Monastic Gardens

by Mick Hales

Book Overview

More than one hundred full-color photographs journey behind the cloister walls and gates of monasteries in Europe and the United States to celebrate the special role of the garden in monastic life,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155670982X
• ISBN13: 9781556709821
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: ABRAMS
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 2.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 9.2" x 11.2"

Customer Reviews

More than a coffee table book

I recently purchased this book as a gift for a friend after hearing a review from a fellow book club member. My friend is a long-time gardener and has also attended retreats at several convents and monasteries. She was delighted with the information in the book as well as the beautiful photographs. Especially interesting are the explanations of the selection of plants included in the various parts of the gardens. I would recommend this book as a must-have for the serious gardener's library.

Great monastic gardens, and great photographs

This book is a precious insight into a way of life which is rare today, and all the more valuable as a result. The photographs are beautiful and informative, the text respectful but not synchophantic. I've read it twenty times and still find opening the next page a real treat.

Greening love....

Books on the origins of English words, generally agree the word 'garden' comes from the old German for an enclosed safe space where living things including vegetables, flowers and children can be safely grown. Modern dictionaries expand the meaning a bit, but for the most part gardens remain places of safety, nurturing, repose, and reflection. The huge fields containing monocrops grown by large commercial interests, where nothing survives except the cash crop of interest, are the antithesis of the garden, which is literally and figuratively the source of life.According to the Christian Bible (and the Jewish Torah), the original garden (Eden) contained the tree of life. MONASTIC GARDENS, by Mick Hales, is about the importance of gardens for the well being of bodies, minds, emotions, and eternal souls. The places he visited and photographed in the U.S. and Europe reflect the lost paradise and the paradise to come. Many of the gardens contain a tree as a focal point in remembrance of the Garden of Eden.In addition to setting an example of the life well lived, providing a place of refuge for the weary soul, and working for their own sustanance, the most important good deed the monks and nuns who tend the living spaces in monastic gardens do is to contribute to the preservation of the diversity of life humankind at times seems bent on obliterating in it's mad quest for "perfection". Around the world other spiritual/religious groups are similarly engaged in this very important work. One can think of the Amish who live in the mid-Atlantic areas of the U.S. as like-minded souls who understand the modern obsession with "perfectionism" is a deadly illusion if not downright sinful. Hale's photographs and text encourage meditation. Cloister walks and clipped box mazes reflect the paradox of life as a journey of the soul toward the infinite. An orchard where a fallen Quince stained with a bit of decay lies in the sunlit grass reminds one of her own mortality. All these photographs reflect the work of the creator who is the divine spark that sets the monks and nuns on their daily rounds.MONASTIC GARDENS is a beautiful book of prayer and meditation. Forget for a moment the strife and hatred of those who do not know love, and focus on the words Hildegard Bingen who said, "greening love hastens to the aid of all.." This is not a book about the life of priviledge. This is a book that points the way for all.

A Truly Unique Book!

This book is a unique find. I have never seen a book before that explores monastic life in this way. The gardens are both functional and glorious. The photos are absolutely stunning. Oftentimes I have read books where the photos take center stage and the text is an afterthought. This book is an exception. It is a very rich story that compliments the brillant photos. After reading the book, I felt like I had joined the author in his travels and explorations. I will defintely be looking for more books by him in the future!

Takes You Places..

The book contains spectacular photos and brilliant descriptive text illustrating diverse monastic gardens. Takes you places you never have been - but wish you had. Great gift -- for any garden, travel or spirtual adventurers. Coffee Table Book raised to the power of 10! Fantastick find - never seen a book like this before.