Churches

The physical dimensions alone would be enough to make Churches, Judith Dupre's sumptuous chronology of Christian art and architecture, one of the most absorbing ways possible to learn about the world's most beautiful houses of worship. It is almost too big to fit in your lap, and each brilliantly colored page is almost three times the width of a human head. In addition, Churches offers floor plans, histories, and theological interpretations of almost 60 churches around the world, from the Pantheon in Rome to La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona to the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Interspersed with these chapters are photographic essays on such topics as "Building a Gothic Cathedral" and "Ancient Paths: Contemporary Labyrinths." All of the images and essays are presented in a format accessible to the general reader. Those more broadly informed about architecture will be drawn to the interview with Swiss-Italian architect Mario Botta--his first in-depth interview published in English. In the end, the book's most amazing accomplishment is to provide readers with sensations that approximate both the grandeur and the intimacy of visiting the churches it depicts. --Michael Joseph Gross