Heaven on Earth: The Lives and Legacies of the World's Greatest Cathedrals

by Emma J. Wells

Overview

A glorious illustrated history of sixteen of the world's greatest cathedrals, interwoven with the extraordinary stories of the people who built them.
'An impeccable guide to the golden age of ecclesiastical architecture' The Times
'Vivid, colourful and absorbing' Dan Jones
'An epic ode to some of our most beautiful and beloved buildings' Helen Carr

A glorious history of sixteen of the world's greatest cathedrals, interwoven with the extraordinary stories of the people who built them.
The emergence of the Gothic style in twelfth-century France, characterized by pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses and large windows, forms the central core of Emma Wells's authoritative but accessible study of the golden age of the cathedral. More than architectural biographies, these are human stories of triumph and tragedy that take the reader from the chaotic atmosphere of the mason's yard to the cloisters of power. Together, they reveal how 1000 years of cathedral-building shaped modern Europe, and influenced art, culture and society around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781788541954
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	03/11/2025
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	396,965
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.79(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dr Emma J. Wells is an award-winning academic, author and broadcaster. She is Lecturer in Ecclesiastical and Architectural History at the University of York. She holds a PhD from Durham University, for which she was awarded a British Archaeological Association Ochs Scholarship and a Society for Church Archaeology research grant. Emma is also a regular contributor to television and radio, and writes for publications including BBC Countryfile, TLS, BBC History and History Today. Her previous book, Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles, was published in 2016.
Dr Emma J. Wells is an award-winning academic, author and broadcaster. She is Lecturer in Ecclesiastical and Architectural History at the University of York. She holds a PhD from Durham University, for which she was awarded a British Archaeological Association Ochs Scholarship and a Society for Church Archaeology research grant. Emma is also a regular contributor to television and radio, and writes for publications including BBC Countryfile, TLS, BBC History and History Today. Her previous book, Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles, was published in 2016.

Editorial Reviews

An impeccable guide to the golden age of ecclesiastical architecture... Meticulously researched... It's to Wells's credit that she manages to make the history of these cathedrals as gripping as she does.” —The Times

“Emma J. Wells has written an accessible, authoritative and lavishly illustrated account of the building of 16 of "the world's greatest cathedrals"” —Spectator

“Wells brings these buildings vividly to life, peopling them with their authors and sponsors, their triumphs and tribulations, and beautifully illustrated” —Country Life

“Sumptuously presented... A fascinating look at how people in the Middle Ages combined spirituality, symbolism, mathematics and monumental toil to create some of history's grandest buildings” —History Revealed

“This beautifully written and impeccably researched book is an utter joy to read, managing to be both academic and yet accessible to the lay reader” —Yorkshire Life

“Strikingly show[s] the influence these imposing buildings exerted [and] the importance of the people who built these places” —History Today

“...lucid and absorbing narrative...the book offers a luminous insight into the medieval mind” —The Critic

“Wells makes medieval church building accessible and often thrilling….every chapter benefits from Wells's ability to shift deftly from broad swatches of history to intimate stories of personal sacrifice.” —The Washington Post

From the Publisher