The cathedral is perhaps the most iconic art form of the Middle Ages. Built to impress the laity, to honor God, and to draw visitors, their beauty still dominates many Medieval-Era cities in Europe. Their vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, numerous carvings, and layers of symbolism define the Medieval Period to many people, though the magnificent cathedrals we know did not appear until near the end of the Middle Ages. A cathedral is technically the chair where a bishop sits. A cathedral as a building is the church that houses that chair. Churches that do not have the seat of a bishop are simply churches or minsters, which are churches founded by a missionary. However, we have come to think of any large church as a cathedral. The …show more content…
Romanesque, as its name might suggest, was inspired by Roman architecture, particularly the ruins scattered all over Europe. It was the first international artistic style since the Roman Empire fell. The main component of Roman architecture was the rounded arch, which was very important in Romanesque cathedrals. Since round arches exert pressure both down and out, they need a lot of support. Therefore Romanesque churches had thick walls to carry the weight of the ceiling. The ceilings, which at first were flat and wooden, quickly became stone, formed out of groin vaults, which are four arches that meet in the middle. These ceilings also needed massive and bulky columns to hold up the mountain of the church. Romanesque churches were big and heavy and looked it. Ceilings could not be too high, or else the weight would be too much and it would collapse. Windows were few and small so as not to take away weight-bearing capability. This made the churches very dark and solemn. The walls were painted with scenes from the Bible. Arches were everywhere. Multiple layers covered the walls, rising up in geometric sequence, larger at the bottom and smaller at the top where there was less weight to carry. Romanesque architecture has a feeling of weight, permanence, and
Taller than the ancient pyramids in Egypt, large enough to hold the statue of liberty. 100 pounds of weightless stones, heavy enough to hold the Empire state building are the Great Cathedrals (PBS, 2011). Intrigued by the beauty in structure but puzzled by the very construction, without technology for building purposes has researchers mind wondering. In reference to the NOVA program, building of Gothic cathedral begin as a race of height, which over time this plan backfired because of the recent architectural discoveries in the foundation. The NOVA program pointed out that in this race of constructing the tallest building wasn’t the only concern between two rivalry cities in Europe; it purpose was recognized as a scared space for spiritual reasoning to bring ordinary someone closer to God (PBS, 2011).
The churches are built almost entirely of stone. Built on a symmetrical concept, they both have three portals as an entrance to the nave. Symmetrical towers rise several stories above the left and right portals. It is important for one to recognize that the stone ribbed vaulted ceilings were added on after the
The Pantheon and the Cathedral of Chartres differ in structure and design. The Pantheon consists of two different parts the first is a porch surrounded by classic Greek architecture columns made of marble. The second part of the building is a circular Roman style made entirely of brick and concrete with dome as a roof. The only sources of lighting in the Pantheon are the two large bronze doors and the oculus at the top of the dome. Where the Cathedral of Chartres resembles French gothic style architecture made completely out of stone. The Cathedral of Chartres is built in the shape of a cross like most of the Cathedrals in the gothic period. It contains pointed arches, chapels, and sculptures. Unlike the Pantheons two sources of light the Cathedral of Chartres contains 176 stain glass windows along the exterior walls (Encyclopedia Britannica).
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
In building the interior of this temple, it shows how the Romans brilliantly were able conceive the idea and realize the quality of spaciousness. While the Florence Cathedral incorporated some newer ideas that evolved allowing for better, lighter construction materials to be used that centered on the Gothic style, allowing for larger window construction which later allowed stained glass to be included and a better support system; the flying
Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come through the large windows, Abbot Suger instilled the Neo-Platonic idea that the sun was the physical representation of God. (Map Statement #2 –Philosophy) Also, at that time, the church was rising in power, so the new structural style of the basilica brought more converts and eventually more power to the church. (Map Statement #3 –Social Institutions) [Insert Literature Map Statement] The Basilica of St. Denis was built so that worshippers would be in awe of the “heaven-like” setting, which would cause more people to declare their faith to God and to the church.
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...
In the beginning of the story, the narrator feels very uncomfortable knowing that he will
Gothic architecture incorporates brightly lit, welcoming interior spaces, as well as ornate decorations on the outside. Numerous cathedrals, castles and towers were constructed all across Europe using these two styles of architecture. Romanesque architecture refers to a style of building that closely resembles the construction styles and designs of the
The Romanesque architecture style, which occurred during the late 11th century to the middle 12th century, literally means “roman-like” architecture. The Romans, who were inspired by the Etruscans, used barreled and groined vaulting. Romanesque architects later adapted the use of rounded arches, giving the style its name. The Romanesque style, being inspired by the Roman architecture, used the plan of the basilica style. Romanesque cathedrals were not originally designed for aesthetic purposes. Romanesque style replaced flat wood ceilings with stone vaulting. It was one of the first styles to use mainly all stone, but the walls of the Romanesque cathedrals were built very thickly. They were almost like a fortress. Romanesque cathedrals had few windows as a result of their thick walls so the churches were very dark. In a sense, this echoed the life that was outside of these sanctuaries’ walls during the Middle Ages.
I chose two cathedrals for my post, the Durham Cathedral and the Chartres Cathedral. The Durham Cathedral, my example of Romanesque architecture, was built from local sandstone in 1087-1133 CE (the east wing was replaced in 1242) and is currently located in Nothern England. The Gothic style structure, the Chartres Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral of Notre-Dame), was mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220 CE due to a fire causing it to be rebuilt. Assembled utilizing limestone, this colossal structure is currently located in France and is known for it’s strikingly beautiful stained-glass windows. These structures share a few similarities, like their ribbed groin vaults (the crossing segments on the ceiling of the hallways), the high-placed windows as well as their huge circular window that were added to provide light and a
With that said, the cathedral must have a Gothic architectural style. The reason for this has to do with what Gothic represents; it challenges us as individuals to think, design, and create beyond what we think is possible; it calls for innovative techniques, which allow us to build more intricate, passionate, and expansive structures. Because of these ideas, the Ste. Serverine cathedral will not only reach higher into the sky, representing a closer connection to God, but it will reach farther across the world, encouraging merchants, intellectuals, and leaders to come together at this new capital of commerce and
“The often-seamless connection among structure, construction, and design opens a window into the creative process, particularly for buildings that are not well documented” (Armi, 2003). During this time, many Christians took religious pilgrimages and Christianity began to have more followers. As a result, more churches were constructed to house the influx of worshipers. Christian churches needed to stand out from one another, unique and detailed architecture answered that need. Church tympanums of the time, can be related to modern day billboards, store fronts, and advertising.
Romanesque, a word not instituted until the eighteenth century, is initially used to depict the building design of western Europe from about the ninth to the twelfth century. It has ended up connected by augmentation to different expressions, specifically design. Be that as it may, the term stays most fitting to structural engineering, where the round curves of Romanesque can without much of a stretch be seen as what the name suggests - a continuation of the Roman custom. The round curve is normal for much in a Roman building - whether in their extraordinary water systems and extensions, in sovereigns' triumphal curves, or on the back of traditional segments.
The earlier designs of medieval architecture had features like pointed arches in the nave, window and doorways, small clusters of columns, pillars, small windows and thick walls. This was during the Romanesque period and a lot of the early Romanesque architecture had influence from the byzantine period, which was the previous time period of architecture.