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Fort Bend County Libraries will have an educational series focusing on “Art & Architecture” this fall. The next program in the series, “Art & Architecture: Gothic Cathedrals,” will take place on Saturday, December 9, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, in the Meeting Room of the Cinco Ranch Branch Library, located at 2620 Commercial Center Blvd in Katy.

In this segment in the series, architecture professor Sheba Akhtar will talk about the design origins of Gothic Cathedrals, which flourished in Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages, originating in 12^th-century France and lasting into the 16^th century.

Hear about how characteristics of the Gothic period -- including urbanization, economic prosperity, professional guilds, the crusades (1095-1291), and the veneration of the Virgin Mary -- influenced the design of structures such as the Basilica of St. Denis, Chartres Cathedral, and Notre Dame Cathedral. Akhtar will also talk about Abbott Suger and the incorporation of stained-glass windows in structures.

An assistant architecture professor at Prairie View A&M University, Akhtar received her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania and taught art and architecture history for more than 20 years. She has practiced as an architect in the United States, England, Scotland, Jordan, and Pakistan. She is the author of “Of Colour and Form” and numerous articles on art and architecture.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, see the Fort Bend County Libraries website (www.fortbend.lib.tx.us), or call the Cinco Ranch Branch Library (281-395-1311) or the library system’s Communications Office (281-633-4734).