Durham Cathedral Essay

The Ely Cathedral was built in 1109 but much happened before that time, and has happened since then, on the location where it is standing. The building is 900 years old and took 300 years to be completely constructed. This Cathedral has seen sections damaged, crumbled, restored and replaced, but through all these hurdles and obstacles, the Ely Cathedral is beautiful and eloquent, just how it always has been.

The Medieval monastery was established during the middle Ages, this was a place where people got together (mostly monks, nuns and other spiritual beings) and they spent their time praying, studying and most of all helping

The Notre Dame Cathedral is certainly one of the most beautiful locations in the world, as the city of Paris as a whole and the building's surroundings contribute to making visitors acknowledge the importance of this monument. Construction on the cathedral started in 1163 and was largely finished by 1250, with most of its features emphasizing Gothic influences. The building's architecture, the sculptures present in it, and the impressive stained glass all stand as reminders that the French community invested most of its cultural values into the church at the time when it was constructed.

The narrator in “The Cathedral” begins the story with the issue of hesitation in seeing the light. The light in this story just like the light in Plato’s “Myth of the Cave” represents reality. The narrator expresses the fear of expressing reality when he said “ I wasn’t

“Stories about architecture are stories about people,” said David Macaulay, author of Cathedral (4). The intention of cathedrals was to draw people, and in turn inspire those who came to pray, learn, and worship (Macaulay, Cathedral 4). Cathedrals remain inspirational in their enormous scale and overpowering beauty, and that these places of worship are still standing after many centuries show a level of determination and integrity in those that built the edifices (Macaulay, Cathedral 4). Architect Vitruvius wrote, “All the buildings have two components: The building itself and an idea that its architecture tried to express” (McNamara 6). People build churches because they believed in something (McNamara 6). In David Macaulay’s book, Built to Last, he says the mindset behind building cathedrals was that of honor and dedication. Macaulay’s research noted that, “The new cathedral would be built to the glory of God, and it mattered little that it might take more than one hundred years to construct it” (Macaulay, Built to Last 98). However, there is more to cathedrals than just building something grand and beautiful to honor God. Churches and cathedrals were built to be packed with meaning (Taylor 1), and were used to illustrate key points of Christian teaching through the use of imagery (Taylor 5). Cathedrals were a place to immerse individuals in worship. Religious parents encourage their children to pray, take them to church and to religious events (Newberg and

Gothic Cathedral, while most notable for its pointed arches, stained-glass windows, slendered piers, and flying buttresses, is also recognized by its lancets, rose windows, and triforiums, as well as other identifiers. Although most Gothic architects of the great cathedrals are unknown, those that we do know have a sense of fame attached to them and all those who worked on these grand projects. In reference, unlike “Romanesque”, whose name derives from modern architectural historians, the term Gothic was originally used in a derogatory manner by 16th Century Italian architect, Giorgio Vasari who viewed the style as “monstrous and barbarous,” accrediting its ugliness to the barbaric Goths, who are held accountable for the collapse of Rome and the break in classical art and architecture. However, during the 12th and 13th century the term “Gothic” was never used to describe the style of the time, instead it was quickly referred to as “opus francigenum” meaning “French work” or simply “opus modernum” meaning “modern work.” While Giorgio’s view resembles that of renaissance artist Lorenzo Ghiberti, of the previous century, most late medieval and modern views consider the Gothic era a high point in history for Western art and architecture.

The speed, extent and tenacity of Cistercian expansion was by all accounts extraordinary, and one that seemed to differ greatly from the other monastic movements of the twelfth century. Their growth from one to seven foundations, to more than three hundred in the space of fifty years was almost entirely unexpected by contemporary standards. However, when one delves into the history of the order and looks at the factors that differentiated it from other similar monastic institutions of the same period one begins to see a number of portentous factors that undoubtedly contributed to such explosive growth.

The buildings had barrel vaults columns and windows and doors with rounded arches. The buildings were solid and heavy with small windows which made the insides very dimly lit. This lack of light is apparent in the film as a way to describe the general mindset and lifestyle of monastic life in the Middle Ages. Romanesque architecture is known for its large internal spaces. Annaud uses these Middle Age details in his construction of the set. As Professor Russell describes in the Medieval Culture lecture the different rooms of the monastery contained the cloister which connected the dormitory, refectory, scriptorium, kitchen, cellar, and herbal garden. The small windows, arched doorways and the non-human void of expressivity capitals and sculptures were all true to the times. Annaud constructed this Romanesque church set built specifically to shoot majority of the film. The attention and detail that he put into making sure that the backdrop provided a true and accurate account for how religious architecture was in the Middle Ages furthered the success of the film.

I also thought it was interesting to learn that the abbey church of Saint Dennis was the first introduction of Gothic architecture. Another interesting thing that I wanted to point out was, that many of the churches, including the abbey church of Saint Dennis and the Chartres Cathedral, "had lengthy construction histories" (Kleiner 379). But, one church, in particular, had a fairly quick construction time frame. The Laon Cathedral, pictured below, is an example of a church that began construction around 1160 and the construction was quickly completed, by 1200. Besides, Gothic architectural features, the Laon Cathedral also demonstrates some Romanesque features, including, "nave bays with large sexpartite rib vaults" (Kleiner 379). The textbook

The nature of Cluny lay in the circumstances of it’s foundation. It was endowed with a measure of independence by it’s founder, Duke William, allowing the monks to elect their own abbot, placing the abbey directly under the guardianship of St Peter and the Apostolic See. As a house dedicated to reviving strict Benedictine observance Cluny was not unique, but it was this indepencence, the succesion of talented abbots and it’s organisation set up by Abbot Berno that laid the foundations of the abbey’s later greatness.

At the heart of the east end is the Choir, it is one of the most important and original works of the medieval era in Europe. It is at the center of the cathedral and was rebuilt by Abbot Knowle in the 14th Century, the choir stalls were later added by Abbot Elyot in the 16th Century. The current stalls date back to the 19th century but incorporate some of the 16th Century carvings, including the original misericords. these are located under the choir seats and were originally

With these great gothic style building appearing in Europe, there had to be architects behind the projects. Some of the most famous architects of the early gothic (1140-1194), high gothic (1194-1300), and late gothic (1300-1500) are, Jean D’Orbais, Jean Le Loup, Gaucher De Reims, Bernard De Soissons, and Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis. The patron, and client, for the first Gothic style building - Abbot Suger, wrote his views on the symbolism, at St. Denis, built between (1140-1144), but did not record the architect’s name. Jean D’Orbais' designed the first tracery rose window, and was a major milestone in church construction. Considering we don't

The research paper, shall be concerned with discussion Gothic architecture in Europe-namely England, France, Germany, and Italy starting from 12th to the 16th Centuries. Architecture was the most original and lasting form of art during the Gothic Period, which lasted for four centuries starting from the mid 12th century. The impetus for this architecture was the Roman Catholic Church, which sought to portray their houses of worship as something which transcended the realm of mankind. It is interesting to note that many of the Northern European areas were predominately pagan, and only recently brought into the Church. The imagery provided by Gothic structural design was something these peoples could more readily understand, as they

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)

Notre-Dame of Paris is one of the most prominent cathedrals in the land of Paris and portrays many diversified Gothic characteristics. This research essay will explore the cathedral in detail while emphasizing on the influence of Gothic architecture on the cathedral. Notre-Dame of Paris bears all the structural features of a Gothic cathedral including the famous rose window. By far, the Gothic style has influenced the entire design of Notre-Dame of Pairs. If there were other influences, it would be too minor to be taken noticed of. The construction began in year 1163. Being a significant building to the locals, she bore important responsibilities. Eugene Viollet-le-Duc played an important role in the cathedral’s restoration.