Paris and her Cathedrals

In Paris and Her Cathedrals, six of the most sublime cathedrals in the penumbra of Paris―Saint-Denis, Notre-Dame, Chartres, Sainte-Chapelle, Amiens, Reims―are illumined in magnificent detail as Bloch, taking us from the High Middle Ages to the devastating fire that set Notre-Dame ablaze in 2019, traces the evolution of each in turn. Written from the premise that “seeing is enhanced by knowing,” each chapter is organized along the lines of a walk around and then through the space of the cathedral, such that the actual or virtual visitor feels the rich sweep of the church, “the essence of these architectural wonders” (Antonia Felix).