Sacred Spaces: The Awe-Inspiring Architecture of Churches and Cathedrals

Frequent collaborators Bosser and de Laubier (both, The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World) present a most spectacular armchair tour of European churches and cathedrals, "from simple elegance to baroque splendor." De Laubier's images evoke a feeling of spiritual awakening while visually transporting viewers to another place and time with perfect lighting and details few have experienced. Bosser augments these pictures with insight into the historical, religious, and artistic context of each church and cathedral. While it's impossible to select the most beautiful and awe-inspiring churches from the tens of thousands in Europe, the 40-some here are worthy. Alongside the obvious inclusion of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, Notre-Dame and Chartres in France, Saint Paul's in London, the Seville Cathedral, and the Basilica de la Sagranda Familia in Barcelona, there are gems such as the Church of the Gesu in Palermo, the simplicity of Le Thoronet Abbey, and the austere interior of the Couvent Sante-Marie de la Tourette, both in France, to name a few.