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Shrines: Images of Italian Worship
Steven Rothfeld, the photographer for Frances Mayes’s bestseller Bringing Tuscany Home, has traveled the world collecting images of beauty, culture, and passion with his camera. He now focuses on an unusual and stirring art form in this stunning album of handcrafted shrines found throughout the Italian countryside.
Rothfeld turns his lens on a fascinating aspect of Italian culture, the age-old, popular art of building shrines in honor of the Virgin Mary and other saints. Created by average people as an expression of religious devotion, the shrines appear along ordinary roads in villages and cities, in the fields of farmers, and in the yards of simple cottages and homes. In Shrines , the full-color photographs of these ubiquitous, delicately crafted structures form a spiritual journey, bringing to life an ancient religious tradition that continues to thrive today. With a charming introduction and text by Frances Mayes, this visual tour of the surprising and graceful ways the divine touches and enriches everyday lives is perfect for admirers of sacred art, history buffs, those millions of Americans who travel to Italy, and everyone who dreams of going there.
Rothfeld turns his lens on a fascinating aspect of Italian culture, the age-old, popular art of building shrines in honor of the Virgin Mary and other saints. Created by average people as an expression of religious devotion, the shrines appear along ordinary roads in villages and cities, in the fields of farmers, and in the yards of simple cottages and homes. In Shrines , the full-color photographs of these ubiquitous, delicately crafted structures form a spiritual journey, bringing to life an ancient religious tradition that continues to thrive today. With a charming introduction and text by Frances Mayes, this visual tour of the surprising and graceful ways the divine touches and enriches everyday lives is perfect for admirers of sacred art, history buffs, those millions of Americans who travel to Italy, and everyone who dreams of going there.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2006
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 6, 2025
Another niche book, beautiful photographs. I didn't realize there were so many shrines all over Italy.
May 15, 2010
Whenever I'm in Italy I love spotting shrines to Mary along streets and roads. I was so excited to discover this book.
The cover photo looks terrific, but photos inside somehow lacked the wow factor. Some focused on the religious image alone. The photos would be improved by including the decorative architectural elements, the light, candles or flowers that adorn the image.
I also wanted more details about the shrines. Location information is limited to city/town, no street or neighborhood name. People who want to see the shrines in person would have difficulty finding them in large cities like Rome or Florence. I would love to know the stories behind the creation of these shrines.
I'm waiting for Paolo Lazzarin to work his magic on this subject. Or I'd happily take the photos if Italian locals would research and document the stories.
The cover photo looks terrific, but photos inside somehow lacked the wow factor. Some focused on the religious image alone. The photos would be improved by including the decorative architectural elements, the light, candles or flowers that adorn the image.
I also wanted more details about the shrines. Location information is limited to city/town, no street or neighborhood name. People who want to see the shrines in person would have difficulty finding them in large cities like Rome or Florence. I would love to know the stories behind the creation of these shrines.
I'm waiting for Paolo Lazzarin to work his magic on this subject. Or I'd happily take the photos if Italian locals would research and document the stories.
March 2, 2012
Seriously pretentious book
September 26, 2014
Beautiful...and I'm agnostic. Bought it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews