Goths, Gargoyles & God: The Building of Europe's Magnificent Cathedrals; 1000 AD to 1500 AD

Presented by Dr. Richard Benfield

Live, In-Person & on Zoom:

In 1000 A.D., European churches were small, thick-walled, dark, and dreary. Under 200 years later, they were breathtaking architectural wonders, rising more than 200 feet and lit by stained glass windows the size of tennis courts. In an illustrated tour from the first Gothic Cathedral in St. Denis, Paris, to the glorious cathedrals of Ely, Durham, Chartres, and, Monet’s favorite, Rouen, Dr. Benfield will explain what happened to make this frenzy of church building so possible, so marked, and so spectacular.

Dr. Benfield is a retired University Professor specializing in European architectural history, environmental Issues, our National Parks and biogeography and particularly snow leopards and botanic gardens.