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Notre-Dame of Amiens is one of the great Gothic cathedrals. Its construction began in 1220, and artistic production in the Gothic mode lasted well into the sixteenth century. In this magisterial chronicle, Stephen Murray invites readers to see the cathedral as more than just a thing of the past: it is a living document of medieval Christian society that endures in our own time.
Murray tells the cathedral's story from the overlapping perspectives of the social groups connected to it, exploring the ways that the layfolk who visit the cathedral occasionally, the clergy who use it daily, and the artisans who created it have interacted with the building over the centuries. He considers the cycles of human activity around the cathedral and shows how groups of makers and users have been inextricably intertwined in collaboration and, occasionally, conflict. The book travels around and through the spaces of the cathedral, allowing us to re-create similar passages by our medieval predecessors. Murray reveals the many worlds of the cathedral and brings them together in the architectural triumph of its central space.
A beautifully illustrated account of a grand, historically and religiously important building from a variety of perspectives and in a variety of time periods, this book offers readers a memorable tour of Notre-Dame of Amiens that celebrates the cathedral's eight hundredth anniversary.
Notre-Dame of Amiens is enhanced by high-resolution images, liturgical music, and animations embedded in an innovative website.
List of contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. Visiting the Cathedral
2. The Portals: Unscrambling the Plot
3. Clergy, Artisans, and Laypeople: Makers and Users
4. Telling the Story of the Great Enterprise, I, 1220-c. 1300: Incomplete Completion
5. Telling the Story of the Great Enterprise, II, c. 1300-1530: Continuing Work, Immediate Danger, Triumphant End
6. Liturgical Performance: Angels in the Architecture
Epilogue
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Stephen Murray
Summary
Notre-Dame of Amiens is one of the great Gothic cathedrals. In this beautifully illustrated magisterial chronicle, Stephen Murray tells the cathedral’s story from the overlapping perspectives of the social groups connected to it.
Additional text
Murray has done an excellent job of compiling an impressive amount of research into a readable and enjoyable book.
