St. Paul’s Cathedral, in London, England, was designed by architect Sir Christopher Wren. Approval of this most significant architectural project took six years just for the plan. Construction, which began in 1675, took thirty-five years until finally complete in 1710. It was built to replace a church that had been leveled by the Great Fire of 1666. St. Paul's is the largest cathedral in England, and said to be Wren's masterpiece. He brought a range of new forms, and architectural combination into English architecture. Masonry, brick, timber, and cut stone were used to form the structure of the cathedral. St. Paul’s Cathedral has been one of the main socially significant buildings in London. Cathedrals all around, have always played a large role in the communities they serve. Their fundamental purpose is to bring people closer to God, but over the centuries they have served as a focal point for trade, as a stronghold and a place of safety in times of war, and as immense status symbols. The functions, of a cathedral, take on an additional significance for St Paul's, because it’s known as the cathedral of the capital city and, of the nation. The present building is also the first cathedral to have been built since the creation of the Church of England in 1534, when religion was brought under the direct control of the monarch. This quote from Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage really shows the significance the Church has made in England. “St Paul's Cathedral is the internationally recognized signature of London and the capital's most important historic and architectural focal point. Only St Paul's and the Palace of Westminster are protected by strategic views but the proposed tower disregards this legal protection and the significance of the Cathedral as the icon of London.” The West Front, which faces the heart of the City of London, is an iconic image with great national significance. It is through the famous West Doors that so many British monarchs and distinguished figures have entered the Cathedral. The nation’s “best-loved” church, St Paul’s has hosted some of the most important commemorative events in British history. In recent years the memorial service for the victims of 9/11, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday. Also, it was where the funeral services of Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Winston Churchi...
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...rchitecture into the early neo-classical/ baroque style. Wren’s style was one of simple magnificence. His style was composed more of in agreeable proportions rather than glorious decoration. Wren was believed to have contributed design ideas for many buildings for which he did not do final designs. Wren’s design concepts were carried into the early years of the eighteenth century by fellow architects, Hawksmoor, and his partner Vanbrugh. However, Wren’s relative simplicity, and his “Protestant plainness” in comparison with European “Popish” richness, was dominated in their designs by superimpose of rich applied decoration and a more complex and extravagant style.
His greatest renown was for St. Paul’s Cathedral, but his major public buildings, and the delicacy and variety displayed in the fifty-or-so parish churches, also contribute to his enduring influence in architecture down to the present day.
Until the arrival of the modern skyscraper, St. Paul's dominated the London skyline as a symbol of the stability of the Church of England and English government and society. When Sir Christopher Wren died in 1723 he became the first person to be buried in St. Paul's Cathedral.
the famous abbey churches of St. Stephen and Holy Trinite, were to symbolize important new harmonies in the duke's career: a new harmony between church and temporal government..." (Lloyd, Alan. The Making of the King: 1066. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966.page76) The churches are remarkably still in much the original shape now, as they were in the 11th century.
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...
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.
Rome and the Statue of Liberty in New York are all proof of the extraordinary celebrated artwork human kind has been able to do throughout several years. Now, I want to discuss another celebrated work of art that was quite popular in the medieval period, Gothic architecture. During the medieval period Gothic architecture was considered to be luxurious because of its exaggerated height given to buildings. Not only did it give height, it also had plenty of other characteristics like the pointed arch, the vaulted ceiling, and of course, plenty of windows where light could pass right through. For statesman historian, Abbot Suger, light was important. He believed light was a connection from heaven to Earth. The more light, the better. It was because of Abbot Suger that the admired Gothic style began along with more of his art program from about 1125-1144 (Inventing the Exegetical Stained-Glass Window: Suger, Hugh, and a New Elite Art, par 1). However, not everyone agreed with this extravagant style. When Gothic cathedrals began being built, French abbot, Bernard de Clairvaux made a judgment of his own. He explained that he did not see the need to be so extravagant when the money going to those glittering churches can go to a better use, the poor. I agree with Bernard; there is no need to be stylish when adorning cathedrals if there are better uses for that money.
In the late 11th century the well now known Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, was erected out of Caen stone. This was one of the biggest structures in England at that time, having its spire standing higher than the dome of the already standing cathedral.
...ral (138 ½ feet), Michelangelo’s St. Peter’s (137 ½) and Wren’s St. Paul’s (109 feet). Until steel and concrete technology advanced in the 19th century, no single spaces were larger than these. Bibliography Dirimtekin, Feridun. [1964]. Saint Sophia Museum. Istanbul: Touring and Automobile Club of Turkey. Fossati, Gaspare. 1852. Aya Sofia, Constantinople : as recently restored by order of H. M. the sultan Abdul-Medjid. London: R. & C. Colnagni & Co. James Stevens Curl. Classical Architecture: an introduction to its vocabulary and essentials, with a select glossary of terms. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992. ISBN 0-442-30896-5. NA260.C87. interior photo of circular space (photo of the prostyle octstyle portico of the Pantheon) William L. MacDonald. The Architecture of the Roman Empire I. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1982. ISBN 0-300-02818-0. LC 81-16513
Scott, Robert. The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003.
designs for the stained glass windows in the cathedral, and wrote two books, as well as
In Florence, Italy a cathedral stands over the grave of its architect, Filippo Brunelleschi. The Cathedral of Florence that now serves as his monument was one of his largest architectural developments. Little is known about Filippo’s childhood because he was not very famous; however, later in life he made huge accomplishments in the field of architecture. Filippo Brunelleschi’s structures were considered glorious at the time and are still standing today.
In 1834, when a fire nearly completely demolished the old Palace of Westminster, Britain had a chance to redefine what British architecture was (Richardson p. 111-112). Although throughout Europe Classicism and the Greek and Roman Revival had had a stronghold on secular buildings, by the early 1800 Neo-Gothic was starting to be seen as a nationalistic style of architecture, something that should, together with language, be national (Barry, p.114). While in France the Gothic Revival was mainly used for secular buildings, in Britain it was mainly used for ecclesiastical buildings (Barry, p. 110). It was into this world that August Welby Nothmore Pugin (1812-52) was born.
Monuments such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and San Vitale in Ravenna, perform a great importance in Byzantine and Islamic architecture. Both of these structures did not exclusively represent the main place of worship, but most importantly as a symbol of achievement and growth within the current times of construction. Starting in 524, under the influence of Orthodox bishop Ecclesius, the development of San Vitale was to represent the achievements of the emperor Justinian. Julius Argentarius was the sponsor for this structure and it was dedicated by Bishop Maximian in 547. The Dome of the Rock is built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 692 with the help of Abd al-Malik with the suspected intention to symbolize Islams influence in Jerusalem and its involvement in a highly Jewish and Christian supremacy. Although separated by over 100 yrs, both of these domes share multiple similarity's including a projected confidence of their originating culture.
Saint Michael's church in Hildesheim Germany is one of Germany's largest and most grand churches. The church is about one thousand years old. It' been through many wars and has been repaired many times. It's well known for it's large size and intrucite, yet clean design. The church also has a number of artifacts and features that makes it stand out when compared to other churches. Some examples of famous artifacts from Saint Michael's include the Pillar of Christ and the Bronze Doors. Best of all however, the church's clean design makes it unique yet comfortable.
...e Dame and the Chartres were amazing and ornate in their design. Their tall designs drew peoples' eyes to the heavens. Their extensive use of stained-glass is still used as a design feature in churches today. To think about it, a lot of work, money, and time were put into these two structures for strictly spiritual reasons. They were mainly dedicated to the Virgin Mary and several sections of them were dedicated to various saints. This definitely showed their ample faith and commitment to God. These two buildings were and are very important in French Gothic style cathedrals. The Notre Dame was the first cathedral that was built perfectly to scale. These techniques were used in construction of later cathedrals. Finally, later constructed cathedrals of French Gothic style were modeled after these two magnificent pieces of art known as Notre Dame and Chartres.
Uniformly pleasing, the basilica is strongly focused on definition and structure. The dome of the basilica is considered the masterpiece of design. A lot of effort was put into the design of the dome; it is a key element of the basilica.
Mies created established characteristics that became essential for modern architecture. “Less is more”. These three words really jump started the modernist movement in architecture and embodies the philosophy of minimalism. Stripping away the ornament and décor to get to the essence of a building. Mies van der Rohe changed architecture through these radical ideas. Many of these concepts we still see today in modern and minimalist styles. The simple and open plan has been replicated