For centuries, churches have been a key part of the landscape of the world. In this fascinating book, David Stancliffe takes us back to the earliest churches, showing how they were conceived as spaces for worship. We see their historical development from the early Roman house churches, through Byzantine, Romanesque and on to Gothic. With the Reformation came significant change in the religious landscape - these changes are described and the journey to the modern understanding of church architecture explored. The book is infused throughout with the spirit of human quest for meaning and transcendence. The text is lavishly illustrated with over 500 colour illustrations, photography, cutaways and line drawings.