Excellent4.8 out of 5On Trustpilot
  1. Christian Books/
  2. Catholic Bookshop

Bookmark this item

Gold Was the Mortar: The Economics of Cathedral Building

by Henry Kraus

  • Paperback
  • 294 pages
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • 17.3 x 24.4 x 1.8 cm

£43.11

Free UK Delivery

Available - Usually dispatched within 5 days

Buying for a Church or School? Get 10% off every order and Buy Now Pay Later
An Eden warehouse team member picking orders in Chester

Every order is picked and packed with care by our warehouse team in Chester

Living Wage Employer

Bookmark this item

For history buffs and architectural enthusiasts

Unpacks how money and faith built great cathedrals

Learn the hidden stories behind these icons

Explore the fascinating economic and social history behind the building of medieval cathedrals.

Our Mission

Equipping you for life's journey with Jesus:

  • Now a team of 60 – we've been serving the Church since 2004
  • Together we've raised over £1,000,000 for UK Christian charities
  • 25,000 churches are using the Eden Plus account
An Eden team member standing among warehouse book shelves

Free delivery on orders over £10

Originally published in 1979, Gold Was the Mortar details the financing and the building of the medieval cathedrals at Paris, Amiens, Toulouse, Lyon, Strasbourg, York, Poitiers and Rouen. The book examines the raising of funds and their expenditure, not only on the Cathedrals themselves, but also on the worldly ambitions of the bishop or archbishop, which went beyond the 'wars and natural disasters' theory to explain the reasons that caused the delays in building the cathedrals. The book also looks at the issues of building the cathedrals, such as the availability of finance and how for some there was a steady flow of funds while others suffered prolonged breaks. The book also provides case studies of specific cathedrals and examines how places such as York were held up by the internecine disputes with Canterbury; Toulouse and Poiters by the vast expropriations following conquests; and Lyon by the suppression of the commercial and social hierarchy. All the cathedrals depended on the benevolence of patrons, but the part played by the commoners, as revealed in wills and contemporary documents, was an extraordinary contribution, usually exceeding that of the nobility and royalty and sometimes that of the hierarchy itself.

  • Title

    Gold Was the Mortar: The Economics of Cathedral Building

  • Author

    Henry Kraus

  • Book Format

    Paperback

  • Publisher

    Routledge

  • Published

    December 2020

  • Weight

    541g

  • Page Count

    294

  • Dimensions

    17.3 x 24.4 x 1.8 cm

  • ISBN

    9780367209438

  • ISBN-10

    0367209438

  • Eden Code

    5317213