Chartres, and the Birth of the Cathedral

This remarkable book begins with a clear statement of intent: 'The purpose of this book is to evoke as authentically as possible the spiritual climate in which the Gothic cathedral was born, and to do so by allowing contemporary witnesses to speak for themselves'. This is exactly what follows, with extensive quotation and illustration from mediaeval sources, for instance from Abbot Suger about the rebuilding of St. Denis and the reaction of St Bernard against this aspiration. Essential reading for devotees of mediaeval cathedrals, as Keith Critchlow asserts in his preface.