Over the years, R. Howard Bloch has become renowned for the insider tours of Paris that he gives to students abroad. Long sought after by travellers and history buffs for his near-encyclopaedic knowledge of French cathedrals, the eminent French literature scholar finally shares his expertise with a wider audience.
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 organised 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).