Great Monasteries of Europe FROM THE PUBLISHER
This remarkable volume is the most comprehensive examination to date
of the art and architecture of European monasteries, featuring an
authoritative text and more than five hundred stunning, full-color
photographs.
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.
AUTHOR DESCRIPTION
Bernhard Schütz, a renowned scholar of medieval and Baroque
architecture, is a professor of architectural history at the
University of Munich and the author of Great Cathedrals of Europe.
Henri Gaud, Joseph Martin, Florian Monheim, Antonio Quattrone, Ghigo
Roli, and Marco Schneiders are leading photographers of works of art.
Home
