Zed
Art & Culture 4K 15x26'

Wonders of Men

Entering a sacred monument is never an unremarkable experience.

Whether a place of worship for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists, the buildings all tend to be architecturally magnificent. And behind the stone, brick, or marble facades are hidden stories of titanic construction sites where brilliant architects, builders and artists came together... From the West to the Far East, these monuments are the concrete witnesses of men's beliefs and of their desire to excel, as well as reminders of their will for political dominance.  

This series, set in the present day, is about discovering some of the world’s most beautiful and sacred monuments, from Italy to Hungary via France, and on to India, Tunisia and even Myanmar... During each episode we spend a day, from sunrise to sunset, at one of the monuments and learn about its history and architecture, as well as the rituals practiced there, and the people who take care of it.

  • Myanmar, the Shwedagon Pagoda
  • Turkey, Süleymaniye Mosque
  • India, Meenakshi Temple
  • Japan, Daitoku-Ji Temple
  • Mongolia, Erdene Zuu Monastery
  • Italy, the Duomo in Florence
  • Moscow, the Cathedral Saint-Basile-the-Blessed
  • France, the Cathedral of Chartres
  • France, the Mont-Saint-Michel
  • India, Jama Masjid Mosque
  • Iran, the Shah Mosque
  • Italy, the Synagogues of the Venice Ghetto
  • Hungary, the Dohány street Synagogue 
  • Jerusalem, Three Times A Holy City
  • Tunisia, Ghriba Synagogue

Direction: Véronique Legendre, Celia Lowenstein, Bruno Victor-Pujebet, Bruno Ulmer, Delphine Cohen, Alexis Barbier-Bouvet, Serge Turquier, Frédéric Lossignol, Lysiane Le Mercier and Cécile Husson

Production: ZED for ARTE France

Languages: French, English

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