan appointed Bentley in 1894 and laid the first stone in 1895.Today,the exterior is a landmark.The interior is a treasury of art and craftmanship as this book sets out to show.Yet at the ends of its first century the interior of Westminster Cathedral remains unfinished.Dark,cavernous domes await the gold and colour of shimmering mosaics,envisaged from the start.Following their description of the Cathedral,John Browne and Timothy Dean introduce the options for completing the work.It can,of course,remain an "unfinished symphony" for centuries to come.But there is an alternative: another heroic leap of faith.-Dust jacket.

The opportunity of again recording my admiration for Mr. Bentley's Cathedral gives me much pleasure.The great things are the masterly structure and the sincerity of the whole work.The taste and learning are exquisite and astonishing,yet this taste and learning are the least parts of Bentley's work.He had to supply them to justify himself to his employers and astonishing,yet this taste and learning are the least parts of Bentley's work.He had to supply them to justify himself to his employers and his epoch,but the merit of the Cathedral goes altogether beyond stylism.It is a building nobly planned,carefully balanced,and soundly constructed.Beyond the echoes there is the universal and the living.Throughout all the preliminary talk about the choice of a style Bentley must have known that he wanted to build,and he has left us a building serious,serene,and really modern.-Dust jacket.

Documents the world's most important cathedrals from their early Christian, Romanesque, and Gothic origins through their evolution during the Renaissance and Baroque periods to the styles of the modern age.

T o the eye of the architectural historian the unusual design of the cathedral of Granada, a major monument not only of Spain's Golden Age but of the European Renaissance,poses many formal and historical questions that have never been satisfactorily answered.This book is the first full scale attempt to searh out the origins of a structure that has been regarded,mistakenly the author believes, as "a creature in search of its species,a handsome hybrid born of some strange and now forgotten union.-Dust jacket.

"Heaven in Stone and Glass" is unlike any other meditation book or book about Christian art - it is the first book to combine them both? Lovers of the sacred, mystical space created by Gothic cathedrals will revel in the spirit in which they were built. Christians interested in deepening their faith will find much nourishment as they ponder the depth of faith in God and the natural order o things which is carved into the very stone and glass of Gothic cathedrals. According to Barron, the great cathedrals are like books that can be read. In "Heaven in Stone and Glass", Robert Barron takes readers on a spiritual pilgrimage through the greatest marvels of the Christian world.

"The biography of a cathedral; the living story of man's most beautiful creation, with glimpses, through the centuries, of the pageant that led to Notre Dame,"

We have no names for the architects of Chartres, and yet it is not the work of anonymous men. By examining every stage of the construction, the author has isolated all the master masons, and shows that each of the masters had his own measure, his own technique of geometry and his preferred style of carving. And yet the mystery remains, for throughout the many building campaigns, a wonderful artistic unity was maintained. Although no documents or legends survive from which we can know the masters, John James brings them alive. His detailed reading of the stones of the cathedral reveals an enormous amount about these men; how they solved problems of engineering and design, and which other famous monuments they helped to create. The masters devised structures, skeletal and open, that are totally modern, with an engineering skill that was not to be repeated until the nineteenth century. They set new standards that were so successful that their influence can be felt in every country where Gothic is to be found.

It is extraordinary that Auguste Rodin's only book,first published in 1914,has never before been translated into English.Both the text and the drawings were taken from Rodin's notebooks,in which he recorded his impressions of a number of the great and some of the less well-known cathedrals and churches of France.What he did so brilliantly in these sketches was to capture for himself and for his readers the interaction between art and nature,the secrets of creation as revealed in the worn but beautiful stones of the great churches in which Rodin found so much inspiration and which he loved so deeply.As Herbert Read points out in his preface:"The writing again and again rises to heights of eloquence that are essentially poetic,but is always a poetry inspired by a sensuous contact with the living stones".

Traditionally seen as an almost total condemnation either of all religious art or of all monastic art,Rudolph places the "Apologia" in a broader context,using it to explore the role of art in medieval society.He shows that Bernard was interested in the impact of art on contemporary monasticism in a more complex way than previously believed.
For example,he criticized the use of art by monks for "the astonishment of fools",art which"serves the eyes of the rich at the expenses of the poor," and which might cause the monk to "spend the whole day wondering at every single one of them than in meditating on the law of God."
The "Things of Greater Importance" will be of particular value to scholars and students of Romanesque,Gothic,and early medieval art,theology,and medieval history.-Dust jacket.

Visiting historic buildings is one of Britain's most popular pursuits.But,all too often,visitors are frustrated by existing guidebooks,which assume much prior knowledge of architectural history and terms.This highly illustrated,accessible book presents a completely new look at cathedrals,abbey's and churches through the eyes of a vastly-experienced working stone-mason.Thomas Maude uses well-chosen historical and technical information,colourful anecdote and his hands-on knowledge of building structures and techniques to convey the excitement which they hold in store.This remarkable and engaging book will help any visitor understand and enjoy the medieval ecclesiastical buildings of Britain-from the humble parish church to mighty cathedral.-Back cover.

Today,the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels joins the storied ranks of the early missions,the first permanent structures built across the California landscape.It sinks its foundations in the very heart of the City of Los Angeles,astride today's El Camino Real-today's less colorfully named Hollywood Freeway-where it will stand and soar for many centuries as a sign of God's enduring presence in our lives and community.-Dust jacket.

This is more than a book about an important work of architecture:it is a study of a people,a culture,an historic region,and a vivid,formative moment in human history.With good reason Allan Temko has called this book a biography;for an ancient building has many of the attributes of personality;and to follow its conception and gestation,its growth and training and discipline,its trials,its mutilations,its restorations,is to achieve a better understanding of the creative process in all its manifestations.-Dust jacket.