Technological Cathedrals

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

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

walls, there are paintings of the Life of the Virgin. On the bottom of the walls there are images of the seven ecumenical councils. The song “The Last Judgement” is painted on the west wall. Numerous figures of martyrs are painted on the pillars, and there are also many icons. There used to be an icon of “Our Lady of Vladimir,” but later on the icon was moved to St. Basil’s Cathedral so it wouldn’t be stolen because it was so expensive. There are icons of the Virgin Hodegetria, Saint George, Trinity. There is a large iconostasis, which is a screen bearing icon that separates the sanctuary from the nave, that occupies the whole wide wall of the cathedral.

By protruding from the cathedral's walls, the figures are more attractive and would gain more observation. Also, they would have been brightly painted to look as realistic as possible (Harris and Zucker 2018). This, in its day, would have made the scenes seem even more lively than they do now, and certainly more lively than the blander jamb sculptures of Early Gothic art. Not only were the figures interacting with each other, but they would have been able to interact with passersby and members of the cathedral. Their realism could have especially been effective in playing towards the church youths. The colorful figures on the exterior of the church were the same ones that were featured in biblical sermons on the interior and would have helped paint visuals of gospel readings. Finally, as is characteristic of many religions, the divine figures depicted were both literally and figuratively placed above the mortal man or woman. The jamb statues were larger-than-life-size and, in case there was any doubt that they reign supreme over us, are mounted on the cathedral. This gives the appearance of Gabriel, Mary and Elizabeth watching over us. This could mean in a protective, religious sense but also could be in a hierarchical context. The figures depicted in Annunciation and Visitation are all of vital importance to Christianity and are worshiped-or looked up to-by followers of that faith. These reasons are why I believe Annunciation and Visitation looks and is placed the way it

The New Cathedral is a prime example of Gothic architecture. Much of the cathedral is covered

The reason the cathedral took so long to build was its size. The National Cathedral covers 57 acres (or 2,482,920 square feet)! That's about 1000 times bigger than the average house in the USA!

The Gothic period was a tuime of advancements in architecture including the pointed arch, the rib vault, and the flying buttress. Also, stained glass windows were a beutiful way to express their beliefs in an architectural

“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

Too many it signified the alliance the Germans had with many others individual kingdoms and countries. Another piece of significance the building provides is from its architecture, the architecture of the Cathedral represents the unification of Germany. The background information and the significance of the cathedral itself and what it meant to many did not stop the Allies from dropping a great number of aerial bombs on and all around the cathedral trying to create terror and destruction.

While constructing both of these cathedrals there were sculptures created that represented narratives of theology and mysticism. Both were created for a place of worship that’s why sculptures and paintings of religious images were added. This showed a great respect for the belief in Christ and the surrounding believers.

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

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.

The clerestory had only small windows to let a decent amount of light in. The exteriors of the cathedrals were plain, had very little decoration, and were extremely solid-looking. Cathedral plans were often regular and symmetrical, making the Romanesque cathedral form known for its simplicity. They were often built in the general shape of a cross, relying on the basilica as a design base. As for the sculptural decoration, Romanesque architects utilized thin, elongated, and abstract figures.

This mountainous structure is seen from about every point of Paris and beyond. From the front, you can see two towers jutting out of an ordinary street. The Cathedral also features large stained glass windows, that are one of the most beautiful features of the structures. From the side, you can see the long body of the Cathedral and the spire sticking out of the top. It is somewhat overwhelming being within feet of the structure, because of the immense height and width of the church. Looking at the back, one can clearly see the dome-like structures attaching to the organ room. From the outside, you can clearly see the sculptures depicting the scenes from the Catholic religion. The cathedral is gigantic, but it is easy to process all the sections because of the distinct styles of architecture. From an

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)