Cathedrals of Europe / Anne Prache.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Prache, Anne.

Standardized Title:

Cathédrales d'Europe. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Cathedrals.

Architecture, Medieval.

Physical Description:

279 pages : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, N.Y. : Cornell University Press, 2000.

Summary:

The great Medieval cathedrals are among the most remarkable monuments of that era. The noted art historian Anne Prache takes us on an amazing journey through the Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals still at the heart of ancient European cities, exploring the awe-inspiring buildings and the great riches they contain.

Cathedrals of Europe stands out among other volumes on the subject in several key ways. Most of its stunning photographs are new, taken especially for this book; the pictures are combined with text that is both authoritative and extremely readable. Rather than concentrating only on such familiar monuments as Notre Dame and Chartres, the author covers many of the more obscure and less frequently visited cathedrals from Italy to Scandinavia, Poland to Portugal.

Prache surveys the history of church building from its humble beginnings in Late Antiquity through the construction of such masterworks of the Gothic style as Reims, Strasbourg, and Wells. Throughout, she remainds us that these magnificent expressions of faith also reflected their builders' hopes and fears, technical expertise, political views, and the ever-changing economic and social realities with which they had to contend.

The works of art that adorn the cathedrals -- sculptures, paintings, mosaics, stained glass, furniture, and more -- receive particular attention. Study of these aspects, Prache says, provides an "understanding of the aspirations, sufferings, fears, and faith of generations long removed in time."

Contents:

1 From the church of Antiquity to the Medieval Cathedral 11

The Fourth Century: The First Churches 12

The Cathedral in the High Middle Ages 20

Historical background 21

Art and architecture 22

The Carolingian Cathedral 30

Historical background 31

Art and architecture 33

Decoration, furnishings and treasures 35

2 Ottonian and Romanesque cathedrals 47

Historical Background 48

Cathedrals of the Ottonian Era 52

Art and architecture 53

Furnishings and works of art 57

Treasures and illuminated manuscripts 61

Manuscript illumination outside the Empire 67

Romanesque Cathedrals 74

Architecture 75

The cathedrals of Central Europe and Scandinavia 83

The cathedrals of Italy and Sicily 89

The cathedrals of Spain and Portugal 108

The cathedrals of France and Belgium 111

English cathedrals 116

Decoration, furnishings and treasures 121

3 Cathedrals of the Gothic Age 143

Historical Background 144

The late twelfth and the thirteenth century 145

The crisis of the fourteenth century 148

The end of the Middle Ages 148

The First Gothic Cathedrals 150

The art of building 151

Twelfth-century Gothic cathedrals 157

French cathedrals of the thirteenth century 166

The spread of the Gothic cathedral 187

Cathedrals of the Late Middle Ages 216

Cathedrals of England 217

Cathedrals of Central Europe 223

Cathedrals of Italy 233

Cathedrals of France 237

Cathedrals of Spain 240

Decorations and furnishings 247

Iluminated Liturgical Manuscripts 40

Polychrome Decoration: Paving and Interiors 70

Cathedral Cloisters: Havens of Tranquility 139

Sculpted Doorways 211

The Coloured Light of Stained Glass Windows 257.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-269) and index.

ISBN:

0801437814

OCLC:

43810679