Spiritual Path, Sacred Place [Paperback]

Thomas Barrie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1996

Architecture has always been more than mere shelter--it expresses some of the most fundamental and universal aspects of human existence. Through an in-depth survey of religious buildings and sacred sites around the world--from Japanese Zen temples to the Stonehenge-like structures of England--the author shows how sacred architecture symbolizes and recapitulates the spiritual quest.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

By liberally applying the leitmotiv of spiritual paths leading to sacred places pervasive in world religions, Barrie (architecture, Lawrence Technological Univ., Mich.) seeks to explicate connections between belief and form in an eclectic mixture of religious structures. Introductory chapters document how sacred architecture symbolizes and recapitulates the spiritual quest via a Jungian/Campbellian architectural journey through archetypal myth. Analyses of common elements in five famous sites?the Temple of Karnak, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the Koto-in Zen Temple, the Cathedral of Sainte-Madeleine at Vezelay, and Italy's Brion-Vega Cemetery?and a summary chapter on ritual space conclude this thoughtful study. This solid general academic title is recommended for architecture and religion collections.?Russell T. Clement, Univ. of Tennessee Lib., Knoxville
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Spiritual Path, Sacred Place is a rare accounting of not only the sacred architecture of past civilizations, but the spirituality that exists within the architectural framework. Through his work, Thomas Barrie takes the reader on a journey that reveals the religious stirrings of humankind manifested in the forms and spaces of sacred sites and temples. -- From Independent Publisher

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (June 18, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570620059
• ISBN-13: 978-1570620058
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book with a noble task but mediocre execution., November 23, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Path, Sacred Place (Paperback)

I would not recommend this book for readers looking for a book of general interest. Unfortunately for this book, that general audience seems to be the target audience.

As I read it, generally to aid me in falling to sleep each night (very successful!), I am usually caught musing on the disparity between the nobility of the book's topic and scope and the comparatively superficial manner in which the author follows his topic. To be more specific, the task is to illustrate the role of "path" and "place" in sacred (religious) architecture, and try to deduce lessons about world religions from the way those roles are treated in different instances. The failure in execution of this book stems from a mild dearth of examples, a hard-to-swallow selectivity in choosing examples, as well as the timidity of the authors conclusions. It is as if he too understands the shortcomings of his methodology in arriving at the difficult conclusions he searches for and holds back. While I appreciated the multitudinous and illustrative citations to Joseph Campbell and Mircea Eliade, the author's academic ego (mostly pettiness over points of diction)overcasts and dims the edge of his message.

With more research, more examples, more diagrams, a deeper understanding of the world's religions, a feeling for the philosophical context of the work, some passion for the topic, and a better editor, this book could still be revised into a worthy study.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dribble, Dribble, Toil & Trouble, November 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Spiritual Path, Sacred Place (Paperback)

Architecture as a dynamic subject, and sacred architecture as part of a profound professional responsibility, deserves better, more serious and studious treatment than what is found in this poorly authored dreg. Written from the ivory tower perspective of a tragically shortsighted academic's perspective, this lofty subject falls terribly short of its potential. One would hope that a true academic scholar would research his subject in a comprehensive manner. It became painfully obvious that although the author may have a general understanding of "architecture", he misses his mark when dealing with the complexity of sacred architecture. In picking up this book, I had hoped to draw real meaning from the work, instead, not only was I bored out of my mind, but I lost almost all interest in the subject due to the mishandling of the theme. It became sadly obvious that the author should have teamed with a religious scholar or theologian in the creation of this "work". Ultimately, it left me empty when I sought enrichment, it left me still searching when I sought an experienced guide, and it left me hollow as I sought substance. This is a classic case of the architect needing to "go back to the drawing board" or more appropriately, back to the word processor and ultimately back to school!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking discussion of architectural meaning., June 5, 2005

By 

Passionate about Architecture "Michael Roy" (Riverton, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spiritual Path, Sacred Place (Paperback)

I would certainly recommend this work highly to architectural scholars, and, if for no other reason but to create an open dialogue about more meaningful built environments, to the broader general audience.
While a superficial(--or perhaps "shortsighted") reading of Barrie's thesis could potentially drain one's interest from the discussion of a sacred architecture, "Spiritual Path, Sacred Place" addresses the topic in a manner that provoked further discussion with colleagues and greater self-reflection upon the existence and significance of sacred architecuture throughout the world.
What I loved about this book was its supposition that human faith and conviction have the profound ability to recompose the meaning of an otherwise mundane edifice into the divine(further evidencing that the meaning of architecture isn't static and is uniquely individual in its univserality). I found this book immensely insightful with its Campbellian discussion of the interplay of spiritual and metaphorical meaning and the articulation of architectural form. The number of case studies(while perhaps not as comprehensive in scope or diversity as one might hope) was sufficient to address the premise of Barrie's work. For the diligent reader who does take the book's mental challenge to further pursue not only the discussion of sacred architecture but also further researches the case studies, Barrie's work is quite evidently brilliant.