"Cistercian architecture draws together the fundamentals of masonry and geometry to create a harmony of stone and light, of uncluttered interior volumes and modest external masses. The buildings and ruins that remain today are immensely, almost unspeakably refined. Upon entering le Thoronet or Senanque, Fontenay or Silvacane, one is deeply touched by the quality of the silence and the light. Free by design of distracting details, these are places of recollection, of concentration, of serenity.".

"David Heald's luminous photographs provide an extraordinary record of exploration through more than a decade of periodic visits to Cistercian places throughout France. He puts before us not just views by moments - moments when light enters a space or falls on an exterior in ways that illuminate and reveal. His evocative photographs offer loving witness to the bare brilliance, power, and subtlety of early Cistercian architecture.".

"The text by Terryl N. Kinder offers a concise introduction to the history and milieu of the early Cistercians and the forces that created this architecture. Her discussion of the Rule of Saint Benedict and its meaning for the Cistercians, both ancient and contemporary, provides a foundation for understanding these buildings that is informed by the most recent scholarship and archaeological research."--BOOK JACKET.