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The development of gothic architecture
The development of gothic architecture
The development of gothic architecture
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Le Mont Saint Michel
Le Mont Saint Michel is a rocky cone shaped island or islet located just off the North West coast of France in the gulf of Saint Malo. It is home to one of France’s greatest tourist attractions named Le Mereille, this brilliant eleventh century gothic style church is often simply called Mont St Michel. What transforms this fairly typical gothic church into one of the most striking buildings of the world, and the destination of so many visitors over the course of the past twelve centuries, is its magnificent, almost arrogant location.
The Church of Mont Saint Michel was constructed in the eleventh century as a gothic masterpiece. It was constructed using Granite stone; however some of the cloisters are made of lime stone. The island upon which it sits is separated by approximately one kilometer of waves from the mainland at high tide. At low tide, however, it is separated from the mainland by approximately one kilometer of sand. Before a causeway was built in 1879, the only approach to the Mont was by foot over this causeway. However this crossing was no easy task and a poorly timed crossing could easily end in drowning by the sudden changing tides. The island is about one kilometer in diameter and about 80 meters high, jutting defiantly above the ocean. The steep cliffs that ascended from the crashing surf and the treacherous tides that whipped around the island, combined with the legend that it was the island where the souls of the dead congregated; make the site an unlikely place to build.
Neither legends nor danger were a match for the overwhelming curiosity of a forbidden place. In the early eighth century a bishop from the near by town of Avranges named Aubert made the crossing. After finding it safe enough he started frequenting the island which seemed to be an escape from civilization for him, and a place where he could meditate un-intruded. During meditation one day on the island the archangel Michel visited Aubert and convinced him to build a church on the island. In 708 the modest chapel began construction on the island, many buildings have come to rise and fall on the island since then.
The first major construction on the island started in the year 1020 and was completed in 1135. In time structural problems arose with the building, therefore in 1170 Abbot Robert de Toringy started building a new facade on the side of the church.
The original Chartres Cathedral was designed by Fulbert and lasted until 1194, when a fire destroyed almost the entire church. The townspeople pulled together to make a large contribution to the reconstruction of the cathedral (Miller, Malcolm, Chartres Cathedral, Riverside Book Company, 1980, p.5). The present Chartres Cathedral is largely the work of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. However, there are substantial remains of older monuments, notably in the crypt and on the wes...
Many classical styles are featured in Thomas Jefferson's house Monticello. Chief among these are the Greek and Roman influences. The porch of Monticello consists of a post and lintel architectural structure, with the columns and the pediment on top. The post and lintel structure -the use of columns and pediments- is Greek. Around the windows we see a post and lintel structure with the posts on the sides holding up the top of the window frame, which is also of classical Greek influence. On the front door we again see the post and lintel structure with columns on either side supporting a Greek pediment. The dome atop Monticello comes from Roman root although most Roman domes were not octagonal. That would be a more modern spin on this Roman structure.
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 island is about 4 square miles and is today a place for tourism in the great lakes. Many thousands of years ago though this was a little piece of land with bluffs reaching high above its surroundings and was a merely a small piece of land surrounded by water. It was because of these bluffs the appearance of the island resembled a turtle and led to it being named “The Great Turtle” (Piljac, 1998). Currently the island reaches several hundred feet above the lake and it’s because of this geography that many nations saw this as a perfect military post and would be used over and over again throughout its history as such.
St Peter’s basilica which is built based on rational form of architecture is a Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City, designed by Donato Bramante. Its significant history is that according to the Catholic tradition this was the place that Saint Peter was buried. Not so far away...
Trois-Rivieres is a place of cultural, economic, and physical diversity. Located in a country with a deep history, which is also growing into modern times, Trois-Rivieres shows its 375-year-old history by contributing to modern development. Economically, Trois-Rivieres has many resources, but the main economic resource is manufacturing which is always changing. In particular, the St. Lawrence River is connected to the three-armed delta that gave Trois-Rivieres its name. The natural vegetation is as diverse as the city as it ranges from forests to grasslands. Trois-Rivieres is small city with much to offer.
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.
The sacred space of the Cathedral of Chartres in France and the Parthenon will be discussed in comparison with each other.
"I am as happy nowhere else and in no other society, and all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello," wrote Thomas Jefferson the great architect of his home, Monticello. His home of 54 years was named Monticello which means "little mountain" in Italian. Many still question the reasoning for the name "Monticello." The only reasoning that was come up with was that Jefferson wanted to build his home on his mountain located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia near Charlottesville. He wanted a place that was private and away from civilization and the commotion of politics.
...l have personal reasons for their abhorrence. Iago is jealous for not obtaining the promotion, Roderigo is jealous because Othello won Desdemona over, and Brabantio is bitter because his daughter was "robbed". Shakespeare could use Othello's race to mark him as an outsider. Modern perceptions portray race as a more important theme, this is because since the time "Othello" was written, attitudes have greatly changed, and a culturally diverse society is more accepted, although racism still exists, it is to a much smaller scale, and is more striking and offensive now, and so Shakespeare's "Othello" would have very different interpretations now, and issues which were excepted then, have changed, so it is a lot more controversial, and difficult to see it in the perspective of an Elizabethan at the time, without the help of contextual material.
It was a don of a new age, belief, conviction, and devotion were felt throughout the period, and it was the time of the Romanesque churches. This was the time to view these boundless, monastic complexes, majestic cathedrals, and painted artifacts; the churches were beaming with activity and life. With the assembly of nuns, monks, and local town folks, these structures offered safety, a simpler way of life thru thought, simplicity, and reflection, which than sparked an overall energy and spirit throughout the air, it was the age of faith. In this period of time a massive building project had begun, within a short time span of 150 years, the construction of more than 1000 monasteries, and abbeys were built throughout Western Europe. Some of the main architecturally features and designs were the massive towers pointed heavenward and seemed as if they were touching the sky, it made the church visible from great distances and became the center point of the towns where they were built. The stone portals separated the nonspiritual, from the divine realm and dramatized the entrance door, as the gateway to salvation. The Gothic style of architecture, or Gothic cathedral began in the seventeenth century and was born in France, Over 580 Gothic & cathedrals class churches were built and constructed between 1170 to 1270; they were often large enough to house the entire population of the town. Two dominant architectural designs and styles emerged Romanesque and Gothic; there were differences and some similarities between the two. If the Romanesque church constituted a rural retreat for monastics and pilgrims, the Gothic cathedral served as the focal point for the urban community physically dominated the town, the design of the to...
Othello, a play written by William Shakespeare in approximately 1603, focuses on two opposite characters named Othello and Iago. Othello is a respectable army general who tragically dies in the end. The readers believe that his flaw is jealousy, which ruins his calm and makes him believe Iago, a character nobody should trust. The antagonist of the play, Iago, is a cunning liar who lies and tricks almost every other characters in the play to ruin and manipulate Othello. The play starts on the street of Venice where Iago convinces Roderigo to plot against Othello by planning falsely accuse Othello’s wife, Desdemona, of cheating. Interestingly, another specific detail critics usually look at is that Shakespeare choose to make the character of Othello a dark-skinned man, which was not a common feature a hero should have during the Elizabethan. Some of the common themes in Othello are the role of race and racism, the effects of jealousy, and the differences between genders during the Elizabethan.
The description of Othello’s appearance by Iago makes him looks inferior to the others. Othello is was described by other characters using stereotypes against moorish people, such as a barbarian with a great sexual appetite, and as a thief who stole the heart of a beautiful white woman by illegitimate means, particularly sorcery. Desdemona father and Roderigo both believed that. This is obviously racial discrimination.
One of the most eye-catching architectural feats in the town of Helena, Montana is St. Helena’s Cathedral. A cathedral is a church where people gather to pray and worship under the leadership of a bishop(“Montanakids”). The word cathedral in actuality means chair. So a cathedral is simply the church where a bishop presides because it holds within it the bishops special
Despite Othello’s high status, it was still very difficult for him to gain a full view point in a mainly white dominated society; it is this vulnerability that allowed Iago to thrive. Because Desdemona deceived her own father to marry him, Iago tries to convince Othello that she is ...