Building the Great Cathedrals

An exploration of Rodez Cathedral and its stained glass windows: praying figures and scientific imagery. A study on color, repetition and flickering consisting of 292 photographs.

Murder in the Cathedral is a story about Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and his struggles against temptation and personal vanity prior to his murder in the great Cathedral.

An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

The collaboration between architects, scientists, archaeologists and engineers in their efforts to restore Notre Dame.

Au cœur de Notre-Dame

Taking you back inside the world-famous Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in France. It’s three years since the inferno devastated the vast timber and lead roof and the 850-year-old Gothic masterpiece is now at a critical turning point. Work to rebuild the monument is being ramped up, with 200 scientists, historians, restorers and construction workers now on site. They’re racing to meet an ambitious deadline; to reopen Notre Dame to the public ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris. 1,200 tons of scaffolding now fills the cathedral, giving the team unprecedented access to every inch of the structure. This not only allows them to restore Notre Dame, but also solve its architectural mysteries.

Sur les pas de Marie

Paris, 1482. Today is the festival of the fools, taking place like each year in the square outside Cathedral Notre Dame. Among jugglers and other entertainers, Esmeralda, a sensuous gypsy, performs a bewitching dance in front of delighted spectators. From up in a tower of the cathedral, Frollo, an alchemist, gazes at her lustfully. Later in the night, Frollo orders Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer and his faithful servant, to kidnap Esmeralda. But when the ugly freak comes close to her is touched by the young woman's beauty...

Katedrála zázrakov

David Hockney undertakes a commission to design and install a stained-glass window in Westminster Abbey to commemorate the sixty-fifth year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign.

The city of Ordos, in the middle of China, was build for a million people yet remains completely empty. Ordos is not so much a place but a symbol of babylonic hype. But nothing will change - as long as people believe.

For most of America's history, sacred buildings represented our greatest feats of innovative engineering and artistic design. Unlock the elements of design that make these structures so fascinating and unveil the meaning in religious architecture, ranging from grand cathedrals and simple country churches to synagogues and mosques.

An epic ramble from Winchester to Canterbury, through Hampshire, Surrey and Kent with picnics, pints and much prettiness on the way.

Hitch a ride with a glamorous blonde in a convertible sports car, and take a spin around the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare and its surroundings.

Author David Macaulay hosts CATHEDRAL, based on his award-winning book. Using a combination of spectacular location sequences and cinema-quality animation, the program surveys France's most famous churches. Travel back to 1214 to explore the design of Notre Dame de Beaulieu, a representative Gothic cathedral. The program tells period tales revealing fascinating stories of life and death, faith and despair, prosperity, and intrigue.

The Strasbourg cathedral is a stunning edifice, a masterwork of gothic architecture which also expresses the bold ambitions of its creators. With its church spire which rose to a height of 142 meters it became the world’s tallest building and it held that distinction until the 19th century. Who were the master builders of the cathedral? What is the cathedral’s history?

A large crowd and choir, on an historic day at York Minster, greet the arrival of a replacement big bell, watching and singing as labourers manfully slide the 10 ton bell off a truck.

A film about astronomy which also happens to show views of the ancient city of Winchester, before focussing on a particular house in the suburbs with its own observatory.

Big fan of episcopal residences? Take a rose-tinted look at the historic city of Wells.

In a rainy afternoon drive, a man embarks on a journey through his memories. As he questions his faith, the line between past and present begins to blur, leading him into a maelstrom of fragmented images.