Christian Architecture: Monastery Architecture

Anselme Dimier wrote monasteries from the inside. A monk of Our Lady of Scourmount, in Belgium,he spent much of his life searching the history of monastic, and especially Cistercian, architecture. His pioneering work has led to a revival of interest in monastic architecture, both among scholars and among tourists and pilgrims who in increasing numbers visit the scenic ruins and the thriving monasteries which witness to the timeless and ubiquitous search for God.

In "Monasteries of the World", Christopher Brooke takes the reader on a tour amongst the most beautiful and evocative stone buildings in the whole of Christendom. Set down in remote and lovely surroundings or in crowded places of pilgrimage, they remain monuments to an intense spiritual experience. The book is beautifully illustrated with more than 400 monochrome plates, plans and maps, as well as photographs taken by wim Swaan. These magnificent photographs were specially commissioned to provide a close accompaniment to the text. They let the reader experience the breathtaking grandeur and the mystery of the finest monastic buildings that survive. By exploring the literature and the visible legacy of the monastic life, the author demonstrates the close relationship in it between the spiritual and temporal, and the interdependence of monarch, church and subject. Absorbing its aspirations from Egypt and Syria, the movement was given its traditional form by St. Benedict. Then came the twelfth-century renaissance, a time of revitalizing ideas, and of argument and discussion, when new orders arose as part of an ascetic and puritan reaction and from the inspiration of men like St.Bernard of Clairvaux.

Mr.Stoddard's treatment follows a chronological plan and is centered around four major periods: Romanesque(1000-1140);Early Gothic (twelfth century);High Gothic (thirteenth century); and the Late Medieval period that was featured by such developments as the Ryonnant and the Flamboyant.He introduces each of the sections dealing with these eras by chapters assaying the historical background:the political,social,and economic condition of France at the time,and the main currents of cultural development.He then discusses the art and architectural expressions that evolved,showing by detailed study of major monuments how changing technologies and changing relations between the church,the state,and the lives and beliefs of the people were embodied in-and influenced by-the art forms that developed.

Gawdat Gabra's expert commentary, complemented by almost one hundred full-color photographs of wall paintings and architectural features, covers monasteries from Aswan to Wadi alNatrun. Ranging across a thousand years of history, Gabra's observations will make any reader an expert on the composition and content of some of Egypt's most outstanding religious art and the salient architectural features of each monastery, as well as the ongoing process of restoration that has returned much of their original vibrancy to some of these works.

Monasteries in all periods devoted their greatest efforts to the construction of their churches. This book's title is misleading,inasmuch as these are not described, or at least only insofar as they influenced the disposition of monastic buildings as a whole. If great monasteries can be compared to towns - as they are expressly in chapter 9 - then in this book churches are only dealt with for their significance in town planning. The kernel of this account is monastic architecture in the restricted sense of the buildings and sequence of rooms in which monks, nuns and friars lived. I have pursued the formative forces on the physical framework fostering the "vita communis", to which all Orders in their different ways aspired.

Over thirty Cistercian monasteries were founded in Ireland between 1142 and 1272 and impresive remains can still be seen at many of the sites.Some of Ireland's finest Romanesque architecture comes from a Cistercian context and it was the Cistercians who were later responsible for spreading the early Gothic style.This is the first major study of the Irish abbeys and it vividly underlines what an impact the order had in the more isolated parts of Europe.Exploiting a wealth of new evidence,both documentary and archaeological,the author presents a comprehensive picture of the Cistercian artistic achievement,covering architecture,stone carving,metalwork and manuscipt illumination.

In 1956 The University of Michigan sent a scouting group to select an ancient site suitable for archaeological investigation. Most promising was the Monastery of Saint Catherine. Its interest as a historic monument and its accumulated wealth or religious art and manuscripts had long been known to scholars, but had not previously been accessible for full-scale archaeological and art historical research. Out of this visit grew a joint project between The University of Michigan, the University of Alexandria, and Princeton University for the purpose of recording and publishing the architecture of the monastery and the works of art it contains. In four lenghy expeditions - 1958, 1960, 1963, and 1965 - the fortress and the church, together with its mosaics, carvings, and wall paintings, were surveyed and photographed, and the famous collection of icons and illustrated manuscripts was cataloged and photographed. Fred Anderegg, formerly supervisor of Photographic Services at The University of Michigan and presently supervisor of photography at the University's Kelsey Museum, was in charge of photography for all the expeditions. Professor Ihor Sevcenko, of the Center for Byzantine Studies at Dumbarton Oaks, investigated the historical documents at the monastery, its epigraphical monuments, and other paleographical problems. The present volume of color and black and white plates of the architecture, mosaics, and wall paintings is complete in itself and is provided with a general introduction. A future volume will present analysis, documentation, comparisons, and conclusions, but this volume of plates is the first and contains a comprehensive visual record.

While most of the religious sites of the Holy Land have been destroyed or damaged by conquerors repeatedly throughout history,St.Catherine's monastery has been able to preserve an unparalleled heritage of Byzantine art and culture.John Galey's superb colour photographs illustrate the treasures o the fourteen hundred year old community: icons,mosaics,manuscripts and architectural details.Many of these were completely unknown to the outside world before an expedition headed by Kut Weitzmann and George Forsyth was given special permission to carry out research work in the monastery;an opportunity that is unlikely to be repeated in the future.