History of Architecture 2

Scholasticism, Measure and Light in Gothic Architecture

History of Architecture 2

Ecclesiastical Architecture in Medieval Society

History of Architecture 2

‘Gothic’

originated in present day France

spread to modern day Italy, UK, Spain, Germany, Austria etc

revived in 19c as a ‘style’

History of Architecture 2

‘Gothic’

anatomy and nomenclature

History of Architecture 2

‘Gothic’

differences to Romanesque interior

late romanesque sanctuary

Capella Palatina, Palermo c 1140 -60~Chartres c.1200compare the nature of the sanctuary

History of Architecture 2

Perception and appearance of God

iconographic value is reduced

perceiving ‘God’ through His marvels, e.g. light, number, geometry

heightened symbolism of natural phenomena

History of Architecture 2

early ‘Gothic’

St Denis, 1138 -1144

Suger of Saint-Denis , supplicant on a medieval window

Interior Photo of Saint Denis Church in north Paris

We remember Abbot Suger because he opened up the heavy Romanesque walls and added stained glass and his use of more efficient vaults at Saint Denis. The pointed, rib vaults were no longer restricted to square compartments. Seven small chapels, called apsidal chapels, radiate around the ambulatory.

St Denis

History of Architecture 2

early ‘Gothic’

Notre Dame, Paris; 1165 - 1200

Notre ~Dame

History of Architecture 2

high ‘Gothic’

Chartres, 1194 -1220

Cathedral of Chartres, western spires

Chartres, West End elevation. From G. Dehio and G. von Bezold, Die

Kirchliche Baukunst des Abendlandes, Stuttgart, 1887-1902, plate 407

Chartres. Floorplan, from G. Dehio and G. von Bezold, Die Kirchliche Baukunst des abendlandes, Stuttgart, 1887-1902, plate 383

chartres nave

Chartres

The center portal is slightly larger. The design of the portal is taken from a Roman triumphal arch. The center portal represents the second coming of Christ with the four Evangelists: the eagle stands for John, the angel for Matthew, the lion for Mark and the bull for Luke, All the figures on the Tympanum are stylized. Figures on the voussoir seem to float

History of Architecture 2

high ‘Gothic’

Rheims; 1211 - 1260

Rheims

History of Architecture 2

‘Gothic’

Bourges; 1195 - 1220

History of Architecture 2

high ‘Gothic’

Amiens; 1220 - 1247

AmiensThree architects worked on Amiens. The facade is more elaborate and has more sculptural decorations than Chartres. The tracery in Amiens's rose window is more delicate and the center portal is dramatically larger than Chartres.

Amiens

History of Architecture 2

high ‘Gothic’

Beauvais; 1225 - 1272

God the Geometer, Manuscript illustration.Clark, Kenneth. Civilization. NY: Harper, 1969. p. 52

The importance of number symbolism was matched by a dedication to geometry. Kenneth Clark points out that ". . . to medieval man geometry was a divine activity . . ."

According to Cowan, churches had been built on geometric principles since early Christian times. Geometry was the basis of all Gothic cathedrals, everything being created from basic relationships. We've seen that the ground plan was always cruciform, the baptism font always octagonal, and the baptistry itself often was, and the circle was everywhere.

This was symbolized in art by God holding a pair of compasses, a common motif in the Middle Ages. The art historian Ernst Gombrich credits a passage from the Old Testament as the inspiration for these portrayals. In Proverbs, Chapter 8 par. 27, Wisdom put forth her voice;

"When he established the heavens I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the deep:"

Walking the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres) in Chartres, France

MILAN