Great Monasteries of Europe

Great Monasteries of Europe

by Bernhard Schutz (Author)

Synopsis

This remarkable book is a comprehensive examination of the art and architecture of European monasteries, from early Carolingian examples in the eighth century to a modern structure by Le Corbusier in 1960, featuring an authoritative text and more than five hundred stunning, full-color photographs. 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.

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Quantity

18 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 491
Edition: illustrated edition
Publisher: Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.
Published: 26 Nov 2004

ISBN 10: 0789208296
ISBN 13: 9780789208293

Media Reviews
...[I]t's not the physical heft of the volume that packs the real punch here; it's the erudition and comprehensiveness of Schutz's text, combined with masterful documentary images from seven photographers...Great Monasteries of Europe is a scholarly work and it reads accordingly. But unlike monks, whose senses were to experience no pleasure but that which glorified God, the less tenacious readers among us can be shamelessly stimulated by the rich color plates that capture the magnificent and often moody spaces of another world. -- Shelter Interiors
Author Bio
Bernhard Schutz, 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 all leading photographers of works of art.