Architecture of Silence

Architecture of Silence: Cistercian Abbeys of France, text by Terryl N Kinder, photographs by David Heald, 137 pages

The Abbey of Citeaux was founded at the end of the 11th century by a group of Benedictine monks attempting to live according to a strict interpretation of the Rule.  Within a hundred years over 500 new monasteries had been founded across Europe in imitation of it.  With the Cistercian way of life came a distinct approach to art and architecture, its simplicity highlighted by the contrast with the contemporary splendor of Gothic.

Architecture of Silence is primarily an album showcasing David Heald's striking photographs of French Cistercian abbeys, with a brief but informative introduction by Terryl Kinder providing background and context.  The beautiful black and white photographs of the abbeys in varying stages of repair and disrepair perfectly capture the stillness that both produced Cistercian architecture and was produced by it.  Although nothing in this world lasts forever, these buildings were designed for eternity and even in ruins seem so naturally part of the landscape that it is possible to believe that they were always there and will always be there.