Imagine that happy day around 1700 when the monk Dom Pérignon, after much fiddling with the double fermentation of his grape juice, stumbled onto a bubbly delight. Having tasted the very first glass of Champagne, he ran through the abbey shouting, “Brothers, come quickly … I’m drinking stars!” The drink he invented ultimately put the…

On June 11, 1144, King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor led dozens of bishops and abbots in procession to the newly renovated church of the ancient Abbey of St. Denis. Their numbers were dwarfed by hundreds of clergymen and monks—and a much vaster congregation. After three years of construction, the church was ready for…

The St. Vitus Cathedral is located on a hill that overlooks the city of Prague. When construction began in the 14th century, Prague was the third-largest city in the world after Rome and Constantinople. In this grand Gothic cathedral, kings have been crowned, married, and buried, and national treasures have been held. As in the…

The spiral staircase of the Loretto Chapel is well known as a miracle because of its unique structure. It is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is a Gothic Revival style building with a mix of French spire and stained glass. It looks elegant like the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, just smaller. The construction of…