Chartres
and the Birth of the Cathedral
By: Titus Burckhardt, Translated from German by
William Stoddart
Pub Date: 1996
Publisher: World Wisdom Books
Binding: Hard Cover
ISBN: 0941532232x
Our Price $47.50 
Binding: Paper
ISBN: 0941532232
Our Price: $37.50
Related Books: Myth,
Symbol, Folklore, Epic
Richly illustrated with 16 full-color photos ,10 black
& white photos plus over 100 line drawings
First place winner of the Mid-American Publishers Association Book
Design Competition
1996 Best Religious/Inspirational Book
It is only recently that the works of the Swiss art
historian Titus Burckhardt have become known to the American public:
"Burckhardt is one of the foremost traditionalist authors of
this century." -Temenos
"Burckhardt's thought is clear and soberly articulated, his
argumentation intuitive and profound." -Parabola
In CHARTRES, Burckhardt's gift for
opening the spiritual and artistic treasures of the traditional worlds
for modern readers shines forth once again. Chartres cathedral is
arguably the most beautiful and significant creation of the Christian
Middles Ages. The author's descriptions of the didactic themes of the
great doorways and rose windows cover virtually the whole of the
Christian story and amount to a comprehensive presentation of Christian
theology and metaphysics. At the same time, his insights go far beyond
the limits of Christianity as a confessional world. Burckhardt combines
architectural scholarship with spiritual insight. His goal is to help
the reader to understand the medieval mentality--the"age of
faith"--and how that was translated into a gothic masterpiece. By
basing himself on the permanent and universal principles of the religio
perennis, Burckhardt elucidates Christianity as a unique and
precious upaya of the Absolute Real. It is in this uncolored light of
quintessential gnosis that he enables the reader to understand and
appreciate the intellectual vision which inspired the creative joy of
the artistic productions of the Middle Ages.
"This book may well turn out to be the most
important of its kind written in this century.... It cannotfail to
inspire the sensitive reader to become a pilgrim to the sanctuary
itself."
--Keith Critchlow, personal tutor to the family of the Prince of
Wales
Table of Contents
