Cathedrals

by Robin S. Oggins

Strictly speaking, a cathedral is the seat of a bishop---his headquarters, the church from which he oversees his flock. These churches are generally beautiful and imposing, designed as monuments to the greater glory of God. But cathedrals are important for spiritual and hierarchical reasons, but also because of their architecture---throughout the ages, cathedral architecture has inspired many architects and builders of all kinds of structures, from business and government buildings to homes. Cathedrals celebrates these wonderful buildings and takes the reader on a tour through their history, explaining how they evolved and why they took the forms that they did.In Cathedrals, medieval historian Robin S. Oggins discusses the history and evolution of the cathedral, from the early Christian era and Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in the fourth century through the Reformation, when Protestants damaged or destroyed many of the cathedrals in Europe, and up to the twentieth century, when many cathedrals were rebuilt following World War II. This stunning book is a pictorial history of cathedrals all over the world, from Turkey to Sweden and from Africa to New York City.Each chapter opens with an introduction that places the featured cathedrals in their social and historical context, and each photograph is accompanied by an extended caption discussing the high-lighted cathedral's architectural and historical significance.with spectacular photographs and an engaging and informative text, Cathedrals is not only a beautiful picture book, but also a fascinating exploration of this influential architectural wonder.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture

120 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 1997

Reviews

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful photography and basic background and history.

[Michael Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having recently re-read Follett’s Pillars of the Earth, I’ve been reacquainting myself with the details of medieval cathedral-building. Being an historian, but not an architect, I’ve been interested especially in heavily pictorial volumes, and this is a pretty good one, by a British academic specialist in medieval architecture. Following two informative chapters on the ecclesiastical evolution of the cathedral and the construction process, the main body of the book is geographical in organization: the British Isles, French and Spanish-speaking Europe, the Germanic countries, a whole chapter on Italy, and a closing chapter on non-European cathedrals. The volume is oversized so most of the high-quality photos show plenty of detail, both exterior and interior. Etchings and engineering drawings are scattered throughout, as are quotations from monastic contemporaries. I especially like being able to turn pages and compare one west front to another, one sanctuary to another, and note the evolution of styles. And even though this is mostly a “picture book,” there’s a great deal of useful text.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a university professor, Robin Oggins always illustrated his lectures with slides and photographs of the many places he discussed. More of these photos are in line with his lectures than his other book on castles. Professor Oggins clearly has more interest in cathedrals. The organization and limited discussions were good.