This easily accessible volume, which grew out of a series of lectures presented at the Smithsonian Institution in 1991, aims to provide a coherent introduction to Byzantine culture with a focus on the interconnected realms of art and religion. The eight participants have revised their lectures into chapters on Byzantine history, theology, icons and icon theory, church architecture, monumental painting, silver church furnishings, illustrated liturgical books, and pilgrimage. In addition to presenting current research on this range of topics, the chapters each contribute original scholarship from authors who are recognized experts in their respective fields.

The Introduction, by Linda Safran, deals with views and definitions of Byzantium over the course of its long history and considers why that civilization deserves our attention today. It underscores the essential unifying role of the Orthodox religion in a vast and fluid empire and clarifies how the experiential aspects of that religion--churches, liturgy, church arts and imagery, religious travel--open a window into Byzantine culture. Throughout the book, the past is made vivid by considering what Byzantine believers heard and said and did, as well as what they saw.

The book's chapters are cross-referenced and are complemented both by endnotes that cite primary and secondary sources and by "Suggestions for Further Reading" that include English and foreign-language references. There is no comparable art history text that combines this high-caliber range of current scholarship with more than 250 illustrations, including 16 pages of color plates, to introduce Byzantine culture to a broad readership.

Contributors are Joseph Alchermes, Susan A. Boyd, Anna Kartsonis, Henry Maguire, Robert Ousterhout, Eric D. Perl, Nancy Patterson sevčenko, and Gary Vikan.

The Luxor Temple of Amun-Re, built to commemorate the divine power of the pharaohs, is one of the iconic monuments of New Kingdom Egypt. In the 4th century C.E., the Roman Imperial government, capitalizing on the site's earlier significance, converted the temple into a military camp and constructed a lavishly painted cult chamber dedicated to the four emperors of the Tetrarchy. These frescoes provide fascinating insight into the political landscape of the late Roman Empire and, as the only surviving wall paintings from the tetrarchic period, into the history of Roman art. The culmination of a groundbreaking conservation project, this volume brings together scholars across disciplines for a comprehensive look at the frescoes and their architectural, archaeological, and historical contexts. More than 150 stunning illustrations present the paintings for the first time in their newly conserved state, along with a selection of 19th-century documentary watercolors. This remarkable publication illustrates how physical context, iconography, and style were used to convey ideology throughout Rome's provinces. Published in association with the American Research Center in Egypt, Inc.

Text in English and German. The church rises to the challenge of providing a spiritual centre for Donau City, the new residential and commercial centre on the opposite bank of the Danube -- not as an act of coronation for the city in the sense of Taut's urban crown, as a temple or cathedral, but as miniature, as a demonstration of the power of the quiet as opposed to the loud, as an 'oasis in the diaspora', to use Karl Rahner's formulation about the parishes of the future. The building gives an impression of starkness: a hard cube, cut off at the corners, clad with sheets of black chromium steel. But it is only stark at first glance. A second glance shows that the hardness is a friendly hardness: because of the reflections that the material admits; because of the grid of the large-format sheets, to which the brightly gleaming drill-holes that cover the walls like fine gossamer respond; because of circular apertures that allow light to shine outwards after dark; because of large, rectangular windows in the receding corners that create a contrast with the closed quality of the building. Inside the starkness gives way altogether: a light space, which one comes into through an art-fully designed entrance. Originally a sparse covering for the space, which thrives mainly because of the light material -- birch wood -, because of the arrangement of the pews, which is as lively as it is peaceful -- segments of circles of different sizes, surrounding the dark syenite altar block in the form of an open circle -- and especially because of the wide range of circular light sources that render the introverted interior transparent, the large windows that create islands of light, the free-form aperture in the ceiling, which sends light gliding down on to the altar. Heinz Tesar's church continues a tradition of forward-looking modern church building, from Rudolf Schwarz's Fronleichnamskirche in Aachen via Egon Eiermann's Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche in Berlin, Franz Fueg's Piuskirche in Meggen on Lake Lucerne to the new Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Munich by Allmann, Sattler and Wappner; and alongside all this there is also the tradition of a genuinely Viennese development of this theme, from Otto Wagner's Kirche am Steinhof to Ottokar Uhl's parish church Katharina von Siena.

92-year-old Justo Gallego isn't an architect or a builder, nor has he received any training in construction at all. He couldn't even complete his basic education due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. Nevertheless, more than 40 years ago he decided to build a work he could offer to God and to this task he has since devoted his life. Bit by bit, almost on his own and using mainly recycled materials, he has erected a monumental cathedral in a field in Mejorada del Campo, Madrid. There are no blueprints or drawings or any official project. Everything is inside his head. He says he has taken his inspiration from books on cathedrals and castles, but, above all, from the Gospel. He also says he will continue working in it for as long as he lives.

Each volume includes all the necessary materials for the comprehensive study of a work of art: An illustration section showing the complete work of art, details, preliminary studies, and iconographic sources; An introductory essay by the editor; Documents and literary sources; Critical essays from the art-historical literature.

This book is about the Christ Pantokrator, an imposing monumental complex serving monastic, dynastic, medical and social purposes in Constantinople, founded by Emperor John II Komnenos and Empress Piroska-Eirene in 1118. Now called the Zeyrek Mosque, the second largest Byzantine religious edifice after Hagia Sophia still standing in Istanbul represents the most remarkable architectural and the most ambitious social project of the Komnenian dynasty. This volume approaches the Pantokrator from a special perspective, focusing on its co-founder, Empress Piroska-Eirene, the daughter of the Hungarian king Ladislaus I. This particular vantage point enables its authors to explore not only the architecture, the monastic and medical functions of the complex, but also Hungarian-Byzantine relations, the cultural and religious history of early medieval Hungary, imperial representation, personal faith and dynastic holiness. Piroska's wedding with John Komnenos came to be perceived as a union of East and West. The life of the Empress, a "sainted ruler," and her memory in early Arpadian Hungary and Komnenian Byzantium are discussed in the context of women and power, monastic foundations, architectural innovations, and spiritual models.

This single-volume resource provides sound, up-to-date information and authoritative resources for research on the controversial topics of the use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes and the effects of marijuana use on society. The use of marijuana has consistently been a highly controversial, polarizing, and emotional topic, so much so that social, cultural, and religious factors have largely influenced public opinion, legislation, and law enforcement's treatment of marijuana use. At the same time, much of the scientific information about the plant has largely been ignored in the policies and practices of the United States over the past 100 years. Marijuana: A Reference Handbook provides detailed coverage of the history and background of marijuana use in society, with special emphasis on the present day in the United States. It outlines the development of federal and state legislation with respect to marijuana use over the last century, focusing on changes that are taking place in the second decade of the 21st century, and examines the pros and cons of the use of marijuana for a variety of purposes. The book presents readers with unbiased, research-based information about the effects, benefits, and risks of marijuana use. Readers will also learn about the role of hemp across human history and about very recent legislative action on the use of marijuana for both recreational purposes and medical use. Provides readers with an in-depth understanding of the way in which marijuana has been treated in the nation's long-running "war on drugs" Presents arguments both for and against the use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes Offers a variety of resources that readers can use for further study of the subject Contains a chapter with selections from important documents in the history of marijuana use, including laws and court cases that deal with the substance and its use and abuse

An enduring monument of haunting beauty, the Taj Mahal seems a symbol of stability itself. The familiar view of the glowing marble mausoleum from the gateway entrance offers the very picture of permanence. And yet this extraordinary edifice presents a shifting image to observers across time and cultures. The meaning of the Taj Mahal, the perceptions and responses it prompts, ideas about the building and the history that shape them: these form the subject of Giles Tillotson's book. More than a richly illustrated history-though it is that as well-this book is an eloquent meditation on the place of the Taj Mahal in the cultural imagination of India and the wider world. Since its completion in 1648, the mausoleum commissioned by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, has come to symbolize many things: the undying love of a man for his wife, the perfection of Mughal architecture, the ideal synthesis of various strands of subcontinental aesthetics, even an icon of modern India itself. Exploring different perspectives brought to the magnificent structure-by a Mughal court poet, an English Romantic traveler, a colonial administrator, an architectural historian, or a contemporary Bollywood filmmaker-this book is an incomparable guide through the varied and changing ideas inspired by the Taj Mahal, from its construction to our day. In Tillotson's expert hands, the story of a seventeenth-century structure in the city of Agra reveals itself as a story about our own place and time.

'Rosslyn Chapel Revealed' offers the reader an increased understanding and respect for one of Europe's finest pre-Reformation buildings. Rosslyn Chapel, with its fountains in the world of nature, still points bravely to the heavens. That there is mystery of the esoteric Gnositc variety, available only to the initiated few. Instead, it is knowledge, accessible to all, of the dynamic intertwining of the created world with the impulse towards self-fulfilment. Rosslyn Chapel Revealed shows that the chapel is first and foremost a Christian building, constructed in the traditions of the pre-Reformation Church for the celebration in word, gesture and music of the Divine Office and of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ suffered on his cross for the salvation of the human race. The stunning beauty of the chapel, its unexpected delicacy and the uninhibited humour of its stone carvings, which have drawn visitors in such avid numbers from all over the world, are a tribute to the honesty and validity of the religious experience to be found within its ancient walls, in a breathtaking setting of valley and river that is older than time.

English summary: An important discovery for the history of Etruscan and Mediterranean architecture took place while excavating within the perimeter of the building of the "Winged Horses," which dates from the early fourth century BC. Scans targeted and conducted with the most up to date techniques have revealed that, within the foundations of the Temple of the "Winged Horses," there were foundations of two archaic temples of the sixth century BC, the second of which was erected during the reign of Servius Tullius and that of Tarquin the Proud. In the book, which is presented as a milestone in the building culture and the religious heritage of the Etruscans, we propose a rational reconstruction of the walls of the archaic temples in a heated debate with Vitruvius, whom in De Architectura defined the composition formulas of this particular kind of buildings. There are numerous connections with other Etruscan temples and the great architecture of Ancient Greece and Sicily.

Building the Italian Renaissance focuses on the competition to select a team to execute the final architectural challenge of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore--the erection of its dome. Although the model for the dome was widely known, the question of how this was to be accomplished was the great challenge of the age. This dome would be the largest ever built. This is foremost a technical challenge but it is also a philosophical one. The project takes place at an important time for Florence. The city is transitioning from a High Medieval world view into the new dynamics and ideas and will lead to the full flowering of what we know as the Renaissance. Thus the competition at the heart of this game plays out against the background of new ideas about citizenship, aesthetics, history (and its application to the present), and new technology. The central challenge is to expose players to complex and multifaceted situations and to individuals that animated life in Florence in the early 1400s. Humanism as a guiding philosophy is taking root and scholars are looking for ways to link the mercantile city to the glories of Rome and to the wisdom of the ancients across many fields. The aesthetics of the classical world (buildings, plastic arts and intellectual pursuits) inspired wonder, perhaps even envy, but the new approaches to the past by scholars such as Petrarch suggested that perhaps the creative classes are not simply crafts people, but men of ideas. Three teams compete for the honor to construct the dome, a project overseen by the Arte Della Lana (wool workers guild) and judged by them and a group of Florentine citizens who are merchants, aristocrats, learned men, and laborers. Their goal is to make the case for the building to live up to the ideals of Florence. The game gives students a chance to enter into the world of Florence in the early 1400s to develop an understanding of the challenges and complexity of such a major artistic and technical undertaking while providing an opportunity to grasp the interdisciplinary nature of major public works.

How religious institutions used landscapes and architecture to express their religious and social ideologies The Archaeology of Protestant Landscapes focuses on three religious institutions in the US South in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: St. Paul's Parish Church in coastal South Carolina, St. Luke's Episcopal Church in central Alabama, and Cane Hill College in Northwest Arkansas. Drawing from archaeological surveys and excavations, artifact analysis, archival research, geophysical testing, and architectural information on religious structures, Kimberly Pyszka offers case studies of these institutions, which were located in developing communities that varied socially, politically, and economically. Pyszka uses these case studies to demonstrate that select religious institutions used and modified natural landscape features to create cultural landscapes to express their ideology, identity, goals, and social, religious, and political power. She notes that where those structures were constructed, how they sat on the landscape, their architectural style, and their overall visual appearance were well-considered decisions made by religious leaders to benefit their organizations, communities, and, sometimes, themselves. Pyszka also uses these case studies to highlight the social roles that religious organizations played in the development of communities. She points to landscape decisions-specifically to how the architectural design of religious structures was used, intentionally or not, to unite people, often those of differing religious backgrounds-as contributing to the creation of a common identity among people living in new and still-growing settlements, aiding in community development. This book contributes to the growing body of work within historical archaeology on churches, churchyards, and cemeteries and to the increasing awareness among archaeologists of how these sites contribute to questions of identity, consumerism, trade, and colonialism.

An interdisciplinary study of one of the most important monuments in Islamic artThe Nasrid builders of the Alhambra the best-preserved medieval Muslim palatial city were so exacting that some of their work could not be fully explained until the invention of fractal geometry. Their design principles have been obscured, however, by the loss of all archival material. This book resolves that impasse by investigating the neglected, interdisciplinary contexts of medieval poetics and optics and through comparative study of Islamic court ceremonials. This reframing enables the reconstruction of the underlying, integrated aesthetic, focusing on the harmonious interrelationship between diverse artistic media architecture, poetry and textiles in the experience of the beholder, resulting in a new understanding of the Alhambra.Key FeaturesIllustrated in colour throughoutTakes an inter-medial approach integrating the study of poetic inscriptions, textiles and court ceremonial into the discussion of architectureInter-disciplinary, combining art history, optics and literary studiesCase studies explore specific, relatively neglected spaces within the AlhambraInformed by both medieval and contemporary theoryConsiders the most recent technical analyses to distinguish clearly original elements

From the great citadels of Caernarvon, Harlech, Powis and Beaumaris in the north, to the Victorian glories of Cardiff in the south, St David's cathedral ('the loveliest church in Wales') in the west to the exquisite little hill church of Patrishow in the east, from Plas Newydd above the Menai Straits to the romantic citadel of Carreg Cennan in the heart of the country, the buildings of Wales embody its history and are the equal of any in the British Isles. Simon Jenkins has travelled, it seems, every mile of the country to celebrate, and in some cases to find the very best of them, and irresistibly conveys in this book his enthusiasm for them. Cumulatively they amount to a cultural history of Wales by one of its most devoted sons. Anyone who is visiting Wales or who loves it will want to own this glorious book.

This volume examines periodic changes in color design in medieval churches during the 19th and 20th century. What thus catches the eye is the alternation of phases that brought forth sacred spaces with reduced color and even visible stone and such spaces that strove for colorfulness. The ideologies that stand behind this process are analyzed by considering exemplary restoration measures in individual church buildings against the backdrop of the respective self-conception of monument maintenance, but also more general societal notions. It is shown how much artistic design is inherent in the practice of preserving. Were the Middle Ages colorful? New perspectives on the history of monument maintenance Consideration, for instance, of the Bremen Cathedral, St. Jacobi in Goettingen, and St. Patrokli in Soest

Churches and cathedrals play an essential part in our heritage. As community-centred places of worship and as important tourist attractions, they are visited by millions of people every year. But churches were originally built to be read, and so they are packed with images, symbols and meanings that often need explanation for visitors. How to Read a Church is a lively and fascinating guide to what a visitor to a church is likely to find there and how to interpret the common images and meanings in church art and architecture. It will explain how to identify people, scenes, details and their significance, and will explore the symbolism of different animals, plants, colours, numbers and letters - and what this all means. It will be an essential guide for anyone who has ever visited / is visiting a church or cathedral, and for those who want to know more about these incredible buildings and the art they contain.