videos + essays
![Durham Cathedral](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/screen-shot-2017-07-07-at-9-13-23-am-570x350.png)
Durham Cathedral
Spiral columns, carved zig-zags, round arches—at Durham, the rhythmic Anglo-Norman Romanesque pulses with life.
![The Colosseum](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ColosseumGrid-570x350.jpg)
The Colosseum
Gladiators, animal hunts, and executions: learn about the Colosseum, a monumental gift to the Roman people.
![Museums and politics: the Louvre, Paris](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/sale2-sm-570x350.jpg)
Museums and politics: the Louvre, Paris
Art museums and politics have a long and complex relationship; nowhere is this more apparent than the Louvre.
![Medieval synagogues in Toledo, Spain](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/santa_maria_la_blanca_arcos_ordenados_toledo_espancc83a_2015-570x350.jpg)
Medieval synagogues in Toledo, Spain
These eclectic buildings embody the close ties between Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultures in medieval Spain.
![Church of São Francisco de Assis, Ouro Preto, Brazil](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/screen-shot-2018-04-13-at-10-55-44-am-copy-570x350.jpg)
Church of São Francisco de Assis, Ouro Preto, Brazil
Ouro Preto was a remote yet cosmopolitan town where gold supported both artists and architects.
![The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/india_-_madurai_temple_-_0781-570x350.jpg)
The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
This legendary complex draws thousands of visitors per day. Its bewildering spaces delight—and overwhelm—the eye.
![Seneca Village: the lost history of African Americans in New York](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/senecathumb-570x350.jpg)
Seneca Village: the lost history of African Americans in New York
The long forgotten residents of Seneca Village were evicted to make way for Central Park.
![Huis ten Bosch (House in the Woods)](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Huis-ten-Bosch-thumb-570x350.jpg)
Huis ten Bosch (House in the Woods)
Built for nobility and now home to royals, this palace has a checkered past. It held art, then political prisoners.
![El Escorial, Spain](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/1280px-el_escorial_view_from_the_north-west-570x350.jpg)
El Escorial, Spain
The severe exterior of this palace complex belies its highly decorative interior, once filled with art.
![Christopher Wren, Saint Paul’s Cathedral](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/St-Pauls-Cathedral-thumb-570x350.jpg)
Christopher Wren, Saint Paul’s Cathedral
Like a phoenix, this church rose from the ashes. Wren’s enormous dome was the first of its kind in England.
![The Basilica of San Clemente, Rome](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/1108px-rom_basilika_san_clemente_innenraum_1-570x350.jpg)
The Basilica of San Clemente, Rome
Rome’s pagan and Christian pasts merge at San Clemente, where a mosaic advertises the power of the Western Church.
![Altneushul, Prague](https://smarthistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Altneushul-Prague-thumb-570x350.jpg)
Altneushul, Prague
In the “Old New Synagogue,” desks surround a Torah plaform. Text outweighs image—only plants ornament the space.