Sacred Paris: A Guide to the Churches, Synagogues, and the Grand Mosque in the City of Light by Susan Cahill

Sacred Paris: A Guide to the Churches, Synagogues, and the Grand Mosque in the City of Light Reviews

• 
  eyes.2c

  This Guide to the Churches, Synagogues, and the Grand Mosque is illuminating, fascinating and the sort of guide essential to growing our understanding of the history and beliefs behind the architecture in the City of Light. Hopefully that light will continue to shine. Not only an educational tool, but a tell all about the location and travel advice for each site.
  
  A St Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley
  (Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)
• 
  Kaye

  This is an amazing guide to the churches, synagogues and Grand Mosque in Paris. I've been lucky enough to visit several of the churches included in this book. Some are major tourist destinations like Notre Dame and Sainte-Chappelle and others are smaller but still have long histories. Susan Cahill gives the location, metro stop and hours, if available for the location. Then she includes 2-3 pages of information about each church. She might tell why it was built, or what is historically important. Or she'll describe it architecturally or mention the art inside. I like that when talking of a Protestant church she gives context to that religion in the very Catholic France. She includes Vincent Van Gogh's Montmartre in d'Auver-sur Oise (outside Paris). That section focuses on Van Gogh. I've visited there doing exactly what she describes and envisioning Van Gogh's last months. The church itself wouldn't be memorable except that Van Gogh painted it. This is more in depth than a basic guide book in its focus. A first time visitor to France would want a more traditional guide. But this would be a great addition to a guide book or for someone who enjoys a focus on churches. I was in Paris in March of 2020 and left the city as the world shut down for Covid19. I can't wait to return and now have some new churches to seek out on my visit. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (Note: I did not comment on photos because my ARC did not have any. But according to the description the final book will have photos included.)
• 
  Amy

  I purchased this for my public library's Travel collection. It's very well done and even includes mention of the Notre Dame fire in 2019.
  
  Entries are divided into three sections, "Ile De La Cite" (Island in the River Seine), the Left Bank and the Right Bank and then for the sides of the river, further divided down into quartiers or districts. For each entry, there is a color photograph of the religious place, the name and address of the place, the hours open, and a website. There is also an essay that tells about the place, some history, and more. At the end of each entry is a brief list of Nearby Places, as well as a short list of Related Readings.
  
  Please keep in mind that this book is not comprehensive. According to the Introduction, many places were not included for the sake of brevity or because they attract tourist crowds. This last comment surprised me, because the very first entry in the book is the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris, which I would think would draw more crowds than any other in this city!
  
  At the end of the book are Acknowledgments, a list of Sources, and an Index.
  
  Most interesting!
• 
  Kathryn

  This wonderful guide to Paris takes readers on a journey through Paris’ sacred places and their rich history. The book is divided into parts of the city with each featured sacred places having their mini-chapter. There is usually a brief description of the location and then something about the location’s history. As the history of Paris is long, some of the sections focus on history from the Middle Ages while others tell of Resistance fighters in WWII. After the history section there is a list of points of interest nearby that varies between shops, cafes, and tourist stops. While the book is mostly focused on locations in Paris itself, it does include Saint Denis and Auvers-sur-Oise, which are accessible by train or car.
  
  I use the phrase “sacred place” to describe the locations in the book because it it includes Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, and Muslim mosques. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris five times and while I’ve been able to visit all the major churches, many of which were detailed in this book, I have not taken the time to visit the synagogues and mosques, which I now must do on my next trip. I really appreciated that Susan included personal stories from her time in Paris, such as her last visit to Notre Dame not knowing that it would burn a few months later or running from the area during the 2015 terrorist attacks. It made me reflect on my experiences traveling the city, especially my most recent trip in March 2020 when the world entered lockdown. This book made me really really want to return to the city that I love so much and I will 100% be referring to this guide on my next trip.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Meagan

  I've never visited France, but it's been on my list, and when I do get there, Cahill's _Sacred Paris_ will certainly be on my list to revisit.
  
  Part memoir (at times, sharing of her own experiences with the locations), part guidebook, part reading list, and part history, this book provides something for everyone. I do believe the ARC I received would've benefited from pictures being included--that's half the appeal, and I'll admit I was disappointed not to see any! But, don't let that stop you from picking up a copy; I understand they will be in the final release, as they should be. :)
  
  I can't say I came to some of the same conclusions as Cahill with some of the readings or quotes, but appreciated her take on them nonetheless. My favorite part of the read was the related reading for each location.
  
  3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
  
  I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Steve

  Interesting information about the history of sacred sites in Paris and the people who worshiped there or lived nearby. From the discovery of ancient ruins under other sites to the Notre Dame fire and reconstruction. The pictures included were interesting but there weren't enough of them and I was surprised that there wasn't a single map in this book to orient the reader about the locations of the sites discussed. I enjoyed the stories and history discussed in this book but felt it relied quite a bit on the readers prior knowledge of the geography of Paris, even though it has written directions to and from some of the sites and tangential places discussed such as gift shops and restaurants. I received a free copy of this guide book from the publisher through the Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
• 
  bibliolatry

  I am not sure who the audience is for this book. It is not quite a guidebook because it is a tad too academic, so I did not enjoy it. I love history and I love Paris. I have been to a few of the churches featured in the book, yet I still didn’t find the writing compelling or interesting enough to read, not even the sections in which those churches were discussed. I tried reading this over the course of several months, but it is not for me. It wasn’t entertaining; there were no anecdotal stories; and I could read only so many descriptions of stained glass windows.
  
  I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
  
  #SacredParis #NetGalley
• 
  Susan

  Guidebook of Paris's places of worship written by experienced guidebook author. In addition to the history of the featured church, this guidebook provides a plethora of other information: hours, directions, website, what else is in the neighborhood, and recommended reading. This guidebook is fantastic and made me want to fly to Paris immediately. I am grateful for receiving this ARC, except for the fact that there were no illustrations, which I gather from other reviews, are beautiful. A perfect book for those planning to visit Paris or only dreaming about it. It also presented religious history in easily digestible chapters. I cannot recommend this enough. #SacredParis #NetGalley
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  Donna Wetzel

  Thanks Goodreads for my copy of Sacred Paris: A Guide to the Churches, Synagogues, and the Grand Mosque in the City of Light by Susan Cahill. I love that there are pictures of some of the places mentioned as well as descriptions and short histories. When I get back to Paris, I will certainly look up some of the lesser known churches, synagogues etc. I have been to the famous tourist spots already so I am ready to explore many of the other sights throughout Paris!
• 
  Lovely Loveday

  Sacred Paris is a guide to the churches, synagogues, and the Grand Mosque in the City of Light written by Susan Cahill. Sacred Paris is illuminating, fascinating and the sort of guide essential to growing our understanding of the history and beliefs behind the architecture in the City of Light.
  
• 
  Virginia

  I really enjoy Susan Cahill's writing - the storyline flows so easily throughout the book, it is hard to put down. I highly recommend!!
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  C

  So interesting!