You don't
have to be a believer to truly understand the reason behind Europe's
great cathedrals.
Awe-inspiring
in their size
and scope, they were for centuries at the very center of medieval
life.
Today, the
sacred and the profane can be read from a cathedral in
everything from the gargoyles
that peer down from its dizzying heights to the monumental
stained glass windows that centuries later still manage to inspire awe.
For 'New World' travelers
from relatively young countries (like America and Australia), a
grand tour of the great cathedrals truly enlivens an important span of European history.
In more practical earthly terms, the revolutionary
idea of building higher and more slender buildings, (which also
allowed more windows to light the interior) was considered a miracle as dazzling
an engineering feat then as now.
To put it in a more modern context, just as steel and glass skyscrapers became the wonder of the 20th century so too, were Gothic cathedrals the glory of the Middle Ages.
Around the
Web, learn more about the great cathedrals and how they were built,
take in their history and meaning, along with more practical
information on where, when and how to visit the next time
you're on a cathedral pilgrimage through Europe ...