Introduction
The monastery plan of St. Gall is a document that uniquely captures an early medieval nature not only in its architecture but also in its life forms.
This plan is one of the most remarkable visualizations of a building complex produced during the early ninth century.
It provides direct insight into the organization of the medieval monastery.
Making of Plan / Physical Descriptions
The plan of St. Gall provides an overall snapshot of an institution of about forty buildings inhabited by about 110 monks, with an equal number of laypeople who served as support staff. The plan was drawn on parchment 30.5 inch x 44 inch sewn together from five separate pieces. The building name /purpose is written in Latin using dark brown ink. The designer of this plan also has a dedicatory legend indicated to the top margin above the cemetery/orchard.
The plan of St. Gall includes a church, scriptorium lodging for visiting monks, a monastic dormitory, refectory, school, kitchen, bake and brew house, guest house, abbot’s residence, an infirmary, numerous fields and industrial out-buildings; along with fences, walls, gardens, orchids and roads.
The plan of St. Gall is referred as a replication of an original prototype. This orchestration was not concretely designed for a particular site. According to Prof. Mark Jarzombek’s article, The Medieval Monastery: The Plan of St. Gall, “It is an ideal plan incorporating the monastic reforms promulgated at the synods held at Louis the
St Patricks Cathedral was designed by William Wardell, who also designed the Wardell building at Genazzano. St Patrick’s is well-known internationally for its stunning Gothic Architecture and it is one of the greatest buildings erected by the exponents of the Gothic-Revival style.
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.
This is proof of the Sumerian architectural abilities. The architecture in Mesopotamia are considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities, but there was some complexity in the architectural design during this Protoliterate period (c. 3400-c. 2900 BC). This is shown in the design of many religious buildings. Typical temples of the Protoliterate period--both the platform type and the type built at ground level--are, however, much more elaborate both in planning and ornament. The interior was decorated with cones sunk into the wall, covered in bronze. Most cities were simple in structure, but the ziggurat was one of the world's first complex architectural structures.
Their architectural innovations included arches, columns, ramps, and the pyramid-shaped ziggurat.” Prior to this point, structures
Before me loomed the old observatory which would be our home for the next year. Its walls were an expanse of red brick stacked on red brick, contrasting the two white front doors and the white domed tower. It sat atop Henrick Cliff with large fields sloping down from the front of the house. The tower could be seen rising from the back of the house, with the cliffs edge and sea beyond that. The observatory looked like a forgotten castle, waiting for the next rulers to occupy it.
Since its construction in 1799, Ash-Lawn Highland underwent constant structural additions, renovations, and modifications for nearly 131 years. It is the scope of my research assignment to identify the various architectural styles and historical changes in the structure from 1799 to 1930.
Work began on the stone convento, or priest’s residence, by 1727. Replacing earlier adobe structures, the two-story, arcaded stone building eventually included two wings along the west and south edges of an inner courtyard, immediately north of the church. The convento, now known as the long barracks, also served to house the friars, offices, kitchens, dining room, and guest rooms.
in detailed carvings. The new cathedral was built to stabilize the older cathedral. There is an
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 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.
The Interior of the Panthéon is really unique and creative. It is used to accommodate the remains of the great men of France. After that it was adjusted as a pantheon by architect Quatremère de Quincy and since
The Notre Dame Cathedral is the most visited tourist site in France, beating the Eiffel tower with 13 million visitors each year. Because it took over 300 years to build, there are many different styles of the architecture shown throughout the building(notredamecathedralparis.com). This structure shows the hardships of war and the enlightened thinking of the Renaissance. Built in 12th century France, the Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the biggest French Catholic cathedrals in France and is still functional as a regular Church(sacred-destinations.com). This gem of architecture is a true wonder and represents the sacred and hopeful times of the middle ages and the renaissance.
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)