Building the Great Cathedrals [Hardcover]

François Icher (Author), Anthony Zielonka (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

A detailed and lively account of the great European cathedrals of the 11th to the 16th centuries, this illustrated volume tells how those at Chartres, Strasbourg, Milan and elsewhere came to be built. Francois Icher explains how bishops and wealthy patrons funded these projects and chose the architects and master builders, and how teams of craftsmen were assembled and brought to the site. Working conditions, daily schedules, contracts, the apprentice system and specific jobs performed by stone-cutters, masons, sculptors, roofers and makers of stained glass are all described and set in historical and economic context.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The great European cathedrals continue to amaze and delight visitors. With their lacy stonework and the sparkling tracery of their stained glass windows, few structures have been able to hold in thrall their onlookers for so many centuries. In this extensively illustrated work, Icher, a specialist in the history of guilds and European craftsmen associations, traces the origins of the cathedral as an ecclesiastical structure, the elements of patronage involved in financing the construction, and the various workers, from the architect down through quarrymen, stone cutters, glass artists, and sculptors. An extensive bibliography, index, and selections from original documents add to both the general and the scholarly interest of the work. The highlight, however, is the extensive illustration of cathedrals (both photographs and from secondary sources such as manuscripts and paintings). For both young and old who wish a more chronological approach to the construction of cathedrals, the classic work is David Macaulay's Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction (LJ 12/73). Recommended for collections, particularly public libraries, with an interest in art and architecture.?Martin R. Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Institution Libs., Arlington, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 1St edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810940175
• ISBN-13: 978-0810940178
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,635 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Building a Gothic library? Make room..., June 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Building the Great Cathedrals (Hardcover)

When people discover I'm a veteran of the stone carving trade, they sometimes ask for the behind-the-scenes story. "Building the Great Cathedrals" tells it. The tools, the trades, the intrigues, the budget concerns, and the people are all present and accounted for; along with immersion into the dizzy, circus atmosphere of a cathedral construction site. If you wonder why so much passion was invested in completion - by those who would never live to see it - here's the answer. With hundreds of lush, full-color photos and medieval illuminations of the period. If you're building a personal collection of Gothic architecture books, make room.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good -- but not my first choice, February 1, 2008

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Building the Great Cathedrals (Abradale Books) (Hardcover)

I've just finished re-reading Follett's _Pillars of the Earth,_ in preparation for the sequel, and that got me interested again in the process of erecting the great Gothic cathedrals. I was looking mostly for good illustrations and architectural plans and drawings, and while this oversized volume has some of that, it's really not what I expected, based on the title. Icher is apparently a leading French authority on medieval crafts guilds, and much of the book is given over to describing how the stonemasons were organized, how one became a master, and so on. There's considerably less about the actual planning and construction of the buildings, and almost nothing on the evolution of the Gothic style from the Romanesque. A nice book, but far from being the best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you'd ever want to know, with great layout, October 1, 2006

By 

matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building the Great Cathedrals (Abradale Books) (Hardcover)

This is THE book to read on cathedrals and I couldn't agree more with the previous reviewer. Lavish illustrations, detailed and in full color, appear on every page, along with incredible artwork and sketches from teh times. Side columns with primary source material offer first-hand accounts of what it was like to work on the site of such a grand project, and what impact they had on the surrounding communities. It's all here! From the origins of the bishop's throne (cathedra) to the culmination in the flying buttresses of Chatres, this is the story of Western Europe.

I would also highly recommend the VHS by David Macauly, "Cathedral", which is a charming documentary/story-telling of why cathedrals have held the imaginations of millions, from their inception to the present. It is especially great for kids, since it uses some high quality cartooning in parts that really capure the personal impact the churches had on those living during their construction.

Also, the DVD, "Chatres Cathedral: A Sacred Geometry" is a wonderful companion to any study of the meaning and methods of cathedral architecture. It is simply amazing how much of a mystical component is present in the plans.

Enjoy!