Description
Book SynopsisLondon has a unique series of churches built after the Great Fire of 1666, when most of the City of London was destroyed. Among these iconic churches are St Paul's, St Mary-le-Bow, St Bride's, St Clement Danes, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Mary-le-Strand, St George Bloomsbury and Christ Church Spitalfields. They remain today as outstanding landmarks that define their local cityscapes. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and his followers - Hawksmoor, Gibbs, Archer and James - these beautiful churches embody spiritual principles expressed through the conventions of Classical architecture. Underlying their outward, visible forms is sacred geometry, an ancient art that explores the invisible inner structure of the Cosmos and gives expression to it in physical form. In this book, Nigel Pennick explains the sacred geometry, spiritual symbols and emblems that make these churches among the most notable buildings of London.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
1. Legend, Precepts and Principles
2. Spiritual Principles: Place, Times and Form
3. Number, Measure and Harmony
4. The Sacred Art of Geometry in Action
5. Practical Geometry Techniques
6. Symbols and Emblemata
7. Towers and Steeples
8. Masterworks of a Superior Order
Postscript
Bibliography
Appendix 1: Glossary of technical terms
Appendix 2: A chronology of London classical church building
Appendix 3: London multi-stage steeples completion dates
