Top-rated
Sat, Dec 15, 2018
Born in the darkness of a cave in Palestine, early Christianity was practiced in secret for three centuries. To allow Christians to gather in numbers and practice their rites, monuments adapted to their worship are needed: churches. The spread of Christianity on all continents will be accompanied by a flowering of ever taller and larger monasteries, churches and cathedrals. From Jerusalem to Mont-Saint-Michel, from Florence to Moscow, via Chartres and Seville, the style of Christian monuments has been renewed throughout its history. Pushing back the limits of technology, Christian builders have competed over the centuries to affirm the power of the Church, with as a common thread of their architecture a great momentum towards the heavens and the quest for light.
Top-rated
Sat, Dec 22, 2018
Hinduism only adopted proper temples after younger Buddhism provided a stupa model. Unlike the Western and Abrahamic traditions, their temples aren't simply designed for cult purposes but symbolically as intricate cosmic model. Various traditional forms developed in regions Buddhism spread to from India. The mandala (cosmic model) was developed even beyond architecture in Tibetan Lamaism. South East Asia's lavishly decorated golden stupas culminated in Burmese kingdoms, from rich endowments to acquire karma, massive stone building in Insulind. Mongolia was converted by one of its khans, who turned his court tents into mobile monasteries while becoming a hereditary theocracy.
Top-rated
Sat, Dec 22, 2018
The sacred monuments of Judaism are united by a remarkable and tragic history, that of the Jewish people. Few have gone through history. They are a reflection of the trajectory of a people: to survive, they must keep a low profile. In Djerba in Tunisia, they are modeled on the plans of the mosques. In the Ghetto of Venice, the modest facades of the five synagogues do not hint at the sumptuous interior. On the Iberian Peninsula, where the Inquisition had almost all the synagogues destroyed, those that remain are exceptional. In Europe, where the Second World War wiped out almost all Jewish places of worship, the Great Synagogue in Budapest is one of the few surviving monuments. But, in the New World where Jews find refuge, the Beth Sholom Synagogue reflects their confidence and their pride in finally being visible.
Top-rated
2018
Each major Mislim dynasty built mosques in a typical style and choice of materials, often reflecting rich cross-fertilization with converted cultures. The original OMmayad caliphs rivaled the splendor of Byzantine churches, their surviving offshoot in Cordoba created its own Abdalusian variation, whose splendid Mequita forest of pillars impressed Recionquistadores enough to spare it, only build a cathedral inside. The Abbassids went for sober. The Turkish Ottomans complied elements from the largely conquered Byzantine empire, culminating in Suleyman the Magnificent's architect Sinan's Istanbul mosques. The rival Shiite branch's Persian champion dynasty's champion Shah Abbas erected a rivaling new capital at Isfahan, focused on harmony with nature. The Turkic Moghol dynasty which ruled most of India adopted splendid Hindustani traditions, culminating in Shah Jahan's Taj Mahal mausoleum and Red Mosque, still the focus of Indian Islam.