Two Cathedrals During The Romanesque Period And Gothic Architecture

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

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 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.

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.

During the gothic period, many philosophers started to embrace the theory of scholasticism. Scholastic philosophy began to take root in schools all across Europe, and this exposure shaped the arts of that period. From music to architecture, these philosophies changed the paradigms of the artists and the audience. Religion still being the backbone of art in this time period, cathedrals began to take on these different art forms and processes of the gothic era. Biblical Symbolism is a key to religious art and architecture that teaches lessons and embraces catholic ideals. Chartres Cathedral, an icon for gothic architecture, has a style that emulates this concept of symbolism that was shaped scholasticism. In the analysis of the west façade of the Chartres Cathedral, one can recognize how scholastic philosophy influenced and shaped the biblical symbolism and images shown in the Chartres Cathedral.

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 Romanesque and Gothic architecture period both occurred during the Middle Ages with the Gothic period taking place during the later half. Gothic and Romanesque architecture were related in many ways, but they also contrasted in style too. Over time, masons began to test the waters and push the limits. They thought of new ways to add lighting and ways to allow more height to the building without it being to heavy and weak. Many of the reasons for the change in styles had a lot to do with society and the changes it faced. There was a greater intensity occurring in piety and literature. The Gothic style embodied this new urban society. Romanesque and Gothic shared similar characteristics, but Gothic architecture was a greater departure

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

One theory about this slow evolution is that, in the 12th century Germany possessed a Romanesque architectural style, which was well suited to

     The art of the Romanesque period was characterized by the revival of sculptures and fresco painting. These were common elements of architecture. Along with those architectural advancements the period produced frequent examples of realism as well as a heightened emphasis on emotion and fantasy. The crusades acted as a main contributor to this time period lending more religious and revolutionary imagery.

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.

Fire is viewed as destruction by many, but it helped to produce growth in Gothic architecture. Many of Christianity’s beliefs are reflected in different aspects of art. The stained glass and verticality of Gothic churches is a key change from Romanesque style churches. The Gothic church found creative ways to illustrate images of important events in history through tapestry. Even the general shape and design of the Romanesque churches versus Gothic churches show Christians values. The sculptures outside of churches have evolved over time to correspond with Christian’s beliefs of Homo faber. The change in design of Romanesque churches to the new architecture of Gothic style churches shows how Christian’s incorporated their religion into churches. Christianity’s beliefs and values are directly reflected through the changes of architecture and style from Romanesque to Gothic churches along with visual and literary art.

Known for its pointed arches, flying buttresses, and detailed tracery, Gothic architecture emerged in 12th-century northern France, and the style continued into the 16th century . Gothic architecture was called, Opus Francigenum ("French work"), during the time. The term Gothic, first appearing during the late part of the Renaissance period. Gothic Architecture is wonderful on its own, how detailed, and ornate a concrete building can be finished with colorful stained-glass windows. The famous architects helped to create these building masterpieces of the century, and that became popular in other countries around the world, and still today. One of the towering achievements in the world architecture, the unique product of an era of peace, and widespread economic prosperity, deep spiritually, and extraordinary technological innovations.

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

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