A Critical Analysis Of A Gothic-Inspired Building In London, Ontario

Otto von Simson, The Gothic cathedral: origins of Gothic architecture and the medieval concept of order (New York: Pantheon Books, 1956), 21-39.

Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come

Much of the architecture in the Romanesque era evolved into Gothic architecture. The Gothic era ran from the 12th century into the 16th century. There wasn’t necessarily a clean break from Romanesque to Gothic styles of architecture, but rather a gradual shift in design. The main characteristics of Gothic architecture are the pointed ribbed vaults and arches, flying buttresses and, in place of solid walls, a cluster of columns. Due to the vertical emphasis of the design, the archways could be redesigned and stretched or pointed. Four main Figure 5 – The depressed arch supported by fan vaulting at King’s College Chapel, England.

Gothic Style is some of the most beautiful works of art that man have ever made. It originated with the Romanesque style of building which lasted for about one hundred years before it was replaced by Gothic styles. The founder of the Gothic style was a man by the name of Abbot Suger. Notre Dame de Chartres cathedral was built in France between 1145 and 1513 and is Gothic architecture. Another Gothic architecture is the Bourges and it is located in Bourges France. Both of these works of art are very similar with many different features.

Gothic architecture a new style developing from an old style of architecture with similar characteristics and in a way different. Architects wanted to build bigger buildings with stronger walls something that could not be found elsewhere. The old buildings did not have windows they were dark places that in order to get light they needed many candles. Not even the candles could give the right amount of light the buildings needed. The middle ages architects wanted big windows on the buildings and this new style made their wish come true. Architecture during the Middle Ages became a new style with new problems to solve and a new kind of extraordinary buildings to build.

The Gothic style, dating between the 12th century and 16th century, began in France and eventually spread throughout the rest of Europe. An example of the first true Gothic church was St. Denis of Paris. Now, it is considered one of our finest artistic periods, but at the time, the term “gothic” did not exactly hold the same meaning it does today. The name came from the Goths and was used rather negatively when describing this style of architecture as they considered it to be similar to the works of the barbarians from which the name was derived.

The church in the middle ages was a significant place for many individuals as it was the only thing where they thought they could belong to, regardless of their class. The church was also known for its unity and its great influences on art and architecture during this time. As society slowly drifted apart from the Romanesque period, a new and technical era had taken birth, also known as, the Gothic era. This era came to life at the end of the 12th century and lasted into the 16th century; this was enough time for the era to have a significant influence on the political, social, and religious aspects of the culture throughout Europe. The exquisiteness and classiness of Gothic architecture were mostly portrayed in cathedrals from the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries which included, Basilica of St. Denis, Chartres, Amiens, Salisbury, Notre Dame and much more. Furthermore, it was the use of light that enhanced the beauty and the meaning of the cathedrals to a whole new level.

Gothis is a word that comes from the reference to the Goths (Visigoth and Ostrigoths) who were barbarian peoples settling in Europe around in the 4th century A.D.

Effortlessly the best Gothic church building in Germany, Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) has been Cologne's most celebrated milestone for a considerable length of time. Once the tallest working on the planet, regardless it has the biggest exterior. The well known house of prayer remains on the site of a fourth century Roman sanctuary, trailed by a congregation dispatched by Maternus, the principal Christian priest of Cologne. Development of the present Gothic church started in 1248 and took, with intrusions, over 600 years to finish. It is committed to the holy people Peter and Mary and is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. At the point when development started on the present Cologne Cathedral in 1248, the site had just been possessed

An example of an early gothic cathedral is the Wells Cathedral, Somerset. It was built from 1175-1490s. It holds one of the most numbers of stained glass windows. The five windows in the Lady Chapel shows images of saint Dunstan, and the seven-light windows on the choir which portrays the Tree of Jesse. This is a representation of the genealogy of Christ. Most of the carvings on the abacus are a foliage motif, but the carvings on the transepts closer to the nave holds more symbolism. They show four scenes representing the “Wages of Sin” through narrating fruit stealers at an orchard being beaten by the farmer. Another symbolic carving found is the lizard climbing the abacus, which represents eternal life. A 15th Century cloister contains many

In the mid-twelfth century a new and distinctive style of architecture emerged in France. The style, known today as Gothic, spread throughout Western Europe and dominated art from the region until about 1400. The hallmarks of Gothic architecture include extremely tall buildings and numerous stained-glass windows. Certain other architectural features that are associated with Gothic architecture include pointed arches and flying buttresses.

The designers of Gothic Cathedrals attempted to increase the spiritual experiences by creating an arch where it allowed more light to enter the inside of the building in a way where it signified large amounts of spirituallity. One method they were able to emit large amounts of light was by using the the triforium design which allowed for bigger glass windows to be installed. Whereas, in Romanesque, early medieval, and late antique, verey little entered the buildings which gave them a darker look.

The Gothic style was an over exaggerated, awe-inspiring attempt to become closer to God. The worshipper was not only drawn to the altar, but experienced an ascent to heaven at the same time.1 These artistic gems are a grand testament to historical technology and the imaginative approach and vision of skilled craftsmen. The gothic style is one of the most

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 beautiful 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)

Over three decades after the beginning of construction at Burgos, the second phase of the integration of French Gothic Style began with León Cathedral in 1255. At this point in time, the kingdoms of Castile and León were combined into a single kingdom of Castile. This could explain the facilitation of the transfer of the style westward from Burgos to León. León should be viewed as a separate step in the development of Spanish Gothic because it is radically different from Burgos. While Burgos began to incorporate the style and features of Gothic architecture, it still maintains the decorative style popular in the region. León Cathedral is a complete embrace of the French Gothic style and is considered to be the “purest” example in Spain. George Edmund Street, an English architect traveled through out Spain in the early 1900 to study and describe the Gothic architecture of the region. Of León Cathedral he said, “Regarding this cathedral, then, as a French, rather than as a Spanish church, and giving up all attempt to make it illustrate a chapter of the real national artistic history, we shall best be able to do justice to it as a work of art.” The extreme “Frenchness” has is baffling. There is little surviving evidence to explain this phenomenon, other than records of a French architect, Master Enrique, working at the cathedral at one point. Whatever the cause, the pure French Style demonstrated at León Cathedral was an important step in the development the Spanish Style