Cathedral Of Chartres Essay

However, the only feature of the cathedral that is there today but was not added during the original construction was the stained glass windows which were made between 1912 and 1930. Paul Vincent, an English stained glass artist, was responsible for making the stained glass. Then, in 1927 and 1931, the cathedral went under renovations. According to the official website of the Archdiocese of New York, these renovations included a larger sanctuary and the introduction of the great organ. Many years down the road, in 1976, the cathedral was made a National Landmark.

Sometimes we have to look beyond what we see on the outside to understand something more deeply. In the short story Cathedral By Raymond Carver, the narrator has an attitude of being selfish, and jealous through the story. The narrator’s wife invites a blind man, Robert, to come stay in their house for a short time while the man visits family members of his own wife who recently passed. The narrator is not enthusiastic because blind people make the narrator uncomfortable, mainly because the narrator has no real experience with the blind. In addition, to his uneasiness with the blind the narrator is uncomfortable with the relationship his wife and the blind man have. The wife and Robert, the blind man, have maintained a close

The story of Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, shows that you do not have to see someone or something in order to appreciate them for who or what they are. It is about a husband, the narrator, and his wife who live in a house. The wife, whose name they do not mention, has a very close friend who is blind. His name is Robert. Robert's wife dies, and comes to their house to spend a couple of days with the narrator and his wife. The narrator, whose name they do not mention as well, is always on edge because he does not really know Robert very well and he does not like blind people, but he is being friendly for his wife's sake. The story comes to an end when Robert and the narrator draw a cathedral together using the narrator's hand and helped by

The cathedral was already a popular pilgrimage due to holding The Veil of The Virgin, a tunic said to be worn by the Virgin Mary. In the late 12th century the cult of the virgin was immensely popular, and the importance of the Virgin Mary grew, causing relics related to her to be highly sought after, by both churches and pilgrims. The cathedral of Chartres only grew in importance after receiving the skull of St. Anne (mother of the Virgin Mary). In my opinion the window also serves as a point of devotion, a place for people to be in awe and bask in holy divinity, whether that be viewed as the light that filters in behind Mary, or the spark of divine clarity that inspired the windows creation. While the name is a reference to the actual depiction of Mary, I believe that it is also used to indicate a closer connection to the queen of Heaven. The Cathedral at Chartres and in Paris are both dedicated to Mary and share the same name " Our Lady of" and so I think that choosing to name the window that elevates it from a work of art, and past even that of a reliquary to that of a holy site, and a place to

Topic - In both “Cathedral” and “The Red Convertible,” one character attempts to help another overcome a state of unhappiness and hopelessness.

From the very first moment when entering the cathedral one is likely to be struck by the silence dominating the massive interior. In spite of the somewhat annoying number of curious tourists (others probably saw my curiosity just as annoying as the noise), the church manages to maintain its quiet and peaceful nature. This is truly remarkable, taking into account that it is constantly filled with tourists through visiting hours.

"Cathedral" is a short story ultimately about enlightment, finding something more meaningful and deeper with in one self. Although from an observing point of view nothing more in the story happens then a blind man assisting the narrator in drawing a cathedral. Although as known, the narrator's experience radically differs from what is actually "observed". He is enlightened and opened up to a new world of vision and imagination. This brief experience will have a life long effect on him. The reason for this strong and positive effect is not so much the relationship made between the blind man and the narrator or even the actual events leading up to this experience, but rather it is mostly due to what was drawn by the narrator.

Plato’s “Myth of the Cave” and Carver’s Cathedral provide insight into parallel words. The protagonists in each story are trapped in a world of ignorance because each is comfortable in the dark, and fearful of what knowledge a light might bring. They are reluctant to venture into unfamiliar territory. Fortunately the narrator in the Cathedral is forced by circumstances to take a risk. This risk leads him into new world of insight and understanding.

The story “Cathedral” demonstrates that lack of sight does not necessarily prevent one from perceiving things as they are, or live their life to the fullest. In the story, a middle-age blind man, who is a friend to the narrator’s wife, and used to be her boss at one point, visits the narrator and his wife. The narrator has never interacted with blind people before, and all he knew about blind people was what he had seen on television. Blind people are stereotypically portrayed on television as slow moving, dull people, who never laugh. Based on this perception, the narrator was reluctant to meet the blind man and doubted whether they were going to connect. This is evident when the narrator states, “I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me” (Carver 1).

It is human nature to shy away from social situations that make us uncomfortable. Also, as a people with great pride, we often find it difficult to admit when we have been iniquitous, or to allow ourselves to be open to humbling experiences. Sometimes though, it is not entirely due to intolerance that we allow ourselves to make ill-informed judgments. Raymond Carver was a writer with some insight concerning these very ideas. In his short story, “Cathedral,” Carver uses a nameless narrator and his interactions with a blind man to illustrate how a lack of experience can lead to ignorance and thus prejudice. Through the development of this character,

Both the Notre Dame de Chartres and the Bourges Cathedral are expressions of a new age of faith that grew out of the medieval Christian theology and mysticism, (Frank, Patrick). The Notre Dame de Chartres was used for meetings, concerts, and religious plays. It was the only indoor space that could hold all of the towns’ people. Most importantly, the Chartres cathedral was used as a place for worship. The Bourges cathedral was dedicated to Saint Stephen and was also used as a place for worship.

Durham Cathedral is one of the oldest examples of Romanesque architecture present in England today. Although the cathedral was completed in the early 12th century there are signs of Gothic architecture present due to the close relation of Romanesque and Gothic styles. In Robert Scott's book The Gothic Enterprise he discusses how the early Gothic style pulled heavily from the Romanesque style of architecture and built upon it's basic themes. Durham Cathedral's extensive history shows how the church's style of architecture remains mainly Romanesque, but has impressions of other styles due to renovations in different eras.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Reims, northeast of Paris near Champagne was the coronation church of the kings of France and was an educational and cultural center. Also built of limestone, the architecture of the Reims Cathedral features Gothic style. It symbolizes an Early Gothic, Radiant Gothic and Flamboyant Gothic. The Reims Cathedral depicts a classic harmonic facade containing four levels. Its interior is defined by its towering heights and narrow proportions, and elaborate sculptural works. Because of the high quality of workmanship and materials used, Reims Cathedral features some of the most beautiful gothic art in existence. Five different cathedrals have been on the site on which Reims cathedral now sits since 401 CE. The current cathedral was built in 1211, after the previous cathedral had burned down. The new building was almost entirely finished by the end of the thirteenth century. 88 gargoyles were counted on the Reims Cathedral and are mainly used to drain off rainwater and are exceptional pieces of work, but do show the slight difference between Gothic and Romanesque styles. The stained glass windows are a beautiful part of Reims despite being damaged or ruined several times in the 18th century; the cathedral still has many 13th century stained glass windows, in the upper parts of the nave, choir and transept. On the opposite side of the great western portal, the Great Rose Window, dating from the end of the 13th century, represents “the Crowning

Chartres Cathedral is one of the most significant achievements of all the historical architecture. Additionally, it is entirely preserved with its original details. The unique features of the cathedral are intact, and thus when one visits the place, he or she is likely to encounter the authentic architecture work as it was done many years ago. Chartres Cathedral symbolizes an atmosphere of awe and holiness (Katzenellenbogen, 2). As such, it was built for religious purposes. However, it attracts the nonbelievers as well. As a holy building, it has many glass windows to light the building. Due to its height, a double flying buttresses is used to support the high nave. The cathedral was the first building in history that used buttresses since it was considered as necessary for the peoples’ culture and as a sign of authority. It was built to reflect a symbol of power since the religious leaders engaged in politics too. The cathedral has many statuses that represent the Biblical aspects such as Elijah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, and Simeon (Katzenellenbogen, 9). The standings portray the Christian faith that was used by the architectures while building the cathedral. The interior floor stands thirty-six meters high and is one hundred and twenty-eight meters wide. The sizes show how vital it is and it can host many peoples who visit for religious functions.

Reims Cathedral was built within the Marne department of the Champagne-Ardenne region between the years 1212-1300. However, Reims genesis dates back to 496 AD as a previous cathedral once occupied the land on which the new cathedral was built upon. A fire destroyed the original cathedral structure on May 6th, 1210. 2 years after the fire, it was decided to initiate work on the construction of the new, cathedral that exists to this present day. This second cathedral is in the French gothic style and was designed to be much more capacious in contrast to its fire- destroyed predecessor. ”The nave and aisles of the western arm are broadened out in the eastern arm.” This logic permitted larger crowds to attend coronation ceremonies. The cathedrals predominant function is a place of worship under the denomination of Roman Catholics. An assembly of architects participated in the design over a period of 7 centuries due to adaptations and refinements materialised to its design. Such names consist of Jean d 'Orbais (1175-1231); responsible for the first initial design work of the cathedral, Henri Deneux (1874-1969); who laboured over the architectural restoration of Reims after bombing raids in WW1, Bernard de Soissons (birth date and death date unknown) noted as a participant with Jean in the initial design work of the cathedral. One fundamental aspect explored by studying Reims Cathedral is the quality of natural light and how it is affected by its both artistic and