Art of Faith is a visually sumptuous series revealing outstanding examples of the art and architecture of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The films bring to life many of the greatest and most significant religious buildings through stunning photography and interviews with the people who know and love them.

The programs are filmed in twenty-seven key locations in eighteen countries, from Russia to the USA, India to Egupt, and the UK to Hungary. The architecture and art of each building is explored by rabbis, priests and imams, as well as congregation members and art historians, who explain the history of these sacred places and, in many cases, their importance today as places of lived faith.

Art of Faith enables viewers to enter into the lives of these people and gain a deeper understanding of the three Abrahamic faith traditions as well as the history and art of these great and glorious buildings.

Featured Locations for Judaism
Synagogue, Masada • Old-New Synagogue, Prague • Synagogues, Toledo • Bevis Marks Synagogue, London
Dohany Street Synagogue, Budapest • Princes Road Synagogue, Liverpool • Central Synagogue, New York
Agoudas Hakehilos Synagogue, Paris • Beth Sholom Synagogue, Philadelphia

Featured Locations for Christianity
St. Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai • Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna • Durham Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres • St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol • St. Peter’s Bascilica, Vatican City
Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, Moscow • Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, Vence
Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle

Featured Locations for Islam
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem • Great Mosque, Kairouan • Mezquita, Cordoba
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul • Registan, Samarkand • Taj Mahal, Agra
Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking • Assyafaah Mosque, Singapore • Brick Lane Jamme Mosjid, London

View Photo Gallery!

Art of Faith Product Information

Grade Level: College and University
Subjects: Arts, Architecture, Religion and Spirituality, Judaism, Islam, Christianity
Set: DVD Only
Copyright: © 2008 Illuminations and British Sky Broadcasting. All rights reserved.
Total Running Time: 165 minutes (3 x 55 minutes)
 

Educational with Public Performance Rights: $249.00
 
 
Educational without Public Performance Rights: $229.00
 
 
Note: If you are unable to pay via PayPal, please contact info@alivemindeducation.com or call us at 212-398-3112 to order this title.

For public exhibition inquiries please contact us for more details!

Art in Faith is a series broken down into three sections Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Within each segment are nine chapters, each on a significant work of architecture within that faith. From the famous St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to the Taj Mahal and from the earliest Synagogue at Masada built as a winter palace by King Herod, who ruled from 37 BCE to 4 BCE to the modern work of Steven Holl from 1994 to 1997 on the Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle, these as some of the most amazing and most significant religious buildings in the world. “Divine in form, sacred in function. Holy buildings are among the most beautiful and the most enduring achievements of mankind. They are also the most prominent symbols of faith.” They also include works from some famous architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Matisse.

“How have the passions and complexities of a religious belief been expressed in architecture? How have the most abstract mysteries been given the most concrete shapes? How over the past two thousand years have we celebrated the art of faith?” This film takes us through the history, culture and evolution of these incredible buildings. While John McCarthy, a broadcaster, narrates throughout the entire series, each segment also includes narration from those individuals most familiar with each site. We follow them as they take us on through the history of each place and the artworks included in each one. Each one just blows your breath away at its amazing beauty and sacredness that is conveyed within those walls and within those that worship there today. “Those we’ve selected are beautiful, moving and inspiring. What do each of these special places reveal about those who built them and those who created exceptional artworks for them? What feelings do they prompt in those that work and worship there now? And how do these extraordinary buildings both shape and respond to the faith that is affirmed within them every day?”

Filmed in high definition that allows the beauty of each site to just flow onto the screen. The film has offers detailed histories and insightful looks into these grand buildings. It is paced well, is engaging and engrossing with a philosophical and magical tone. Illuminations and Sky Arts did a great job of researching each site and including both animation and beautiful cinematography to captures and entrances the audience. An amazing work of art in and of itself, this is not one to be missed and will benefit every academic and public library as it follows the history of these faiths, their artworks and the timeless places of worship that each has created.

-Educational Media Reviews Online

Video Librarian Review March/April 2010
Rating: 3 out of 4 Stars - Recommended!
The great monotheistic religions’ historically important places of worship are spotlighted in this three-part 2008 series from British Sky Broadcasting that was filmed in 27 locations in 18 countries. The nine Christian structures featured include such obvious choices as St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Basil’s in Moscow, but also the ancient monastery of St. Catherine’s on Mount Sinai and the medieval cathedral in Chartres. The episode on Jewish synagogues begins with the archeological reconstruction of the assembly room in the mountain-top fortress of Masada that was the last redoubt of the rebels against Rome in A.D. 73 and continues with eight temples in Europe and America. The segment on Islam proceeds from the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem through mosques in Asia and Europe, including the Taj Mahal, the Mezquita in Corboda (converted into a Christian church), and the Hagia Sophia (now a museum) and other sites in Istanbul. The photography is excellent, while the commentary—mostly by building curators but with occasional remarks from congregants, archeologists, and art historians—is both clear and engaging. The inclusion of some modern examples—Matisse’s Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary in Venice, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beth Sholom Synagogue in Philadelphia, the Assyafaah Mosque in Singapore—shows how innovative designs can serve traditional purposes. Because of the number of sites, these are thumbnail sketches rather than thorough treatments; but as a whole, Art of Faith beautifully demonstrates the many ways in which the religious impulse can be expressed in stone and decoration. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)