Description

For history readers travelers and scholars alike an indispensable behindthescenes guide to the great cathedrals of Paris

Over the years R Howard Bloch has become renowned for the insider tours of Paris that he gives to students abroad Long sought after by travelers and history buffs for his nearencyclopedic knowledge of French cathedrals the eminent scholar finally shares his expertise with a wider audience In Paris and Her Cathedrals six of the most sublime cathedrals in the penumbra of ParisSaintDenis NotreDame Chartres SainteChapelle Amiens Reimsare illumined in magnificent detail as Bloch taking us from the High Middle Ages to the devastating fire that set NotreDame ablaze in 2019 traces the evolution of each in turn

Animating the past with lush evocations of architectural splendor Bloch then contextualizes the cathedrals within the annals of French history Here thrilling tales of kingly intrigueas in SaintChapelle where the pious King Louis IX amassed relics including Christs crown of thornsand audacious abbots are interspersed with anecdotes about the meeting of aristocratic and everyday life culminating in a rich colorful narrative that clearly but expertly explains the history and symbolism of some of the worlds most magnificent buildings Ross King