Ivan's Blog

I had the opportunity to return (after 10 years) to the Monastery of le Thoronet in Provence. Absolutely beautiful. It is interesting to see that, at least for me, there is a certain similarity between this early Cistercite architecture and the Zen Buddhist monasteries I saw in Asia. The same approach: a strive for simplicity, seeking some sort of a spiritual experience without excessive ornaments, just by the pure forms, the “atmosphere” of the building, the close relationship to nature… I am not a religious person but these places do have a deep effect on me nevertheless. I could imagine spending several days at a place like that! (See, for example, the Wikipedia entry on the cisterian order…)

This reminds me of a fantastic TV series I saw 30 years ago done by the French TV, inspired by a book of Georges Duby called Au temps des Cathédrales (it was published in English under the title “The Age of the Cathedrals” in 1976), which retraced the history between the 10th and the 13th centuries through art, primarily architecture. It was beautiful, I have been chasing this series on DVD or tape for years without any success. If somebody knows where to find it…