TELEVISION

World's Greatest Churches

Series: Great Courses
4.7
(29)
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Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2014
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

The great churches represent some of the world's most stunning masterpieces of architecture, art, and faith. Go on a guided tour of the most outstanding, memorable, and meaningful churches in the world. Lavishly illustrated with breathtaking photos, detailed floor plans, and 3-D models, these lectures take you deeply into Christianity through its most important buildings.

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Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. The Earliest Churches

30m

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Begin by considering what defines a church, encompassing both its religious uses and its functions as a place of assembly. Learn how the first churches came into being, based architecturally on the secular pagan "basilica." Study some of the best surviving basilica-type churches in Italy, noting their structural features and their remarkable mosaic decoration.

2. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

30m

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In visiting this iconic church of the Holy Land, trace the history of the building and of the medieval reconstruction we see today. Study the church's unusual structure, incorporating the "aedicule" believed to be the site of Jesus's burial and resurrection, as well as individual chapels reflecting events of the passion of Christ.

3. Hagia Sophia

30m

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Learn about the dramatic past of this jewel of Constantinople, which served as a church for 1,000 years before becoming a mosque. Discover one of the world's most extraordinary architectural spaces, highlighting its awe-inspiring dome and grand interiors. Also linger over its superlative mosaics, carved columns, and decoration in colored marbles.

4. The Cave Churches of Cappadocia

30m

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Here, ponder the highly unusual churches of Turkish Cappadocia, elaborately carved into the sides of mountains within a mysterious and otherworldly landscape. Glimpse the lives of the monks and hermits who lived here, and study the churches' astonishing frescoes that richly illustrate biblical scenes and the life of Jesus.

5. Great Churches of Russia

30m

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Discover the extraordinary beauties of the churches of the Russian Orthodox tradition. Learn about the religious culture that inspired these structures, with their characteristic gilded domes and striking decoration of sculpture, frescoes, and tile work. Visit outstanding cathedrals in Vladimir, Suzdal, and Yaroslavl, as well as the Kremlin churches of Moscow.

6. The Painted Churches of Romania

30m

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The churches of Romanian Moldavia, unique in the world, are richly adorned with frescoes both inside and outside. Explore examples of the extraordinary exterior paintings, noting how narrative themes are consistent on north, west, east, and south-facing walls. Study the three-room church interiors, and the frescoes' remarkable range of religious themes.

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

William R. Cookwriter
William R. Cookactor

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