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IT -- a question on church architecture
Topic Started: Apr 5 2010, 03:55 PM (390 Views)
RosemaryTwo
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HOLY CARP!!!
As I mentioned in a few posts, I recently got back from a trip to Paris and London.

It was a great trip -- we took the boys and they were real heros with all the travel. Lots of sightseeing, eating and family adventures.

Blah blah blah.

To the point -- I love visiting all the churches. I always have. But my knowledge on church architecture is just remnants from some high school courses. Can you recommend a good book on church architecture for a lay person?

Thanks.

"Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua
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musicasacra
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Other than his book? ^_^

Sounds like an awesome trip! Post a few pics when you can.

Which reminds me, I still haven't posted our Spain trip photos.
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sue
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RosemaryTwo
Apr 5 2010, 03:55 PM
To the point -- I love visiting all the churches. I always have. But my knowledge on church architecture is just remnants from some high school courses. Can you recommend a good book on church architecture for a lay person?



+1 I'd love to have something like that also.
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RosemaryTwo
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MS -- I knew he wrote a book, but figured it was maybe not for the lay person?
"Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua
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The 89th Key
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Just like his posts. ^_^
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Dewey
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Well, it *is* a bit deep and wordy - but what else would you expect from IT? ^_^

Actually, it's very good. It's one of the few non-purely theological books I keep here in the "pastor's library." In fact, I can almost reach it from where I'm sitting right now.

I did see one not too long ago that I thought wasn't too bad, and was a bit less in-depth and academic than IT's book, called "How to Read a Church: A Guide to Symbols and Images in Churches and Cathedrals." I just noticed it's available at amazon.

"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685.

"Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous

"Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011

I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14
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RosemaryTwo
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Sounds interesting, Dewey. I will check that one out, too.

FWIW, my husband also wrote a book and there is a good chance it is in Quirt's library, but no one else's. Pretty obscure. But he mentions me in it. :whome:
"Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua
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ivorythumper
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That is actually a difficult question to answer since, given the immense size of the field, books on church architecture tend be specialized toward era or location, or specific architects, or historical studies, or specialty questions, or theories of sacred architecture.

One that is a bit academic but written for the educated layperson is Joseph Rykwert's "Church Building" from 1965. Copies are available on Bookfinder.com and abebooks.com. He has an encyclopedic mind and is perhaps the most important architectural historian out there. Is is a small unillustrated book -130 pages -- and gives a great overview up to the 60s.

The book Dewey mentioned -- How to Read a Church -- is a handy guide to the sorts of things you'll find in your travels.

Another good and informative book is "Guided by a Stone-Mason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled" by Thomas Maude. Though localized to the UK, the information is applicable across European medieval architecture, and since the Middle Ages embodied a lot of architectural ideas going back to early Christianity and the Romanesque age, and the Renaissance and Baroque also continued a lot of the basic structure of church architecture though in different styles, it is a very good primer on church architecture in general.

My own book, Architecture in Communion, was written for the educated layperson, but specifically architects who don't understand theology or Catholicism, priests who don't understand architecture or art history, and lay people who might be on a building committee who need a grasp of the broad topic. But it only deals with Catholic questions.
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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RosemaryTwo
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Lots of interesting options, thank you. I will see which of them I can pull from Pittsburgh's library system.

I am not Catholic, but the churches (except those in my immediate vicinity, which are, ahem, awful) could convince me to convert. I could sit in churches for hours.


"Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua
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AndyD
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You might try this one, Churches and Cathedrals...Leacroft, which I keep as an easy to read reference work:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001A7DP7M/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all

(I've owned others on the subject but rarely used them, too detailed, too wordy, gave them to charity)

Regards

Andy

Every morning the soul is once again as good as new, and again one offers it to one's brothers & sisters in life.

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big al
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Give us a review on whichever you read in the "What are you reading now?" thread, please.

Big Al
Location: Western PA

"jesu, der simcha fun der man's farlangen."
-bachophile
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OperaTenor
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On my first choir tour in England, I picked up a book titled, Inside Churches: A Guide to Church Furnishings. It listed architectural details and history, and every device, symbol and article of clothing used in Christian churches over the centuries.

I just googled the title, and it seems to be out of print. If you can ever find a copy, I highly recommend it.

I love talking about Norman and Gothic architecture. On the trip referenced above, we spent a week as choir in residence at Peterborough Cathedral, the largest remaining Norman cathedral in England. In walking around the cemetery outside the church, we came across a lone flying buttress, which was completely out of place and time for the church. It turned out the buttress was erected in 1921 to shore up the sagging wall where the Lady Chapel had been dismantled to pay off Henry VIII's commissioners.

Is that not cool or what? :D
Edited by OperaTenor, Apr 6 2010, 08:19 AM.


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OperaTenor
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.
Edited by OperaTenor, Apr 6 2010, 08:19 AM.


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sue
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Quote:
 
"Guided by a Stone-Mason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled" by Thomas Maude
thanks, IT. This gets some good reviews, esp. as an introductory book.

The book Andy mentioned doesn't seem readily available here, but maybe through abebooks. I found titles to several other books the author has written though. Sounds like she knows her history!

On a slightly different note, I ran across this title, which looks like something I could use. Has anyone had a look at it?
Posted Image
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Luke's Dad
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sue
Apr 6 2010, 08:24 AM
Quote:
 
"Guided by a Stone-Mason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled" by Thomas Maude
thanks, IT. This gets some good reviews, esp. as an introductory book.

The book Andy mentioned doesn't seem readily available here, but maybe through abebooks. I found titles to several other books the author has written though. Sounds like she knows her history!

On a slightly different note, I ran across this title, which looks like something I could use. Has anyone had a look at it?
Posted Image
I seem to recall somebody mentioning it way back when.
The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it.
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sue
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:wave: Thanks :redface:
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AndyD
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When I posted the link to the Leacroft book it showed one copy for sale at $2.50 + postage. Someone snapped it up.
Every morning the soul is once again as good as new, and again one offers it to one's brothers & sisters in life.

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sue
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AndyD
Apr 6 2010, 10:38 AM
When I posted the link to the Leacroft book it showed one copy for sale at $2.50 + postage. Someone snapped it up.
I checked the .ca site, they have one used copy for $37.

Guess I'll do some library hunting. :)
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big al
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AndyD
Apr 6 2010, 10:38 AM
When I posted the link to the Leacroft book it showed one copy for sale at $2.50 + postage. Someone snapped it up.
That would be me. Your recommendation and the price made it irresistable.

Big Al
Location: Western PA

"jesu, der simcha fun der man's farlangen."
-bachophile
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AndyD
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You'll henceforth be known as fast al :D

It's an easy read with excellent greyscale drawings, 48pp with drawings taking up half the space, layman's ideal.

Incidentally, mine's been hard-backed by a library bindery, dates from 1972, and is described as the 'enlarged and revised edition', Lutterworth Press, so I'm wondering what you'll get for $2.50. It was also published by Puffin. Sorry, this is the professional librarian thinking out loud...book prices are very low and bargains are to be had.


Regards
Every morning the soul is once again as good as new, and again one offers it to one's brothers & sisters in life.

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