Country Churches

Rating:
Summary: STUNNING SANCTUARIES
Review: Country Churches moves beyond the boundaries of just being a book profiling church architecture. In this wonderful tome, Raymond Zirblis captures the beauty and simplicity of country churches in the rural communities of Europe and the Americas. Unlike their larger counterparts in the city, these churches evoke a powerful sense of spirituality and grandeur in their simplicity.

In order to appreciate the aesthetics of these churches, the author gives us a brief history of church architecture's early development. From there we are taken on a panaromic tour of how these different architectural styles translated themselves into rural settings. What you see is simply stunning.

The photographs of the churches are fantastic. You get the feel of the sacredness and warmth of these varied sanctuaries that are out in the middle of nowhere. In Latin America you see the impact of European church styles melded with the indigenous culture to form an architectural synthesis of spirituality. I found the pictures very moving and powerful in their display of these house of worship. As we go from country to country, the author explains the historical context which impacted upon the building of these edifices.

This is an excellent book for those who are curious about church architectural in general and country churches in particular. If you are a photography buff who specializes in taking pictures of churches, you will appreciate the beauty displayed in each photo. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for your spiritual enjoyment.