Monasteries And Monastic Orders: 2000 Years of Christian Art and Culture

Monasteries and Monastic Orders is another amazing Ullmann production. The photography is nothing short of spectacular and the accompanying text well written. This book offers an encompassing look at monastic architecture and life with an emphasis on European sites. The locations highlighted range from the most primitive cave dwellings to breathtakingly, embellished baroque masterpieces. The mountaintop monasteries are dizzyingly incredible. It is truly a blessing that so many of these jewels are still existent. Had more of them been located in England we would have only scattered ruins to appreciate. Continental Europe was not spared the tragedies of religious wars but they were at least not as freewheeling with the wrecking ball. As is the case with all of Ullmann's oversize, architecture and art books, this volume is beautifully produced. Solid binding, nice, heavy pages, stunning photography and superb design layout - these are standard Ullmann hallmarks. Achim Bednorz is, arguably, the best photographer in this field - a master at his craft. Short of actually visiting these locations his photography is as close as one can get. Needless to say, I would not hesitate adding this volume to one's library. Given its size and quality, the price Amazon is asking makes this book a real bargain. If this is a field of interest don't overlook Bednorz's other books they're all equally captivating.

A very fine and detailed reference work. Well written - very informative.

This book is full of large, amazing and beautiful photographs of places that I will never have the chance to visit. It also contains an overview of the high points in monastic history as well as a list of religious orders, glossary of terms, list of brief biographies, list of Saints and notable persons religious, as well as indexes of places and persons in the back of the book. What is contained within it is well worth the price of the book and is something that I will enjoy looking at for years to come.

Catholic religious orders have such a rich history and I love reading and learning about them. This book is unique because it manages to put wealth of information together with big number of beautiful photograps so that we can not only learn but also see the beauty of many monasteries. Whoever is interested in learning more about different catholic religious orders and the way they live should buy this beautiful book and enjoy flipping through it's pages.

If you enjoy archictecture, especially "story-book style architcture", you will love this book. Not only are the photos fabulous, but the book is arranged in a way that you gain a great deal of information on the history of the orders, the development of the regions, and just a great sense of how that part of the world was developed. I can't think of better large type book than this. You can have hours of fun admiring the detail and artistry of the photos, as well enjoy reading the descriptions of the orders and the properties.

I'm writing this review from the perspective of a tourist, someone who is not too familiar with the subject matter of the book. This is a highly specialized book. If you're interested in this type of architecture, it is great. The pictures are excellent, as is the narrative. We purchased this book mainly to document and remind ourselves of our visits to the various location referenced in the book. For our purposes, it works very well. The pictures in the book are first-rate and much better than the equivalent pictures I took. Besides the high quality of the pictures, the book has an excellent narrative. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this subject.

This book is packed with beautiful photographs and rich, detailed histories.

A beautiful book. Great photos and interesting information on various religious orders. Well worth the cost.

This book is crammed with glorious photos and information and any one interested in Monasteries and Monastic Orders will not be disappointed. It is a heavy book and will grace any ones book shelf. What incredible research must have taken years to finally finish.

E uma obra robusta tanto no conteúdo bibliográfico quanto no tema - Arquitetura e Historia das Ordens Monásticas. É um excelente casamento entre fotografia i História reunidos em um obra primorosamente encadernada.

Ullmann est un éditeur ahurissant. des ouvrages d'un rapport qualité-prix ovniesque, remplis de photos de grande qualité et de textes parfaitement recommandables. ce guide des ordres monastiques est encore supérieur à d'autres titres du même éditeur, il mérite 5 énormes étoiles bien grasses et bien épaisses !

Além de muito bonito o texto tem conteúdo. Não e um simples livro de decorar a mesa. E um livro informativo. Estava há muito tempo procurando por um livro assim.

Arrived in very good time. Very good value for a fine product.