Saint Sernin Of Toulouse And Notre Dame Of Paris

Saint Sernin of Toulouse and Notre Dame of Paris

When one thinks of St. Sernin and Notre Dame, one tends to think of two

beautiful cathedrals, not to churches that portray two totally different styles

of architecture. Those two styles are, of course, Romanesque in St. Sernin and

the Gothic style of Notre Dame. Some characteristics that these two buildings

share include quest for height, basic floor plan, and artistic flair. The

period of Romanesque architecture, which lasted roughly from 1050 A.D. to 1150

A.D., concentrated mainly on achieving massive proportions, rounded vaulted bays,

the round arch, the wall buttress, cylindrical apse and chapels, and towers.

Early Gothic architecture, which began in 1144 with the dedication of Saint

Denis, concentrated more on mastering the idea of an obscenely high ceiling, as

well as ribbed and pointed vaults, the relationship between the structure and

its appearance, and perhaps, most importantly the use of light.

One of the most enjoyable things about comparing the two structures of

St. Sernin and Notre Dame is that there are so many differences as far as the

particulars go, but in general the two cathedrals are very, very much alike.

Through the years, enough architectural and engineering advances had been made

to raise the ceiling to staggering new heights of over one hundred feet. The

materials remained the same as they had for years before, stone and mortar. The

basic floor plan remained the same,...