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The Scents of the Cathedral
The overwhelming 16th century Wendy Wauters
Literary non-fiction that takes you to the hotspot of the 16th Century: the cathedral of Antwerp About the scents (stench!), colours (everything but white!) and sounds (noise!) of the cathedral Experience the exciting 16th century as if you were there
Why didn't the people of Antwerp dare to enter the cathedral on summer days? Did incense really protect against the plague? What were the three women who were hiding chopped off fingers under the altar planning?
Wendy Wauters allows you to discover the 16th century in an entirely unique way: through the eyes, ears and noses of the people that lived back then. The beating heart of the city was the cathedral, where intensely religious parishioners crossed paths with confectioners, dog trappers and cattle dealers. Not really what you expected of a religious space? Just wait until you read about the hectic bustle at the dozens of side altars while the smell of corpses rose from the graves.
This book is a staggering sensory experience and offers a whole new perspective into Antwerp’s years of glory. The last chapter takes you to the 20th of August 1566, that fatal summer when the Cathedral of Our Lady fell victim to the iconoclastic fury.
240 x 155 | 368 pages | 105,000 words hardcover | all rights available
Wendy Wauters is a Doctor of Philosophy in Art History (KU Leuven) with an award-winning dissertation about the experiences of medieval churchgoers. After a career as Arts Director in the advertising industry, she started working at the Museum for Religious Art and Culture PARCUM in Leuven. She’s a much sought-after speaker and loves to bring the little stories about the 16th century out in the open.
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