Architecture: religious buildings Books

Book SynopsisEvoking the rich beauty of California''s mission heritage in lush watercolours and insightful prose, this beautifully illustrated exploration follows the gorgeous path of El Camino Real, stretching from the San Joaquin and Salinas Valleys, through the rugged coastlines of Monterey and San Francisco, and inland to Sonoma. Delving into the enduring architectural, artistic, and cultural history of the Golden State, this study reveals founding hero Father Junipero Serra''s pioneering labours, the conquest of the land''s agricultural wealth, and California''s painful transfers from the Indians to Spain, Mexico, and the United States. Remembering the labours of the early Spanish priests and Native Americans, this treasury of captivating artistry celebrates and preserves the masterworks of the state''s founding era.

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Book SynopsisThis book, a collaboration between the Victoria and Albert Museum and the University of Westminster, captures the British mosque at a pivotal moment in its history. There are 1,800 mosques in the UK today mostly converted from terraced houses, libraries, cinemas and supermarkets. Now, these improvised spaces are beginning to disappear, as Muslim communities replace them with purpose-built structures. This timely exploration of the British mosque reveals how ad-hoc adaptations have evolved into a uniquely British-Islamic architecture, tracing its development through waves of twentieth-century migration, and further back to the Orientalist visions of Victorian collectors. Born out of two projects at the Venice Architecture Biennale and the V&A, British Mosques brings together perspectives from curators, architects and artists. Using approaches ranging from archival study to site-specific installations and 3D scanning, together they tell the story of a hybrid architecture that has quietly found its place in Britain's urban landscape. British Mosques is co-published by Foolscap Editions and the V&A.

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Book SynopsisOver 3,000 churches were built in Poland between 1945 and 1989, despite the socialist state’s hostility towards religion. We call this Day-VII Architecture. Built by parishioners from scavenged or pinched materials, the churches were at once an expression of faith and a form of anti-government protest. Their fantastic designs broke with the state’s rigid urbanism. Neither legal nor prohibited, the construction of churches during this period engaged the most talented architects and craftspeople, who in turn enabled parish communities to build their own houses of worship. These community projects eventually became crucial sites for the democratization of Poland. Unearthing the history of these churches through photography and interviews with their designers, this publication sheds new light on the architectural dimension of Poland’s trans­formation from state socialism to capitalism.

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Book SynopsisText in English and German. The church rises to the challenge of providing a spiritual centre for Donau City, the new residential and commercial centre on the opposite bank of the Danube -- not as an act of coronation for the city in the sense of Taut's urban crown, as a temple or cathedral, but as miniature, as a demonstration of the power of the quiet as opposed to the loud, as an 'oasis in the diaspora', to use Karl Rahner's formulation about the parishes of the future. The building gives an impression of starkness: a hard cube, cut off at the corners, clad with sheets of black chromium steel. But it is only stark at first glance. A second glance shows that the hardness is a friendly hardness: because of the reflections that the material admits; because of the grid of the large-format sheets, to which the brightly gleaming drill-holes that cover the walls like fine gossamer respond; because of circular apertures that allow light to shine outwards after dark; because of large, rectangular windows in the receding corners that create a contrast with the closed quality of the building. Inside the starkness gives way altogether: a light space, which one comes into through an art-fully designed entrance. Originally a sparse covering for the space, which thrives mainly because of the light material -- birch wood -, because of the arrangement of the pews, which is as lively as it is peaceful -- segments of circles of different sizes, surrounding the dark syenite altar block in the form of an open circle -- and especially because of the wide range of circular light sources that render the introverted interior transparent, the large windows that create islands of light, the free-form aperture in the ceiling, which sends light gliding down on to the altar. Heinz Tesar's church continues a tradition of forward-looking modern church building, from Rudolf Schwarz's Fronleichnamskirche in Aachen via Egon Eiermann's Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche in Berlin, Franz Fueg's Piuskirche in Meggen on Lake Lucerne to the new Herz-Jesu-Kirche in Munich by Allmann, Sattler and Wappner; and alongside all this there is also the tradition of a genuinely Viennese development of this theme, from Otto Wagner's Kirche am Steinhof to Ottokar Uhl's parish church Katharina von Siena.

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Book SynopsisCovers the splendid temples of Himachal along with the beautiful sculptures and paintings that represent this spiritual architecture. This book is comprehensively expounded, and covers various aspects of the temples, such as architecture, art, culture, and religious rites.

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Book SynopsisThe book focuses on the influences of Indian temple architecture on the Khmer temple architecture of Cambodia with a method to study temple architecture holistically. There is a systematic transmission of knowledge from India to Cambodia which has developed a new style of temple architecture in that region. The Dravidian temple architecture influenced Khmer temple architecture of Cambodia beyond the physical form of the temple. The book includes the detailed study from regional level to the temple architecture level so that the influences, either direct or indirect, could be comprehended. Another important aspect of this book is to appreciate Indian temple architecture holistically. It is observed that the focus of major studies in temple architecture are based on the Western approach where it is based only on the physical appearance of the temple.

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Book SynopsisIn Nepal, most damaged monuments were rebuilt rather than repaired. Even repairable monuments were rebuilt due to the Nepal Governmentâs Procurement Act which makes it more complicated to do repairs by working directly with skilled local artisans rather than rebuilding with contractors.

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Book SynopsisOf some 83 Buddhist monasteries in the old city, only three preserve their historical shape without modern encroachments. That the ownership of this monastery is still controlled by the sangha, the monastic community of elders, makes it one of the very few monuments in the city where interventions are even possible.

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Book SynopsisPrevious publications include Tiered Temples of Nepal (1988), The Ancient Settlements of the Kathmandu Valley (2001), The Brick and the Bull â An account of Handigaun, the ancient capital of Nepal (2002) and Temples of the Nepal Valley (2009).

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Book SynopsisThe social sciences have mostly ignored the role of physical buildings in shaping the social fabric of communities and groups. Although the emerging field of the sociology of architecture has started to pay attention to physical structures, Brenneman and Miller are the first to combine the light of sociological theory and the empirical method in order to understand the impact of physical structures on religious groups that build, transform, and maintain them. Religious buildings not only reflect the groups that build them or use them; these physical structures actually shape and change those who gather and worship there.Religious buildings are all around us. From Wall Street to Main Street, from sublime and historic cathedrals to humble converted storefronts, these buildings shape the global religious landscape, building faith among those who worship in them while providing a testament to the shape and duration of the faith of those who built them and those who maintain them. Building Trade ReviewThe book develops interaction ritual chains in a novel way and provides an assortment of future research directions, both in the United States and internationally. * Rory Jones, Review of Religious Research *This book demonstrates the relevance of studying religious buildings from a sociological perspective ... the proliferation of described observations offers the reader a wealth of leads to initiate new research into the social impact of religious buildings. * Anneke Pons-de Wit, Sociology of Religion *An engaging preliminary consideration of the sociology of religious buildings. * J.H. Rubin, emeritus, University of Saint Joseph, CHOICE *Too long ignored, religious buildings shape - in ever-changing ways * the groups that worship in them and the communities that surround them. Brenneman and Miller show us why and how that matters, with examples that range from simple Guatemalan pentecostal structures to mosques in Vermont. In lively fashion, this book expands our understanding of how religion works.Nancy T. Ammerman, author of Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life *Whether church, mosque, or temple, Brenneman and Miller guide readers to see religious architecture as more than private devotional spaces. These public spaces structure individual and collective behavior, providing an infrastructure that shapes and re-shapes social life — even as the buildings themselves are innovatively re-shaped over time. A necessary read that resources a much-needed focus on the material basis of religion. * Gerardo Martí, co-author of The Glass Church: Robert H. Schuller, the Crystal Cathedral, and the Strain of Megachurch Ministry *Is it true that a church is not the building but the people? If so, why do congregations invest so much time and money in their places of worship and have such strong opinions about them? Brenneman and Miller demonstrate that religious buildings continue to matter today. They need to be taken seriously by their congregations and by society at large. * Duncan Stroik, architect and author of The Church Building as a Sacred Place *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: What Religious Buildings Do Chapter 3: Ours till Jesus Comes Chapter 4: Religious Buildings Need Not Apply Chapter 5: Architects, Community, and Transcendence Chapter 6 : Space Bending When Matter Matters Chapter 7: Aging in Place over Eight Decades Chapter 8: Conclusion Bibliography Index Notes

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Book SynopsisFor nearly eighteen centuries, two fundamental spatial plans dominated Christian architecture: the basilica and the central plan. In the 1880s, however, profound socio-economic and technological changes in the United States contributed to the rejection of these traditions and the development of a radically new worship building, the auditorium church. When Church Became Theatre focuses on this radical shift in evangelical Protestant architecture and links it to changes in worship style and religious mission. The auditorium style, featuring a prominent stage from which rows of pews radiated up a sloping floor, was derived directly from the theatre, an unusual source for religious architecture but one with a similar goal-to gather large groups within range of a speaker''s voice. Theatrical elements were prominent; many featured proscenium arches, marquee lighting, theatre seats, and even opera boxes. Examining these churches and the discussions surrounding their development, Jeanne HalgrTrade Review"Kilde's careful and thorough research in published and unpublished congregational denomnational , and architectural records successfully engages architectural history, religious studies, and social and cultural history, and this book will be beneficial to scholars in many disciplines."-- The Journal of Religion"Jeanne Halgren Kilde's impressive new book is a Rosetta stone for an udervalued genre of American ecclesiastical architecture. Kilde's work adds complexity to our understanding of both American religious architecture and American religious history."-- Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians"When Church Became Theatre expands, synthesizes, and enriches the narrative of both American religious history and American architectural history, which will enlighten professional and amateur scholars alike."-- Religious Studies Review"Reading architectural space is a highly rewarding enterprise, and one stands in awe of the author's ability to explore nonwritten texts so creatively. By skillfully chronicling the movement from one church type to another and linking this transformation to the social and cultural concerns of American evangelism, this book not only enriches our understanding of American religious history but also brings what was peripheral to center stage, illuminating old questions and opening up new ones."--Worship"Wonderfully insightful By the book's end, Kilde has enlightened us not only about architecture and interior design, but also about liturgical practice, music, theology, class, gender, power, technology, and the rise of consumer culture. It is hard to convey, in a short review, just how rich this book is." -- Journal of Presbyterian History"Jeanne Kilde's study of auditorium churches is a major contribution to the growing literature on 'reading' religious architecture as an important tool for discerning the significance of the material culture of religion in understanding broader themes in the religious, social, and cultural history of the United States."--Peter W. Williams, Miami University"This original and impressive book demonstrates how relevant the history of religious architecture can be for the study of American history. Jeanne Kilde's careful attention to the lived religion of worship spaces as well as to the cultural politics of space greatly advances the understanding of church architecture in the nineteenth century."--David Morgan, Valparaiso University"This is a very significant book for at least three disciplines: architectural history, church history, and liturgical studies....Kilde shows how changing concepts about the function of worship produced major changes in the design of church buildings, a process which has continued to the present. In so doing, she explains much of the ecclesiastical landscape of America."--James F. White, Drew University

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Book SynopsisJeanne Halgren Kildes survey of church architecture is unlike any other. Her main concern is not the buildings themselves, but rather the dynamic character of Christianity and how church buildings shape and influence the religion. Kilde argues that a primary function of church buildings is to represent and reify three different types of power: divine power, or ideas about God; personal empowerment as manifested in the individuals perceived relationship to the divine; and social power, meaning the relationships between groups such as clergy and laity. Each type intersects with notions of Christian creed, cult, and code, and is represented spatially and materially in church buildings. Kilde explores these categories chronologically, from the early church to the twentieth century. She considers the form, organization, and use of worship rooms; the location of churches; and the interaction between churches and the wider culture. Church buildings have been integral to Christianity, and KildTrade ReviewJeanne Halgren Kilde's Sacred Power, Sacred Space not only illuminates the intersection of power and space in Christianity, but it also reveals how historical movements and worship practices are revealed in a sacred space. * Julie Durbin, Geneva College, Global Forum on Arts and Christian Faith *...raising the question of power and ideology in relation to church architecture is worthwhile and provides plenty of ground for discussion. * Tim Gorringe, International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church *Table of Contents1. A Method for Thinking About Power Dynamics in Christian Space ; 2. Early Christian Meeting Space in the Roman Empire ; 3. Imperial Power in Constantinian and Byzantine Churches ; 4. From Abbey to Great Church, Fortress to Heavenly City ; 5. Transformations of the Renaissance and Reformation ; 6. Formalism and Non- or Anti-Formalism in Worship and Architecture ; 7. Historicism, Modernism, and Space ; 8. Concluding Observations

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Book SynopsisThinking about church architecture has come to an impasse. Reformers and traditionalists are talking past each other. In Theology in Stone, Richard Kieckhefer seeks to help both sides move beyond the standoff toward a fruitful conversation about houses of worship. Drawing on a wide range of historical examples with an eye to their contemporary relevance, he offers refreshing new ideas about the meanings and uses of church architecture.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1: The First Factor: Spatial Dynamics 2: The Second Factor: Centering Focus 3: The Third Factor: Aesthetic Impact 4: The Fourth Factor: Symbolic Resonance 5: Late Medieval Beverley: Traditional Churches in a Traditional Culture 6: Chicago: Traditional Churches in a Modern Culture 7: Rudolph Schwartz: Modern Churches in a Modern Culture 8: Issues in Church Architecture Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThis remarkable book is the crowning achievement of the great scholar of Hinduism, D. Dennis Hudson. Although Hudson died without completing it, the work has been edited and brought to fruition by editor Margaret Case. The book is a finely detailed study of a renowned Tamil Hindu temple, the Vaikuntha Perumal (ca. 770 C.E.). Hudson uses this temple as an illustration of one major current and historical stage in South Indian Vaisnava religion. He offers a sustained reading of the temple as a coherent, organized, minutely conceptualized mandala, whose code can be cracked by close analysis of the temple iconography and structure, in the light of major literary and religious texts. Hudson takes the reader step by step on a tour of the temple, moving from the bottom level up, from one sculpted panel to the next. His primary thesis is that the temple itself constitutes a summa theologica for the Bhagavata tradition centered on Krishna as it had developed through the eighth century-by which time this tradition was already at least a thousand years old and had spread widely across South Asia and into Southeast Asia. He argues that, through its full expression of the theology and religious practices of this tradition, the temple offers a crucial hermeneutical key for understanding other temples and texts of the Bhagavata religion.Trade ReviewDennis Hudson's multidimensional 'decoding' of the 'Emperor's Palace' temple of Lord Vishnu in Kanchipuram is remarkable. He enables us to visualize a three-dimensional vision of God and God's cosmic body in which the central square of the temple symbolizes horizontally a cosmic day and night, and the four levels represent vertically God's transformations in creation and redemption... Dennis Hudson's crowning achievement, almost completed before his death, has been skillfully edited by Margaret Case. It is a gift to his many friends and to all readers who seek a deeper level of understanding of a central Hindu tradition of theology and worship. * John B. Carman, author of The Theology of Ramanuja: An Essay in Interreligious Understanding and Majesty and Meekness: A Comparative Study of Contrast and Harmony in the Concept of God *Table of ContentsEditor's Note: Margaret H. Case ; List of Illustrations ; Abbreviations ; Introduction: The Discovery ; Part I: The Approach to the Vishnu-house ; 1. The Significance of the Temple ; 2. Six Concepts ; 3. The Poem ; 4. The Emperor's Career Portrayed on the Prakara Wall ; Part II The Secret Dimension of the Vishnu-house ; 5. The Temple Mandala and the Bottom-Floor Sanctum ; 6. The Middle-Floor Sanctum: The Sculpted Program of the Northern Path ; 7. Northern Panels of the Northern Path: Transforming Power ; 8. Northern Panels of the Northern Path: Fortifying Omniscience ; 9. The Middle-Floor Sanctum: The Sculpted Program of the Southern Path ; 10. The Southern Panels of the Southern Path: "The Path of the Southern Doctrine" ; Part III The Public Dimension of the Vishnu-house ; 11. The Vimana Panels on the Western Side ; 12. The Panels on the Ardhamandapa or Porch ; 13. The Vimana Panels on the Northern Side ; 14. The Vimana Panels on the Eastern Side ; Appendix 1. Who Are the Bhagavatas? ; Appendix 2. Vasudeva's Path in the Satvata-samhita ; Appendix 3. Prithu, the People's Indra ; Appendix 4. Mantras in the Jayakhya-samhita ; Appendix 5. Periya Tirumoli 2.9 ; Notes ; Glossary ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn the late fifteenth century the newly built Sistine Chapel was home to a vigorous culture of musical composition and performance. Josquin des Prez stood at its center, singing and composing for the pope''s private choir. Josquin''s Rome offers a new reading of the composer''s work in light of the repertory he and his fellow papal singers performed from the chapel''s singers'' box. Comprising the single largest surviving corpus of late fifteenth-century sacred music, these pieces served as a backdrop for elaborately choreographed liturgical ceremonies--a sonic analogue to the frescoes by Botticelli, Perugino, and their contemporaries that adorn the chapel''s walls. Author Jesse Rodin uses a comparative approach to uncover this aesthetically and intellectually rich musical tradition. He confronts longstanding problems concerning the authenticity and chronology of Josquin''s music while offering nuanced readings of scandalously understudied works by the composer''s contemporaries. The bTrade Review[Rodin] sets out to demonstrate via analytical means the inventiveness, versatility and ultimately the genius of Josquin's compositional activity during his Roman years. Regardless of whether one shares Rodin's aesthetic judgements, this is where the importance and indeed greatness of this book lies. The analysis of music around 1500 is not a terribly well-tilled field, and the depth as well as breadth of the author's insights into how this music works melodically, contrapuntally, mensurally and structurally is nothing short of breath-taking. * Early Music *A masterful and musically insightful exposition of the music of Josquin's early maturity and that of a generation of composers that changed the course of European music. Rodin's writing invites comparison with that of the best music writers of the last century, Cone, Pirrotta, or Tovey. * Alejandro Enrique Planchart, Emeritus Professor of Music, University of California, Santa Barbara *Josquin's Rome vividly recreates the artistic world of a great composer at a key point in his career, shedding new light on both the title figure and some notable colleagues. No one interested in Renaissance music should miss this book."-Joshua Rifkin, Director, The Bach Ensemble; Professor of Music and Fellow of the University Professors, Boston UniversityA book that lovers of Josquin should not miss. Given the momentousness of Josquin's work and ways in which it changed the direction of Western music, it'll be useful and welcome for music lovers more generally. For a comparative approach which successfully encapsulates one crucial essence of the Renaissance, it has wider appeal still. * Classical.net *Rodin's approach has considerable merit and allows us to see, and to hear, Josquin in a refreshingly new light. He does so with a readable writing style, a generous helping of tables...and almost 90 musical examples. A feature that adds immeasurably to the value and usefulness of the book is that companion recordings of many of the works discussed in the text can be accessed on a dedicated companion website (username and password provided in the book). * Early Music America *

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