Notre Dame de Paris is a medieval cathedral and one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It is well-known for its fascinating architecture, paintings, sculptures, furniture and the treasury. Perhaps, the most appealing and mysterious elements of this magnificent structure are gargoyles. Gargoyles are frightening grotesquely-shaped waterspouts that look down from above, watching. According to Morain “Some historians believe demonic carvings were added to churches as a kind of "sacred scarecrow" to ward off evil spirits and protect the valuables inside. Others think the gargoyles and grotesques were designed as reminders of the evil outside the church and the holy sanctuary within.” Most people visiting the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris think …show more content…
These creations are not medieval Gothic, but rather contemporary creations. Restored gargoyles were inspired by the ideas of Victor Hugo’s novel, racism and politics.
Victor Hugo’s novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’ (1831) stimulated widespread interest in Notre-Dame de Paris, influenced the initial decision to restore the cathedral and inspired the appearance of chimeras and gargoyles. According to Camille, who wrote a book on these gargoyles, “One could argue that, beyond the chimeras, which are the direct descendants of Quasimodo and his stone friends, the west façade of the cathedral as we see it today is more a monument to a great fiction that was Victor Hugo’s than to anything originating in the Middle Ages.” (Camille, 72) Hugo gives a detailed description to gargoyles in the novel mentioning them “with necks outstretched and jaws agape” which was considered in their restoration. Furthermore, the main character of the novel, ugly hunchback Quasimodo, served as their prototype: “And now he turned his face towards men only reluctantly.
Ronald Joseph Dominique was born in Thibodaux , Louisiana,( Between New Orleans and Baton Rouge), on January 9, 1964. Thibodaux was a relatively well-sized city of about 14, 567 people. Ronald had attended Thibodaux High School and was involved in their glee club and choir, and unfortunately was a victim of sexual discrimination; Ronald was a victim of bullying where the students had accused him of homosexuality. Due to the event, as he aged he developed a sense of split- personality. One side of him would be a gentle, calm, mild -natured and friendly neighbor, and the other side of him was a cross-dressing drag queen attending homosexual bars. In fact, Ron was in the Lions Club just a few months before his arrest and his confession to the
The term “gothic” comes from the name of the Germanic tribes “the Goths”, who were seen as barbarians, uncivilized, savage human beings. Later, the term was used to describe an architectural style that appeared in the Twelfth Century in Western Europe , and also to illustrate a new type of novel issued in Romanticism, in the second part of the Eighteenth Century.
This work is typical for this era because the architectural style Gothic is known for its height being tall and made from stone and tall flying buttress...
The carvings and sculptures on the front of Westminster Palace consist of many beautiful aspects of life, such as birds, flowers, and trees. These beauty-related carvings are contrasted by the gargoyles adorning the top of the walls (Foley 185-186). Gargoyles are ugly, vicious looking creatures viewed as a representation of evil among the church and society. The stone carvings on the facade of Westminster Palace are indicative of the contradictions present between values, morals and actions of the Victorian upper class citizens.
In the end of the 12th century and the start of the 13th century the Gothic and Naturalism movement was moving across Europe. Originally a derogatory term Gothic was used to describe the art of Northern Europe. Despite the resistance to the abandonment of traditional architecture the beauty of stained glass and flamboyant architecture of the gothic style quickly gained popularity. The churches were built by the common people and for the common people. Stained glass was used to depict biblical passages in an intriguing way for those who were illiterate which at the time was a large part of the population. Cathedrals were beacons that could be seen for miles with their pointed spires and from the country side they appeared to be the center of
The Basilica of St. Denis was originally built in 500-599 AD, but was later reconstructed by Abbot Suger in c.1135-1144. Although its original architect is unknown, it is most famous for its reconstruction that was overseen by Abbot Suger (Panofsky). This basilica is also well known for its representation of Europe’s architectural shift from the Romanesque style to Gothic. The Gothic style brought new designs and was dubbed the “transformat...
You may think today “Hey, I totally wonder sometimes what the Middle Ages Churches and Gothic Medieval Cathedrals where like. What were they important for? Were they Churches like the ones today? How long did it take to build? “ Well that may be SOME of the questions you may have but you may have more. In this essay you're about to find out why the Medieval Gothic Cathedrals were so important for, and how much rule and and wide range of power they had over the people in the Middle Ages, and last but NOT least, the creative sublime (I’ll delete this comment later on if you see this but “sublime” is my own words not internet word) of the Gothic style windows of the Cathedral. First, the one I like most, the Gothic stain glass windows of the Gothic Cathedral. Stained glass is argued to an opinion or belief, one of the most important aspects of Gothic cathedrals. As its popularity rose, mainly during the mid 12th century, the increased existence of stained glass presented large changes to the way the general residents were learning about the religion. The windows became illuminated optic (“Optic” is my own wording) talk of biblical stories, which may have had an even greater impact than the spoken word of the priest. In this research paper, I will be primarily focusing on the stained glass windows and architectural styles employed in five Gothic buildings in France, each having their own unique and worthy attention and characteristics to the development of stained glass windows. By looking at the architectural improvements shown in these structures built during the Gothic time frame, we are able to see the impact all over the place to itch for increase...
The term ‘Gothic’ conjures a range of possible meanings, definitions and associations. It explicitly denotes certain historical and cultural phenomena. Gothicism was part of the Romantic Movement that started in the eighteenth century and lasted about three decades into the nineteenth century. For this essay, the definition of Gothic that is applicable is: An 18th century literary style characterized by gloom and the supernatural. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a wide range of issues are explored. Frankenstein represents an entirely new vision of the female Gothic, along with many other traditional themes such as religion, science, colonialism and myth.
The church in the Middle Ages was a place that all people, regardless of class, could belong to. As a source of unity, its influence on art and architecture was great during this time. As society drew away from the feudal system of the Romanesque period, a new spirit of human individualism began to take hold; alas, the birth of Gothic. Here, the Church became a place where humanity became more acceptable, alas becoming the ideal place to visual such new ideals. The beauty and elegance of Gothic architecture is depicted most in the great cathedrals of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries—St. Denis, Notre Dame, Chartres, Salisbury, Durham, Amiens, and more. The experience of looking at one of the great gothic cathedrals is to look up towards God. Indeed, most Gothic structures emphasize the vertical, drawing one’s eyes upwards toward the heavens with the awesomeness of God. These cathedrals were built with towering spires, pointed arches and flying buttresses giving impressions of harmony and luminosity. One of the major accomplishments of the 12th and 13th centuries was to develop the engineering mastery of the ribbed vault, pointed arch and flying buttress to create a great cathedral that is at once taller, lighter, wider, and more elegant than the ones before. Even though the pointed arch could support more weight than its predecessors, there was still the problem of finding a way to support the heavy masonry ceiling vaults over wide spans. In order to support the outward thrust of barrel vaults, vertical support walls have to be very thick and heavy. What makes possible the extensive use of ribbed vaulting and pointed arches to “open” and “lighten” the walls and space of the cathedral is the flying buttress—“an arched bridge above the aisle roof that extends from the upper nave wall, where the lateral thrust of the main vault is greatest, down to a solid pier.”
Some believe that Gothic architecture is derived from the Goths. However, the Goths were not noted for their peculiar style of architecture nor have they been mentioned as inventors or improvers of any art or science in history. It has been thought that it may have been from the Saracens during the time of the Crusades. Someone returning from the crusade might have introduced it.
Print. The. Mike. The Evolution of Gothic Architecture. Aquinas Multimedia.
Thesis: Both St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres are constructed in French Gothic style which means that architecturally they have many similarities. However, the 700 year gap between their construction offers St. John the Baptist more flexibility in design and style. Still, their likeness and variations extend far beyond the realm of their design.
The utilisation of gargoyles in Gothic architecture was for two reasons. On a practical level, they were spouts that moved drain water off the roof. On a spiritual level, they scared people into going to church. Finally, the height of Gothic cathedrals was meant to symbolise reaching up to the heavens and strengthening the inhabitants relationships with God. [Swaan, Wim. 1969. The Gothic Cathedral. Garden City, NY:
This first stage endured from the Gothic style's origin in 1120–50 to around 1200. The blend of all the previously stated auxiliary components into a reasonable style initially happened in the district around Paris, where prosperous urban populaces had adequate riches to manufacture the immense church buildings that typify the Gothic style. The most punctual surviving Gothic building was the nunnery of Saint-Denis in Paris, started in around 1140. Structures with correspondingly exact vaulting and chains of windows along the border were soon started with Notre-Dame de Paris (started 1163) and Laon Cathedral. At this point it had gotten to be popular to treat the inside sections and ribs as though each was made out of a pack of more thin parallel individuals. A progression of four discrete even levels or stories in the church building's inside were advanced, starting with a ground-level arcade, over which
Lame and deaf, the one-eyed, misshapen curiosity of Paris, Quasimodo, dwells as a hermit in the Cathedral of Notre Dame during the 15th century. Taken under the care of Jean-Claude Frollo when only an infant, Quasimodo receives the occupation of bell ringer, and thus spends his life in constant devotion to the cold, exacting and insensate Archdeacon, extracting all earthly pleasure from his haven&emdash;the cathedral&emdash;and imparting all his passion to the ringing...