Architecture of Silence (Foreign Book): Monastery Architecture: Tadao Ando

A beautiful photography book featuring the Cistercian abbey architecture of France.

The Cistercians are a monastic order within the Catholic Church, originating in 1098 with the founding of Cîteaux Abbey by Robert of Molesme in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, France.
Cistercian monks strictly adhered to the "Rule of Saint Benedict," emphasizing prayer and meditation, and forbidding the use of sculptures and paintings to convey teachings. Consequently, their monasteries lacked sculptures, stained glass depicting saints, and other decorations, offering a glimpse into their austere and frugal monastic life.
This book beautifully captures, through tritone monochrome photographs, the simple yet warm and silent spaces of Cistercian abbey architecture built throughout France from the 12th to 13th centuries. It highlights the unparalleled beauty of their architectural style, including courtyards and cloisters, the simple and unadorned Latin cross-shaped basilicas, chapter houses, and communal dormitories where monks slept side-by-side on straw.
The book contains nearly 100 monochrome photographs, ranging from the Cistercian abbey of Fontenay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to abbeys that are now ruins. These "spaces of prayer," which have greatly influenced architect Tadao Ando, speak to us across time and space.

- Title: Architecture of Silence: Cistercian Abbeys of France
- Photographs by: David Heald
- Foreword by: Terryl N. Kinder
- Translator: Terrence N. Kinder
- Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
- Year of Publication: 2000
- Binding: Hardcover, 152 pages
- Size: 31.4 x 25.7 x 2.2 cm (Large Format)
- Language: English

Notes: The condition is generally good. There are some stains on the edges and the top of the cover, but all the pages inside are clean. There are no problems with reading.

Thank you for looking.