This work is an examination of the way in which a building can embody and create meaning. Visser begins her study with the eighth century Church of St Agnes in Rome, built over the grave of a 13 year-old girl who was murdered. From this starting point, Visser takes us into the realms of history, mythology, culture, tradition, ritual and belief, never straying too far from the physical fact of the architecture which houses the events which have shaped the past and which still shape lives today. From this one church, Visser makes a study of all churches, allowing us to see how it is possible to find meaning in buildings and to see their lives as equally rich and individual as those of the humans who have stood beneath their roofs.
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.25
Trade in The Geometry of Love: Space, Time, Mystery and Meaning in an Ordinary Church for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
About the Author
Margaret Visser writes on the history and anthropology of everyday life. Her books, Much Depends On Dinner, The Rituals Of Dinner and The Way We Are, have all been bestsellers and have won major international awards. She has lectured extensively and appeared frequently on radio and TV. She lives in Barcelona, Spain, and in south-western France.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The relatively simple Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura just outside the walls of Rome comes under the scrutiny of history, theology, anthropology & folklore to illuminate its physical & spiritual architecture.
Margaret Visser guides us through this organic aged basilica, from its apse to its nave, its catacombs to its campanile, she opens our eyes to its symbolism, its layers of religious expression, the Christian fascination with lambs & virgins, the meaning of martyrdom & the provenance of relics.
Effortlessly, this tranquil & earnest author moves us back through the ages to reveal, like the ancient stones she walks past, the erstwhile Roman attitudes toward our mortal remains & then through Christianity's infancy, in all its forms & purposes.
Part archaeology, part love story, part poetry & part tourist guide, The Geometry of Love is a quintessential read & I fell in love with columns all over again!
A superb example of writing about what you know - this author bequeaths us a unique & enfolding account of the why, where, who, when & what of a charming house of worship.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Stefan Lubo
I found this book a revelation in looking at and understanding a building as bricks and mortar, initiatives for its construction, development and use, a mirror of its age etc. etc. The depth and the sensitivity of her looking, coupled with deep knowledge of the deep meanings and history of words,art, architecture, philosophy, and Catholicism and numerous other -ologies and ism's have enthralled me for weeks, as I read the book slowly and carefully to fully savour it all.
This is a book to have on a shelf by you and to be re-visited every year.
This is a book to have on a shelf by you and to be re-visited every year.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By nieges d'autan
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This is a lovely book. It effortlessly illuminates the often difficult field of early christian ritual and attitude, showing how these ancient foundations have evolved through the centuries into the faith we see today. It demonstrates how to 'read a church', making quite complex architectural forms and principles comprehensible to the non-specialist, but it also shows how they have been driven and evolved through the impetus of a faith which is most movingly shared.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
