The Cistercians Monks and Monasteries of Europe

Woodstock, NY: Overlook Hardcover. Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 1996. First American Edition. Hardcover. 0879516542 . Hard cover is brown with gold lettering on spine. Pages are clean and tight; appears as if unused. Lavishly illustrated with 100+ color and b/w photographs. "...These extraordinary examples of monastic architecture were born of the rebellion against the gaudy exuberance of the architecture of the day: local stonecutters schooled in the ornate Romanesque and Gothic styles adapted their work to the requirement of Cistercian simplicity, with striking geometric patterns and stylized foliage taking the place of distracting gargoyles and fantastic bestiaries... Gives a detailed and insightful account of the founding and development of the Cistercian Order, which swept across Europe in the 12th century ..." Sections: Foundation in the Desert; Bernard of Fontaines; The Abbey: Foundation, Construction, Layout and Resources; The Monks, the Monastery and the Monastic Day; From St. Bernard to the French Revolution; postscript; 3 appendices; notes; further reading; index. ; Photographs; 1 x 9.3 x 6.8 Inches; 240 pages; Cover has slight bumping and faint shelf wear. DJ has minor shelf wear, rubbing; in a mylar cover. .