Customer Reviews

Castles of God: Fortified Religious Buildings of the World

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The idea of a fortified church strikes most of us as odd and even unneeded--but as Harrison illustrates in text, color photos and his fine drawings and plans, this was not always the case. The 17 chapters cover different parts of the world (primarily Europe and Asia, and including the Middle East) to explore why such structures were needed, who build them, when, and what remains to be seen today. Hundreds of buildings are included, from the fascinating fortified churches of Transylvania to the fort-like religious buildings in parts of the Middle East. Religious strife and bickering led to many different architectural answers in the buildings put up and defended. While many were erected to defend Christianity, we also see here examples from Islam and the Himalayas. Fascinating---a veritable tour guide.

Just one quick note - despite being categorized by Amazon as "art/photography," this book is more of a historical reference work. There are 10-15 pages of castle photographs in the middle, but the vast majority of the book is text. (I was looking for books of castle pictures to inspire elementary school students, and this is the wrong book for such a thing.)