How to Read a Church: A Guide to Symbols and Images in Churches and Cathedrals (Paperback)

by Richard Taylor (Author) "How do you go about 'reading' a church?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Virgin Mary, Old Testament, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Churches and cathedrals were originally built to be read. They are alive with images and symbols--all of which are packed with meaning. But today few people, from regular visitors to tourists, truly understand the wealth of meaning in what they find there.

How to Read a Church is must reading for anybody who wants to know more about what they see in a church or cathedral. It explores the principal features of churches and what each represents. It also explains: " the significance of church layout " the importance of such details as the use of colors or letters " the identity and significance of people and scenes " the symbolism of animals, plants, colors, numbers, and letters " the meaning of it all

In addition to exploring these brick-and-mortar motifs, the author also reveals fascinating and unexpected details such as how to 'read' the priest and the congregation, and he shows the varied ways that church architecture and appointments reflect the Christian year. From major themes to small but vital details, How to Read a Church will serve as a fascinating guide to the history, meanings, and messages of these beautiful buildings and the treasures they contain.

About the Author
Richard Taylor studied English at Cambridge University and Law at London University, and now lives and works as a lawyer in Sheffield, England. He has lectured on Christian symbolism to people of many faiths and those of none. This book was inspired by their enthusiastic reactions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HiddenSpring; illustrated edition edition (July 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587680300
• ISBN-13: 978-1587680304
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #195,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific resource, March 6, 2007

By	Rich Leonardi "http://richleonardi.blogspot.com" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Taylor's book is a terrific resource explaining a much misunderstood subject. Churches are indeed designed to be 'read'; to be, in the words of another reviewer, "a feast for the senses." Taylor explains that classical church architecture reflects the understanding that a church is a ship (the word 'nave,' referring to the interior of a church, is from the Latin 'navis' for ship) sailing the faithful to a New Jerusalem, led by their 'captain' priest. Rich eucharistic symbols like the pelican, a bird which feeds its young with its blood, are explained in detail. Were more people to absorb the lessons of this book, we perhaps would see an end to the artless, crude church designs that have dominated over the past 40 years.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interpreting art and architecture, June 5, 2007

By	Linda "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Ever wonder why some saints in paintings and sculpture have square haloes? Why columns have foliate capitals? And what are all those hand signals? Richard Taylor explains in How to Read a Church, written not as a scholastic thesis but as a general guide for lay persons. The basic layout of churches, the number and placement of stained glass windows, the grouping of figures and how to identify who's who - all of this can be helpful in figuring out what the builders and decorative artists were trying to convey to those viewing and appreciating the results of their labors. The book works as a resource, and does not have to be read from cover to cover. Individual chapters, such as that on styles of crosses, can be read separately and perused at leisure. Nice resource.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a misnomer of a book, January 9, 2007

By	Ardent Bibliophile "joanne" (mill valley, california) - See all my reviews

While the contents of the book are most interesting the author does not deal at any length with the specifics outlined in the title. The bulk of the text deals with in-depth explanations of various bible characters and stories. The couple of line drawings towards the end of the book show captions to explain various parts of the garmets illustrated but NOT all of them are explained and then other descriptive words are introduced which are not shown on the illustrations. I did read the entire book and it was rather a disappointment.