Gothic Architecture Outline Intro: Intro: Dating all the way back to Aqaba Church, possibly the oldest religious-purposed building constructed in 300 CE, having ever since been widespread across the globe, renown for their religious aspect. It wasn’t until the Romanesque period, beginning around 1000 CE, that cathedrals started to appear all over Europe. Over the centuries, cathedrals underwent minor and major changes to their appearance in accordance to the architectural style of that era and many retained the physical characteristics and attributes that are still visible in their structure today. Though it may be the case that many cathedrals erected in Europe have similar or identical characteristics, many buildings Three unique cases …show more content…
The first part to be completed was the three eastern chapels named for St Stephen, Trinity, and St Peter. The spire main body of the cathedral was finished by the consecration on 29 September 1258. Originally, the Salisbury Cathedral was not originally constructed in the Salisbury Plain, rather it first begun in the plains of old Sarum. The reason as to why it was relocated was because of a dispute between the military garrison posted there and the rising clergy, Richard Poore. As a response to deteriorating relations between him and the military at Old Sarum Cathedral, the decision was taken to re-site the cathedral and the bishopric was moved to …show more content…
A spot was fixed on for the site of the new cathedral. Thus prepared, it was now resolved to lay the foundation of the cathedral church, and it was an object of episcopal policy and pride to render this ceremony at once grand, popular, and important. On the 28th of April 1220, the foundations was laid. Robert Bingham, succeeded Bishop Poore continued with the cathedral. William De York who succeeded Bingham did the same. Finally it came to Egidius, in the course of two years, is reported to have completed the whole of the church, on September 30, 1258. Robert De Wyville or Wivil was remarkable for a dispute, the disputed subject appears to be the castle of Sherborne. To recover this fortress, Wivil brought a writ of right. After much litigation the matter was referred to trial by single combat, and a time and place was appointed for this ceremony. All was prepared, and the combatants in expectation of a deadly conflict; when an order from the king adjourned the meeting. The dispute was compromised between the parties, by Context: The great energy being released in Salisbury was not confined to this building project. The new town also became a notable centre for education, with the foundation in 1261 of De Vaux College, and then of St Edmund’s College.
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 whole structure was built in a hurry, possibly in an effort to solidify the conquest. It is not nearly a remarkable an object as the twin churches in Caen. However, due to its protective design, it is an impregnable fortress, and its history as a prison, the tower has carved its place in history. Work on the stone building and exterior walls was begun in 1077. The main building, included a small cathedral in one corner, and rises three stories.
According to the official website for St. Patrick's Cathedral, the cathedral was first opened in 1879, after it had begun construction in 1858. Archbishop John Hughes announced his idea of building a “new” St. Patricks Cathedral over one hundred fifty years ago. The purpose of building the new cathedral in the Archbishop's eyes was to build a cathedral that was worthy of the mass numbers of catholics in the area, their intelligence, and wealth as a community. Archbishop Hughes believed that one day, this cathedral would be the “heart of the city.” He also believed that nothing would be able to divert the construction of this soon-to-be gothic cathedral. In October and November of 1878, the Great Cathedral Fair was held for a few weeks. Hughes' successor, John McCloskey became head of the dedication of the Cathedral. The architect responsible for building this cathedral was James Renwick. In 1853, he was hired to build this cathedral with a budget of only $850,000, not including the altars, furnishings for chapels, organs and other furniture. The stone that Renwick chose to use for the cathedral was white marble.
Now today, there are still over 900 Cathedrals standing today in our world thanks to our OLD generation masons! Today you wouldn’t find people building cathedrals anymore. You would find some being repaired but never built. Well technically, a tiny church can become a cathedral if a bishop uses it as his official church but other than that none are being built today that my research knows of.
The origins of Gothic Architecture are credited to Abbot Suger and the renovation of The Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis. The “Church” was largely defined by the Gothic Style during the Middle Ages. This style was an amalgamation of earlier styles, and prior to being recognized as “Gothic”, was not necessarily popular nor was it not part of the original program of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis. This soon changed and it became commonplace for cathedrals to utilize pointed arches, rose windows, and flying buttresses during their conception- all of which were incredibly distinctive to and indicative of the Gothic style of architecture. The renovation of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis was Suger’s physical expression of his devotion to God. Suger had adamantly felt it necessary to have an elaborately designed cathedral to demonstrate this. However, the resulting design led not only to praise but also controversy; specifically, the blatant repudiation of traditional Cistercian ideology and methodology as well as a disregard for the humble monastic lifestyle. The contentious dialogue of Saint-Denis’ motif in many ways made sense, because the fancifulness and the aristocratic imposition of Saint-Denis contradicted the very definition of monasticism and what it meant to live a monastic lifestyle. A contextual focus between Abbot Suger’s design choices and the Church’s liturgy is needed to properly analyze these contradictions and determine exactly why these choices were made and what implications they had on the church.
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.”
Several elements from Gothic architecture were borrowed from the Lombards and the Franks. They took the compound pier and archivolt, the alternate system, and the ribbed and domed vault. It can be seen that the main dispositions of the Gothic plan are derived from Carolingian developments of the early Christian basilica. The most fundamental element of Gothic architecture is the pointed arch, whi...
The Gothic style evolved from that of Romanesque, building on concepts and ideas that led to the creation of larger and grander structures. Today, mankind looks in awe at the structures that were built hundreds of years ago without the assistance of modern technology and equipment. These architectural styles are indisputably different, but equally profound. They made use of differing techniques to become tangible structures that can still be seen
Romanesque architects later adapted the use of rounded arches, giving the style its name. The Romanesque style, 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.
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
The exterior is stuccoed brick which was then whitewashed, giving the cathedral a vibrant yet pure aura complimented by rich, light brown accents. Both the blue spires and the whitewashed stuccoe were not original parts of the building but were added by The Right Reverend Thomas A. Becker in 1896. The Gothic styles seen executed in this cathedral are both Early and High Gothic. Stained glass windows are noticeable from the outside but their content and magnificence can not be comprehended until one actually enters the
...just the physical features. This is the same way Gothic Architecture was design to overwhelm and make feel the individual inferior to the institution behind the building. Consequently, the conceptual aspect of the building came as a secondary element in the design of the building. Such as the experience and feeling of the people coming to this building and being inside. The same way Gothic Architecture did it.
The cathedral of Notre-Dame at Chartres must be one of the most beautiful and famous architectural specimens in the world today. The cathedral owns an exquisite silhouette against the sky of La Beauce. Two towers rise uncontested, to take watch over miles and miles of French countryside. Up close, the two towers, along with their spires, seem mismatched or unrelated. Yet, the two together provide for one of the most interesting juxtapositions in architecture. €Chartres cathedral has had a tumultuous history with both tragedies and triumphs. Charpentier notes that the site of the cathedral has also served various other purposes. The Romans had used the higher ground for a military camp, part of which still exists on the eastern side of the cathedral by the transition of apse to choir. In addition to the camp site, there was also the existance of a Gallo-Roman temple on the same site as Chartres cathedral. This temple is believed to have the same orientation as the cathedral and the cathedral's round apse uses the foundation of a Gallo-Roman defensive tower. This use of the Gallo-Roman defensive tower is also present at Bourges cathedral. The lower parts of the defensive tower formed a crypt which was incorporated into the ninth century Church of Gislebert, also known as Saint Lubin's chapel. On the night of September seventh 1020, the Church was completely razed by fire. €After the destruction of the church in Chartres, the bishop of Chartres, Saint Fulbert, spearheaded the campaign to build a church in Chartres. Only the crypt remained from the earlier Caroligian church and Fulbert built his Romanesque church around the enduring crypt. Fulbert's church lasted 200 years, but in 1134 the front faœade was damaged by another fire. It was at this time that a effort to update and restore the church was put into motion. The religious powers, along with the Crusaders longed for a greater monument. Thus, Chartres decided to begin a separate tower.€This adding on to Romanesque churches was not unusual for the day. The abbey-church at Cluny, outside Italy, was given a new magnificent five-bay narthex and two bell-towers. A similar renovation was attempted at La CharitŒ, but funds ran short and the upgrades could not be completed. €Hence, in 1134 the tower forming the north-west corner of the present-day cathedral, (the left tower of the west faœade elevation), underwent construction.
Another difference separating the two were that Romanesque style buildings had limited light whereas Gothic cathedrals were flooded with natural light. The architectural reason for this was due to the walls being made primarily out of stained glass. This was now achievable with the Gothic design because of the flying buttresses that supported the walls from the outside of the building. Thus making the three most defining characteristics of the Gothic style, that differ it from Romanesque to be the ribbed vault, the flying buttress and the pointed arch.
Gothic architecture, though also used in secular buildings, is most associated with the great cathedrals of Europe. The Basilica of Saint Denis is a large medieval abbey church on the outskirts of Paris, France. The building is of significant importance historically and architecturally because it is considered to be the first Gothic church ever built. The building of gothic cathedrals grew as design techniques progressed. Over time, as new techniques combined with new materials, cathedral architecture increased in complexity and sophistication into a recognizable gothic style.