Fire at York Minster Mason's Yard - No Major Damages

Fortunately, the Great East Window, dismantled and in the yard due to an ongoing restoration project, was quickly moved to safety. No one was hurt in the blaze, and only modern offices were damaged.
BBC Report

What will become of L'Aquila? The NY Times has an article pondering the rebuilding process and the earthquake's potential long-term effects on the town.

Upcoming V&A Show

An exhibition of photography of Gothic and Gothic Revival architecture will open in January at the Victoria and Albert museum. The show will explore the link between photography and architectural practice in the nineteenth century, as well as illustrating the role of photography in architectural preservation.
The V&A site
Note that a show on Walpole's Strawberry Hill is also forthcoming.
More information about the Gothic photography show.

Church collapse in Georgia

The reported collapse of the church of Saint Gevorg of Mughni in Tbilisi, Georgia, highlights ongoing tensions in the country between national and ethnic identities and between church and state control of religious patrimony.
Public Radio of Armenia report

The Pope's View of Medieval Architecture

Benedict XVI's November 18 catechesis described Romanesque and Gothic architecture in relation to faith, education, and beauty. It's interesting to see a contemporary religious leader reflect on the function of medieval style.
Beauty is a 'fascinating way to approach the Mystery of God,' says Pope Benedict

New Review

Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 68 (4)
Robert Maxwell, The Art of Medieval Urbanism: Parthenay in Romanesque Aquitaine 579-581.

V&A Gallery Renovation Nearing Completion

After an extended closure for renovation, the Medieval and Renaissance galleries at the V&A are set to reopen December 2nd.

New Views of King's College Chapel

King's College Chapel is the subject of a new photography exhibition and book by Tony Eva. The show celebrates the chapel's 500th anniversary.

New Medieval Images on ARTstor

Bryn Mawr has provided ARTstor with thousands of images from its holdings in the fields of medieval architecture and archaeology. News courtesy of The Red Dot - a great source for news on online image collections.

Virtual Tours

Arounder.com offers a growing selection of 360° views of famous buildings, including medieval sites in Paris, Florence, Cologne, Rome...These views are also accessible through Google Maps.

Glass Analysis at Cologne

Euronews has posted a report on CONSTGLASS, an EC project analyzing methods of stained glass conservation at Cologne Cathedral and elsewhere:
http://www.euronews.net/2009/09/23/a-faded-past-but-a-bright-future-for-stained-glass/
CONSTGLASS website

Music at Royaumont

Royaumont Abbey is currently hosting Lebanese composer Kad Moultaka and others:
Article on Radio France Internationale

New Books

New and recent:
Kathleen Ashley and Marilyn Deegan, Being a Pilgrim: Art and Ritual on the Medieval Routes to Santiago (Lund Humphries/Ashgate)
Maryanne Kowaleski and P.J.P. Goldberg, eds. Medieval Domesticity:
Home, Housing and Household in Medieval England (Cambridge University Press)
Simone Roux, Paris in the Middle Ages (translation of Paris au moyen âge) (University of Pennsylvania Press)

Coming soon in paperback:
Conrad Rudolph, ed., A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe (Blackwell)

New Reviews:
Speculum 84 (4)
Thomas Coomans and Harry van Royan, eds., Medieval Brick Architecture in Flanders and Northern Europe: The Question of the Cistercian Origin 1129
Patrick Demouy, Genèse d'une cathédrale: Les archevêques de Reims et leur eglise aux XIe et XIIe siècles 1035-7
Robert Maxwell, The Art of Medieval Urbanism: Parthenay in Romanesque Aquitaine 1084-5
Matthew Reeve, Thirteenth-Century Wall Painting of Salisbury Cathedral: Art, Liturgy, and Reform 1102-1104
Meyer Scapiro, Romanesque Architectural Sculpture (the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures) 1106-1108

Art Bulletin 91 (3)
Robert Maxwell, The Art of Medieval Urbanism: Parthenay in Romanesque Aquitaine 366-369