This summer, a class on the history and importance of European cathedrals is being offered online. Titled “Age of Cathedrals,” theYale Universityclass can be taken for credit, oraudited for free.
The highly rated class is taught by Howard Bloch, Sterling Professor of French at Yale. Participants will study iconic cathedrals from France, Spain, Italy, and North Africa. Bloch will cover some of the most famous cathedrals, including: Saint-Denis, Notre Dame de Paris, and Our Lady of Chartres.
Professor Bloch wrote in the class synopsis:
We shall study the art, literature, intellectual life, economics, and new social arrangements that arose in the shadow of the cathedrals and that were such an important part of the revival of cities in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The goal of the course is a better appreciation of the High Middle Ages, a world that is still recognizably our own.
“Age of Cathedrals” is considered a beginner-level course that will take 18 hours to complete. Those who attend will be allowed to take the class at their leisure, as it is completely online.
To give prospective students a sample of the course, the program offers the introduction video, featured above. Professor Bloch presents the subject in clear terms and moves at a moderate pace. In the introduction, Bloch takes the viewer through basic terms that relate to cathedrals, as well as to the Catholic Church.
Click here to learn how to sign up for this free nine-week summer class.
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