European cultural history is inextricably linked to the presence of monasteries, especially during the Middle Ages. In addition to serving as religious refuges, monasteries provided sanctuary for the pursuits of art, education, science, and book production. This lavishly illustrated book traces the development of the art and architecture of these important buildings, from early Carolingian examples in the eighth century to a modern structure by Le Corbusier in 1960.This unsurpassed survey offers a fresh chronicle of a largely overlooked subject and hundreds of marvelous images, many of them newly photographed, of more than 150 of the most interesting and best preserved monasteries in Spain, Portugal, France, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Italy - all of which are accessible to visitors. Here are unique views of the art and architecture of such treasured places as Mont St. Michel, a wondrous Benedictine sanctuary off the coast of Brittany, and the fabled pilgrimage site in Assisi founded by St. Francis.In an insightful text the author describes the cultural heritage of each of the monasteries portrayed and provides an introduction to monasticism and to the various orders dating from the early Christian era to the present. In addition, the volume offers plans of the sites, a glossary, and a bibliography. Historians and collectors of great books of art history will be intrigued by this unsurpassed collection of photographs and fascinating account of the artistic glory of European monasteries.

'London was but is no more!' In these words diarist John Evelyn summed up the destruction wrought by the Great Fire that swept through the City of London in 1666. The losses included St Paul's Cathedral and eight-seven parish churches (as well as at least thirteen thousand houses). In After the Fire, celebrated photographer and architectural historian Angelo Hornak explores, with the help of his own stunning photographs, the churches built in London during the sixty years that followed the Great Fire, as London rose from the ashes, more beautiful - and far more spectacular - than ever before. The catastrophe offered a unique opportunity to Christopher Wren and his colleagues - including Robert Hooke and Nicholas Hawksmoor - who, over the next forty years, rebuilt St Paul's and fifty-one other London churches in a dramatic new style inspired by the European Baroque. Forty-five years after the Fire, the Fifty New Churches Act of 1711 gave Nicholas Hawksmoor the scope to build breathtaking (and controversial) new churches including St Anne's Limehouse, Christ Church Spitalfields and St George's Bloomsbury. By the 1720s the pendulum was swinging away from the Baroque of Wren and Hawksmoor, and it was James Gibbs' more restrained St Martin-in the-Fields that was to provide the prototype for churches throughout the English-speaking world - especially in North America - for the next hundred years.

In America between 1946 and 1953, the German-Jewish architect Eric Mendelsohn planned seven synagogues, of which four were built, all in the Midwest. In this book, photographer Michael Palmer has recorded in exquisite detail Mendelsohn's four built synagogues: Saint Paul, Saint Louis, Cleveland and Grand Rapids. These photographs are accompanied by an insightful contextual essay by Ita Heinze-Greenberg which reflects on Eric Mendelsohn and his Jewish identity. Mendelsohn's post-war commitment to sacred architecture was a major challenge to him, but one on which he embarked with great enthusiasm. He sought and found radically new architectural solutions for these 'temples' that met functional, social and spiritual demands. In the post-war and post-Holocaust climate, the old references had become obsolete, while the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 posed a claim for the redefinition of the Jewish diaspora in general. The duality of Jewish and American identity became more crucial than ever and the congregations were keen to express their integration into a modern America through these buildings. Hardly anyone could have been better suited for this task than Mendelsohn, as he sought to justify his decision to move from Israel and adopt the USA as his new homeland. The places he created to serve Jewish identity in America were a crowning conclusion of his career. They became the benchmark of modern American synagogue architecture, while the design of sacred space added a new dimension in Mendelsohn's work.

St Peter's Basilica in Rome is arguably the most important church in Western Christendom, and is among the most significant buildings anywhere in the world. However, the church that is visible today is a youthful upstart, only four hundred years old compared to the twelve-hundred-year-old church whose site it occupies. A very small proportion of the original is now extant, entirely covered over by the new basilica, but enough survives to make reconstruction of the first St Peter's possible and much new evidence has been uncovered in the past thirty years. This is the first full study of the older church, from its late antique construction to Renaissance destruction, in its historical context. An international team of historians, art historians, archaeologists and liturgists explores aspects of the basilica's history, from its physical fabric to the activities that took place within its walls and its relationship with the city of Rome.

Torre Abbey is an archaeological site of national importance. Founded in 1196, it became the wealthiest English monastery of the order of Premonstratensian canons. The extent of its survival makes Torre Abbey the best preserved medieval abbey in Devon and Cornwall. After King Henry VIII closed the monastery in 1539, two of its former ranges were adapted for use as a private house. From 1662, this house became the home of the Roman Catholic Cary family, who lived there for nearly 300 years. The story of Torre Abbey mirrors in a remarkable way the story of English Catholics during the years of the penal laws. The local council acquired Torre Abbey in 1930, and adapted it for use as an art gallery and Mayor's Parlour. Today, the abbey provides an ideal setting for Torbay's collection of paintings and antiques, most of which have been donated by local people. It has recently been restored and modernised. This book is the first complete history of Torre Abbey. It is based on the latest historical and architectural research, and is richly illustrated throughout.

Within the stunning landscape of Derbyshire lies a wealth of historic churches. These buildings have borne witness to the changes that have taken place in the county through the centuries. Towns, villages and cities all have their church buildings, many dating from the Middle Ages. In this book author David Paul surveys the historic churches of Derbyshire. They range from the plague village church of St Lawrence in Eyam, the famous crooked spire of St Mary and All Saints at Chesterfield, Bakewell's medieval church of All Saints with its Saxon crosses and carved stones, and many more. The text is accompanied throughout by attractive photographs of these captivating places of worship. This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Derbyshire over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this county in England.

Apocalypse reproduces the Apocalypse Cycle of the Great East Window of York Minster in its entirety and in full colour for the very first time. Stunning photography presents each panel in detail, accompanied by expert commentary. The book is both a testament to the remarkable combination of skill, scholarship and cutting-edge technology that has gone into the conservation of the window, and an important study of the significance of the Apocalypse narrative both in the early 15th century and today.

In the thirteenth century, sculptures of Synagoga and Ecclesia paired female personifications of the Synagogue defeated and the Church triumphant became a favored motif on cathedral facades in France and Germany. Throughout the centuries leading up to this era, the Jews of northern Europe prospered financially and intellectually, a trend that ran counter to the long-standing Christian conception of Jews as relics of the pre-history of the Church. In The Jew, the Cathedral and the Medieval City, Nina Rowe examines the sculptures as defining elements in the urban Jewish-Christian encounter. She locates the roots of the Synagoga-Ecclesia motif in antiquity and explores the theme s public manifestations at the cathedrals of Reims, Bamberg, and Strasbourg, considering each example in relation to local politics and culture. Ultimately, she demonstrates that royal and ecclesiastical policies to restrain the religious, social, and economic lives of Jews in the early thirteenth century found a material analog in lovely renderings of a downtrodden Synagoga, placed in the public arena of the city square."

This is a comprehensive study of the surviving monuments of the Qarakhanids - an important yet little-known medieval dynasty that ruled much of Central Asia between the late 10th and early 13th centuries. Based on extensive fieldwork and many hard-to-find Russian sources, the book places the surviving monuments into the wider cultural context of the region. Many photographs and new ground-plans are included, as well as detailed studies of individual monuments and the wider architectural aesthetic. These monuments serve as the link between the mostly lost Samanid architecture and the far larger and better-known monuments of the Timurids.

This is the first book-length study of the emergence of Medina, in modern Saudi Arabia, as a widely venerated sacred space and holy city over the course of the first three Islamic centuries (the seventh to ninth centuries CE). This was a dynamic period that witnessed the evolution of many Islamic political, religious and legal doctrines, and the book situates Medina's emerging sanctity within the appropriate historical contexts. The book focuses on the roles played by the Prophet Mu ammad, by the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphs and by Muslim legal scholars. It shows that Medina's emergence as a holy city, alongside Mecca and Jerusalem, as well as the development of many of the doctrines associated with its sanctity, was the result of gradual and contested processes and was intimately linked with important contemporary developments concerning the legitimation of political, religious and legal authority in the Islamic world."

Most of the seven million people who visit the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris each year probably do not realize that the legendary gargoyles adorning this medieval masterpiece were not constructed until the nineteenth century. The first comprehensive history of these world-famous monsters, "The Gargoyles of Notre Dame" argues that they transformed the iconic thirteenth-century cathedral into a modern monument. Michael Camille begins his long-awaited study by recounting architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc's ambitious restoration of the structure from 1843 to 1864, when the gargoyles were designed, sculpted by the little-known Victor Pyanet, and installed. These gargoyles, Camille contends, were not mere avatars of the Middle Ages, but rather fresh creations - symbolizing an imagined past - whose modernity lay precisely in their nostalgia. He goes on to map the critical reception and many-layered afterlives of these chimeras, notably in the works of such artists and writers as Charles Meryon, Victor Hugo, and photographer Henri Le Secq. Tracing their eventual evolution into icons of high kitsch, Camille ultimately locates the gargoyles' place in the twentieth-century imagination, exploring interpretations by everyone from Winslow Homer to the Walt Disney Company. Lavishly illustrated with more than three hundred images of its monumental yet whimsical subjects, "The Gargoyles of Notre Dame" is a must-read for historians of art and architecture and anyone whose imagination has been sparked by the lovable monsters gazing out over Paris from one of the world's most renowned vantage points.

The profusion of medieval churches in Norfolk provides not only examples of beautiful church architecture, but also records life in their communities and offers an insight into the history of medieval England. The third revised and enlarged edition of The Guide to Norfolk Churches contains an encyclopaedic glossary and a detailed index, which contrbute to the comprehensive survey provided by this guide. This indespensible guide to the 'living' medieval churches of Norfolk helps the visitor to understand both the general features of churches and the unique aspects of those in different areas. The guide is generously illustrated with photographs, line drawings and a detailed map to aid in locating each church within the county. The expanded reference section is designed to answer a host of questions which may tease the church visitor. For example, what symbols are used to represent particular saints? Why do so many Norfolk churches stand isolated from their villages? And why does the pagan Green Man find a place in our Christian churches? This book provides the answers to these and other questions. Written by enthusiasts for both the churches and the county in which they stand, the great appeal of this guide is that, once the code of church architecture has been broken and the language learned, every church, be it ever so humble, is shown to be unique, with its own story to offer. This guide provides the key. "In this, his revised guide to Norfolk churches, Mr Mortlock has provided us with a fascinating and illuminating description of each and every one he has visited. Armed with this guide the visitor cannot fail to enjoy exploring our lovely churches and having done so, it is my earnest hope that he or she will be inspired to lend their support to these marvellous symbols of our heritage." From the Foreword by the Countess of Leicester

Before the late sixteenth century, the churches of Florence were internally divided by monumental screens that separated the laity in the nave from the clergy in the choir precinct. Enabling both separation and mediation, these screens were impressive artistic structures that controlled social interactions, facilitated liturgical performances, and variably framed or obscured religious ritual and imagery. In the 1560s and 70s, screens were routinely destroyed in a period of religious reforms, irreversibly transforming the function, meaning, and spatial dynamics of the church interior. In this volume, Joanne Allen explores the widespread presence of screens and their role in Florentine social and religious life prior to the Counter-Reformation. She presents unpublished documentation and new reconstructions of screens and the choir precincts which they delimited. Elucidating issues such as gender, patronage, and class, her study makes these vanished structures comprehensible and deepens our understanding of the impact of religious reform on church architecture.

Minarets have defined Cairo's skyline since its early history: they are one of the most characteristic features of Islamic architecture. In Egypt, where civilizations have manifested themselves through awe-inspiring structures since antiquity, 'a thousand minarets' reveal the impact of Islamic civilization and urban aesthetics. "The Minarets of Cairo" offers an accessible and vivid insight into the religious, historical and architectural significance of the minaret in Cairo from the Arab Conquest, through the Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. Students and scholars will welcome historian and art historian Doris Behrens-Abouseif's excellent new research and analysis as well as over one hundred illustrated entries for individual minarets, brought to life by Nicholas Warner's masterly architectural drawings and reconstructions. With nearly three hundred illustrations, this beautiful book provides depth and color, displaying to full effect historic Cairo's most impressive monuments.

The tiny island of Iona has been a vibrant centre of Christian worship since Columba arrived in AD 563. His monastery thrived for centuries, despite repeated Viking raids beginning in 795. Around 1200, the abbey and nunnery were founded, introducing new forms of worship and new buildings, while still welcoming pilgrims to St Columba's shrine. Even after the Protestant Reformation of 1560 brought an end to Scotland's monasteries, Iona served briefly as a Cathedral of the Isles. Restoration of the buildings began in 1899, and in 1938 the Iona Community was formed, revitalising the abbey's spiritual role. This unique site bears witness to a long history of religious practice that still flourishes today.

Originally published in 1911, this book presents a guide to the architecture and history of All Saints Church in Horseheath, South Cambridgeshire. Chapters cover 'The Structure', 'Church Furniture', 'The Monuments', 'The Advowson', 'The Valuation', 'The Rectors' and 'The Charities'. Illustrative figures are included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in church architecture, local history and the history of Christianity.

A beautiful, illustrated exploration of European burial sites and memorials from the First and Second World Wars The wealth of splendid photography in this singular publication features military cemeteries and memorials, conveying their grace, solemn beauty, and deep emotional resonance. Hundreds of cemeteries and memorials from the First and Second World Wars are featured-locations throughout Europe with particular emphasis on sites in England, France, Belgium, and Germany. The book's essays delve into the landscape and architectural history of these hallowed spaces, which were designed by architects such as Charles Henry Holden, Edwin Luytens, John Russell Pope, and Robert Tischler, among others. These landscapes, each a campaign for remembrance and peace, take on new significance alongside comparative images of more recent memorials, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and the National September 11 Memorial in New York. Distributed for Mercatorfonds

This is the first volume concerned solely with the archaeology of a major late 17th-century building in London, and the major changes it has undergone. St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London was built in 1675-1711 to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren and has been described as an iconic building many times. In this major new account, John Schofield examines the cathedral from an archaeological perspective, reviewing its history from the early 18th- to the early 21st-century, as illustrated by recent archaeological recording, documentary research and engineering assessment. A detailed account of the construction of the cathedral is provided based on a comparison of the fabric with voluminous building accounts which have survived and evidence from recent archaeological investigation. The construction of the Wren building and its embellishments are followed by the main works of later surveyors such as Robert Mylne and Francis Penrose. The 20th-century brought further changes and conservation projects, including restoration after the building was hit by two bombs in World War II, and all its windows blown out. The 1990s and first years of the present century have witnessed considerable refurbishment and cleaning involving archaeological and engineering works. Archaeological specialist reports and an engineering review of the stability and character of the building are provided.

The first version of this three-volume work was published in 1829 as a question-and-answer book of 80 pages. The eleventh, and definitive, 1882 edition of this hugely popular, highly illustrated work, reissued here, was published at the urging of Sir George Gilbert Scott, and consists of two volumes on Gothic ecclesiastical architecture and a 'companion' volume on church vestments. Matthew Holbeche Bloxam (1805-88), a solicitor by profession, was an enthusiastic architectural historian with a passion for churches. In the preface, as well as explaining his reasons for another edition, Bloxam records his concern that some features he had recorded fifty years earlier no longer exist: 'In the so-called restorations of ancient churches, not a few historical features ... have been ruthlessly, and in many cases needlessly, swept away.' Volume 1 surveys the rise, flowering, and decline of English Gothic architecture.

The first version of this three-volume work was published in 1829 as a question-and-answer book of 80 pages. The eleventh, and definitive, 1882 edition of this hugely popular, highly illustrated work, reissued here, was published at the urging of Sir George Gilbert Scott, and consists of two volumes on Gothic ecclesiastical architecture and a 'companion' volume on church vestments. Matthew Holbeche Bloxam (1805-88), a solicitor by profession, was an enthusiastic architectural historian with a passion for churches. In the preface, as well as explaining his reasons for another edition, Bloxam records his concern that some features he had recorded fifty years earlier no longer exist: 'In the so-called restorations of ancient churches, not a few historical features ... have been ruthlessly, and in many cases needlessly, swept away.' Volume 3 discusses vestments, post-Reformation changes to church interiors, and funerary monuments.

As Buckfast Abbey prepares to celebrate its millennium in 2018, this new book chronicles the remarkable history of this famous English abbey, today both home to a self-sufficient community of Benedictine monks and a site that welcomes some half a million visitors to south Devon each year. The first monastery was founded in 1018 and absorbed into the Cistercian order in 1147, but was dissolved during the Reformation. The site fell into disrepair, and in the early 19th century a Gothic-style mansion was built on the abbey ruins. A group of exiled French Benedictine monks settled at Buckfast in 1882 and eventually decided to rebuild the medieval abbey church themselves: the first stone was laid in 1907 and consecration took place in 1932. In this elegant, authoritative book, essays by a dozen distinguished historians explore, among other subjects, the history of the abbey from its Saxon origins to the Dissolution; the architecture of the medieval church; the abbey site without the monks; the Benedictine revival; the rebuilding of the abbey under the architect Frederick Walters; the abbey's silver and metalwork; the art and architecture of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, built in 1968; and the recent redevelopment of the precinct. Generously illustrated throughout with not only plans, drawings and photographs gathered from the vast Buckfast archive but also new images of the abbey church, the plethora of other buildings on site and the meticulously tended grounds, Buckfast Abbey is a fitting tribute to a unique monastery and community.