Essay about Christopher Wren’s Designs for St. Paul’s Cathedral

From the outside of the cathedral, I could see the scaffolding since it was going under construction. Even though the cathedral is beautiful on the inside, the outside does not do it justice. Approaching the cathedral, it is

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

In this excerpt, von Simson looks at how the writings of intellectuals influenced the development of Gothic architecture. He begins by looking at the writings of St. Augustine and his love for music and how the importance of measurement found in music also applies to architecture. He then goes on to address two important schools of thought that influenced the formation of the Gothic style: The Platonists with their focus on cosmology, and the monks at Clairvaux, including St. Bernard, who focused on spirituality. In this section, von Simson focuses on the former and the connection between the cosmos and the Gothic cathedral. He argues that these medieval scholars saw God as an architect and the cosmos as his cathedral. In his study of both St. Augustine and the Plantonists, von Simson works to identify the ways in which these intellectual schools of thought influenced Gothic architecture.

The shift brought the transformation of thick columns to much thinner and “lighter” columns (Blankenbehler). However, before this architectural movement can begin, Abbot Suger struggled to reconstruct and synthesize the style of the ancient building with his ideas of modern designs. He knew that the freshness of these new designs would bring beauty and spaciousness. He wanted people to be amazed at the transformation of the once small, but soon to be large and wide feel of the basilica. To create the wide feel, Abbot Suger issued the ceiling to have a complicated web of interlocked and pointed vaults. He also chose to have arches with points so that the basilica would not need thick walls to support the arch. Thick walls would make the interior look crowded and small, something Suger did not want. By having the pointed arches, those would take the weight of the ceiling and distribute the weight across rather than being pulled down. This allowed for thin and elegant looking columns, for they were able to support the ceiling because the weight of it was dispersed. He envisioned the structure to have high ceilings, which would be supported with thinner columns (Birth of the Gothic: Abbot Suger and the Ambulatory at St. Denis). Suger also brought in the idea of having tall towers so that the building would look like it was reaching for the heavens. By reaching the heavens, it brought this concept of being closer to God and reassuring the people’s

As legend has it, the builders of St. Basil’s Cathedral were blinded by the command of Ivan the Terrible, so they could never create a building greater. There is still the question if St. Basil’s is actually the most beautiful cathedral made in its time. Comparing it to the beautiful Pisa Cathedral and Assumption Cathedral, which were made around the same time, one could find it hard to decide which is the most artistic. Looking at the materials, art, and icons of cathedrals are ways to gauge how beautiful the building is. St. Basil’s Cathedral was the most beautiful cathedral made in its time.

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 Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Baroque Architecture." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 25 Apr.

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.

People were criticizing the new building and was not very keen of the idea of renovation. Suger still pushed for his project and fulfill his dreams to glorify the church. He began to rebuilt the church in 1137. One of the reasons behind this construction was that he was not contended with the dark and sinister style of Romanesque architecture. He wanted the church to be an expression of modernity and enlightenment. (Verdon and Dally 190-191). Suger considered it as modern because it was not heavy looking and inspiring. His critics, including Bernard of Clairvaux, called it “Gothic” because it was unrefined, barbaric and non-Roman (Bradbury 295). These criticisms were all wrong because it was completely renewed and this symbolized the top achievement of the medieval civilization. However, they were right that it was completely not Roman. This building represented the apex of achievement because, after centuries of being under the influence of the Roman empire, Suger gave birth to something new, something extravagant and

The architectural plans originally lacked the two five-sided privy buildings. They showed a different arrangement of how the palisade joined the sentry houses. The plans also illustrate a different configuration of stone steps for the north entrance of the Main Building than the archaeological evidence revealed. A cement floor was planned for the southeastern and southwestern basement rooms, which originally were dirt. Of the pieces of marble recovered during the excavation, the percentages and types did not correspond to the plans proposed for the marble floor of the main foyer. “Sherds of the original window glass were greener and more irregular than the window glass planned for use in the reconstruction. Recovered fragments of the original plaster revealed only plain struck molding, while the plans allowed for the use elaborate geometric designs in plaster. These comments highlight a contrast in the restoration philosophies of the era: Should the restoration be done as it actually was or as it was believed Governor Tryon would have wanted it to be” . This is another example of altering historical memory by producing the image that was wanted for

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,

This remarkable improvement in methods indicates the fresh importation of skills from the East and this applies not merely to England but to all Western Europe at that time (“The Flowering” 88). Into three main phases the development of architecture through the period may be divided. The elements of Gothic style and their gradual elaboration over a period of rather more than a century came first at the opening of the 12th century. After the year 1000 there was a fully coordinated Gothic art particularly marked by the invention of windows with baltracy, Jean d’ Orbais probably used it first at Rheims cathedral during the generation following 1211, why the east end was begun. A century followed with classic poise in which an international architecture reached its peak and produce perfect forms of castle and palace, cathedrals enriched with painting patterned tiles, figure sculpture and stained glass (“The Flowering” 92).

The Catholic Church began using these new mathematical principles to build their cathedrals. The cathedrals were a challenge to the capabilities of the civilization at that time and inspired competition between the Dioceses to see who could build the most outstanding cathedral. This inspired an explosion in art and technology, and was responsible for creating art in the form of structure. The Cathedrals were also status symbols. Towns and cities would build them to show how successful they were. The more elaborate the Cathedral, the more successful the town or city. This gave rise to the Gothic architectural style, which developed simultaneously across England, France, Germany, and Italy. The countries developed their own distinctive technique of Gothic design, which I shall compare and contrast

After the Great Fire, parts of the remains of Old St Paul’s were patched up as a temporary cathedral. The structure, however, was in a very bad shape, and in May 1668, after a fall of the remains of the building materials fell; Wren was asked to submit proposals for a new cathedral. Wren’s first proposal, “The First Model”, was quickly neglected, because it was said to be too modest. His second proposal was a mimic of the Greek cross. It was a classical style of the Italian Renaissance, it was centrally planned, and the main interior space was set beneath an enormous dome, and auxiliary spaces were located around the sides. But the clergy, who were only familiar with cathedrals whose designs, were Romanesque or Gothic, and were not familiar to classical architecture in his design, quickly through out the new design. His third design, “The Warrant Design”, was still classical architecture, but it was based on the criticisms of the Greek cross design. The plan was longitudinal, the nave and choir were bordered by lower aisles, and the towers and spire suggested the shape of medieval England. This design was approved by King Charles II, but Wren

All over the world, people still come to admire the beauty of European cathedrals. Many of the cathedrals are fragile due to age, neglect, pollution, and insufficient funds available to restore these historical and magnificent buildings. Nevertheless, visitors to these architectural masterpieces are fascinated by the design and structure of these churches. The cathedral builders using their own ingenuity, expertise, and limited resources were able to defy the laws of gravity and time. (Icher 30)