Heaven on Earth: The Lives and Legacies of the World's Greatest Cathedrals

HistFest

Ecclesiastical and architectural historian Dr Emma Wells is joined by Shafi Musaddique to discuss her latest book, Heaven on Earth.

The emergence of the Gothic in twelfth-century France, an architectural style characterized by pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses, large windows and elaborate tracery, triggered an explosion of cathedral-building across western Europe. In this fascinating talk, academic and ecclesiastical and architectural historian Dr Emma Wells is joined by journalist, history buff and regular HistFest speaker Shafi Musaddique to discuss her latest book, Heaven on Earth.

More than architectural biographies, Wells shares the human stories of triumph and tragedy to take us from the chaotic atmosphere of the mason’s yard to the cloisters of power; revealing how 1000 years of cathedral-building shaped modern Europe, and influenced art, culture and society around the world.

*Please note, this is an ONLINE talk and attendees will have access for 7 days*

About the speakers…

Dr Emma Wells is Lecturer in Ecclesiastical and Architectural History at the University of York, and the author of many publications, including Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles (Hale, 2016), lauded as “a beautifully written and hugely useful book” by Oxford art historian and broadcaster Dr Janina Ramirez. Her next book is Heaven On Earth: The Lives &amp; Legacies of the World’s Greatest Cathedrals (Head of Zeus, 2022). Emma is also Research Fellow in Archaeology at Durham University. She is a broadcaster and regularly writes for popular magazines, such as BBC History, BBC Countryfile and History Today.

Shafi Musaddique is a British journalist covering a range of topics for outlets such as The Economist, BBC, The Independent and CNBC. His interests include British and European politics, race, faith and identity, border and frontier cultures, marginalized communities, workers rights, and social justice. The inspiration to many of his stories are born from the multiple identities of growing up and living in the traditionally working-class London borough of Camden, home to 130 languages, and being a second-generation Brit born from Bangladeshi parents.

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Heaven on Earth: The Lives and Legacies of the World's Greatest Cathedrals

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