At the height of the middle ages, there were hundreds of abbeys and priories throughout England. The ruins of some of those that were destroyed at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries are today seen as iconic medieval buildings - such as Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, designated a World Heritage site, or Tintern Abbey on the river Wye, immortalised by Wordsworth. These monasteries - particularly those of the Benedictine and Cistercian orders - were not simply powerhouses of prayer, but major local landowners who improved agriculture, replanned villages and founded new towns. For this reason, Glyn Coppack's far-ranging study not only looks at the churches and the immediate monastic buildings, but at the full range of ancillary buildings.

Religious communities inscribe themselves into the cityscape not only socially and politically, but also acoustically and architecturally. Global Prayers examines the mutual influence of religion and urbanism, looking at how various forms of faith manifest themselves in the cities of the world. Photo essays, interviews, reports, scientific texts, and artistic photo spreads inquire into the making of urban religion and the production of religious urbanity. With contributions by Nezar AlSayyad, Filip de Boeck, Hengameh Golestan, Brian Larkin, Aernout Mik, Werner Schiffauer, AbdouMaliq Simone, Camilo Jose Vergara, Paola Yacoub.

Churches for the Southwest is the first book to be devoted to his ecclesiastical architecture, which constitutes an important part of his work. During his long career he designed all or part of twenty-two churches-mission churches for Indian pueblos, including Acoma and Laguna; Catholic churches, especially Cristo Rey in Santa Fe and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup; Episcopal churches, including Holy Faith in Santa Fe, St. John s Cathedral in Albuquerque, and churches in Clovis, Roswell, Carlsbad, and Las Cruces, New Mexico; Presbyterian churches in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Taos; and the chapel for the Good Shepherd Mission to the Navajo in Fort Defiance, Arizona. These exhibit a surprising variety of styles. A number are in the pueblo mission style that is usually associated with Meem s work, but there are also Episcopal churches in the English Gothic style, a Territorial-style Presbyterian church, a Romanesque Catholic cathedral, and the unique church at Fort Defiance. Churches for the Southwest is beautifully illustrated with new color photographs of all of Meem s churches as well as drawings, plans, and early black-and-white photographs from the Meem Archives. Illustrated with early black-and-white photographs by Tyler Dingee, who worked with Meem and for the University of New Mexico; new color photographs by Derek Lehmberg; and drawings by Meem and members of his office."

Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom, sits majestically atop the plateau that commands the straits separating Europe and Asia. Located near the acropolis of the ancient city of Byzantium, this unparalleled structure has enjoyed an extensive and colorful history, as it has successively been transformed into a cathedral, mosque, monument, and museum. In "Hagia Sophia, 1850-1950," Robert S. Nelson explores its many lives.
Built from 532 to 537 as the Cathedral of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia was little studied and seldom recognized as a great monument of world art until the nineteenth century, and Nelson examines the causes and consequences of the building's newly elevated status during that time. He chronicles the grand dome's modern history through a vibrant cast of characters--emperors, sultans, critics, poets, archaeologists, architects, philanthropists, and religious congregations--some of whom spent years studying it, others never visiting the building. But as Nelson shows, they all had a hand in the recreation of Hagia Sophia as a modern architectural icon. By many means and for its own purposes, the West has conceptually transformed Hagia Sophia into the international symbol that it is today.
While other books have covered the architectural history of the structure, this is the first study to address its status as a modern monument. With his narrative of the building's rebirth, Nelson captures its importance for the diverse communities that shape and find meaning in Hagia Sophia," "His book" w"ill resonate with cultural, architectural, and art historians as well as with those seeking to acquaint themselves with the modern life of an inspired and inspiring building.

Decorated with the richest, most beautiful mosaics in the world, the Venetian church of San Marco is quite literally a treasure house of medieval art. The domes and walls of the church, encrusted with stone, glass, and gold, have been recognized, over the centuries, as a glorious historical and artistic record. Peopled with hundreds and figures--Adam and Eve, Noah and his progeny, Isaiah, Christ, Mark, of course, and other holy men and women of Venice--these mosaics create a cosmic panorama. "The Mosaic Decoration of San Marco, Venice" brings these unrivaled mosaics into breathtaking focus, combining a descriptive history of their creation and repair over the ages with close-up photographs revealing their iconographic detail.