Ethiopia is a land of hidden treasures, and among the greatest are its remote churches, whose richly decorated interiors amaze and astound with their vibrant colours and extraordinary illustration. Yet steeped in ancient legend, and often situated in remote locations, a true appreciation and understanding of these unique churches and their spectacular murals has been restricted to a select few. Now, in Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia, Maria-Jose Friedlander provides a unique guide to the churches, their architecture and decoration. Ranging from the rock-hewn churches of the Tigray region to the spectacular timber-built cave church of Yemrehane Krestos, Maria-Jose Friedlander provides detailed descriptions of the wonderful murals and of the stories behind them. Many of the wall paintings contain inscriptions in Ge'ez - the ancient language of Ethiopia - and full translations of these scripts are given. Detailed plans show the exact location of the paintings within the churches and the superb colour photographs by Bob Friedlander show the many aspects of the churches and their decoration in rich detail.

This church is one of the most widely recognized buildings in the United States. Since its original construction in the early nineteenth century, it has gone through many remodelings.

? Professor Rodwell is the foremost expert in church archaeology? Full color throughout over 240 color photographs?Churches are a hugely popular subject, with best selling titles such as Simon Jenkins England s Thousand Best ChurchesChurches are Britain s most completely surviving class of historic monument. They are also usually the oldest buildings within their settlements. As such, these structures, from parish churches to cathedral, from medieval to Georgian, are a huge architectural and archaeological resource.The last couple of decades have witnessed an unprecedented upsurge of public interest in the historic environment, and the growth of the tourism and heritage industries has focused new attention on churches. While some visitors to churches, cathedrals and monastic ruins seem content to wander around with little or no understanding of what they are looking at, many have an interest in learning about the history or usage of the building. How far does it go back? Where is the earliest part of the building? Warwick Rodwell discusses the archaeological techniques that can attempt to answer such questions. In this highly illustrated, informative guide, Professor Rodwell explores the buildings themselves, their component parts, from doorways to turrets, their sites, furnishings, fixtures and fittings, as well as churchyards and monuments.REVIEWS 'You will not regret purchasing (the book).'Cathedral City Guide"

Even in an age of soaring skyscrapers and cavernous sports stadiums, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence still retains a rare power to astonish. Yet the elegance of the building belies the tremendous labour, technical ingenuity and bitter personal strife involved in its creation. For over a century after work on the cathedral began in 1296, the proposed dome was regarded as all but impossible to build because of its enormous size. The greatest architectural puzzle of its age, when finally completed in 1436 the dome was hailed as one of the great wonders of the world. It has gone down in history as a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. This book tells the extraordinary story of how the cupola was raised and of the dome's architect, the brilliant and volatile Filippo Brunelleschi. Denounced as a madman at the start of his labours, he was celebrated at their end as a great genius. His life was one of ambition, ingenuity, rivalry and intrigue - a human drama set against the plagues, wars, political feuds and intellectual ferments of Renaissance Florence, the glorious era for which the dome remains the most compelling symbol. Brunelleschi's Dome was voted Non-Fiction Book of the Year by American Independent Booksellers.