A panoramic vision of cosmic spiritual ecology achieved through an unusual balance between practical observation, vigorous knowledge of literature and science, and inspired personal insight. The author relates her practice and understanding of the Gurdjieff teaching to international legacies of literature and science, and to the immediate sensory details of her own life.
Commander Gideon of Scotland Yard is working on a case involving a mysterious man known to photograph young girls in the nude. The girls then vanish. There are also serious internal problems at the Yard. On top of all of this are several cases of vandalism in major churches – but they are threatened with far more than theft and vandalism!
Nestled in the heart of Paris, the American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity today stands as one of the great buildings of this ancient city. The history of the church itself presents a rich portrait of lively men and women who made it their mission to serve God and the people of Paris with all their hearts. Meticulously researched, A History of the American Pro-Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Paris, 18151980 delivers an impressive narrative on each period of growth and development within this church. Beginning with the American Episcopal Churchs need to serve Americans living in Paris, author Cameron Allen traces the development of the foundational congregation, the building of the first church, and its organization over the years. Allen draws on diary entries, church documents, and other primary sources to reveal the personalities behind church leaders, including W. O. Lamson, who formally established the church, the pivotal role of J. P. Morgan, organist L. K. Whipp, and German Colonel Rudolf Damrath, a Lutheran minister who took over during the German Occupation of France during World War II. In addition, he discusses the churchs role during major historical events and its present needs. This inspiring, well-written history provides an excellent resource for current and past church members, rectory libraries, and historians.
"The Cathedral" is a novel written by Joris-Karl Huysmans, originally published in French as "La Cathédrale" in 1898. This novel is part of the larger literary movement known as decadence and is a follow-up to Huysmans' earlier work, "Against Nature" ("À rebours"). "The Cathedral" continues to explore themes of decadence, art, and spirituality, but it takes a different narrative approach. The story revolves around the character of Durtal, an author who has previously been the protagonist of Huysmans' works. In this novel, Durtal is researching and writing a book about Gilles de Rais, a 15th-century French nobleman known for his association with Joan of Arc and later for his crimes involving child abduction and murder. This subject matter reflects Durtal's fascination with the darker aspects of history. Durtal also becomes interested in the subject of religious mysticism and decides to spend time at a Trappist monastery in order to explore his spiritual beliefs. As he immerses himself in the austere and contemplative life of the monastery, Durtal grapples with questions of faith, redemption, and the role of art in conveying religious experience. Throughout the novel, Huysmans delves into various philosophical and theological ideas, contrasting the decadent, materialistic world of late 19th-century France with the ascetic, spiritual world of the monastery. "The Cathedral" is a reflection on the complexities of human nature, the search for meaning, and the tension between art and spirituality. In essence, "The Cathedral" is a philosophical and introspective work that explores the intersection of aesthetics, religion, and the human condition. Through Durtal's journey, readers are invited to contemplate the role of art and faith in a world marked by decadence and uncertainty.
Haunting and transcendently twisted, this English-language debut from a Cuban literary star is a tale of race, magic, belief, and fate The Stuart family moves to a marginal neighborhood of Cienfuegos, a city on the southern coast of Cuba. Arturo Stuart, a charismatic, visionary preacher, discovers soon after arriving that God has given him a mission: to build a temple that surpasses any before seen in Cuba, and to make of Cienfuegos a new Jerusalem. In a neighborhood that roils with passions and conflicts, at the foot of a cathedral that rises higher day by day, there grows a generation marked by violence, cruelty, and extreme selfishness. This generation will carry these traits beyond the borders of the neighborhood, the city, and the country, unable to escape the shadow of the unfinished cathedral. Told by a chorus of narrators—including gossips, gangsters, a ghost, and a serial killer—who flirt, lie, argue, and finish one another’s stories, Marcial Gala's The Black Cathedral is a darkly comic indictment of modern Cuba, gritty and realistic but laced with magic. It is a portrait of what remains when dreams of utopia have withered away.
'The Cathedral' is a novel written by J.-K. Huysmans. It is the third of Huysmans' books to feature the character Durtal, a thinly disguised portrait of the author. He had already featured the character of Durtal in Là-bas and En route, which recounted his conversion to Catholicism. The Cathedral continues the story. After his retreat at a Trappist monastery, Durtal moved to the city of Chartres, renowned for its cathedral. Huysmans describes the building in great detail.
