The Medieval Gothic Cathedral Essay - 3419 Words

The Medieval Gothic Cathedral The medieval Gothic cathedral was in many ways a civic building as well as a religious one. This particularly was the case with the famous cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres (Our Lady of Chartres) in the town of the same name, 80km south-east of Paris, built in the 13th century. Chartres cathedral was planned not only as a place of worship, but also developed as the centre of the towns economy and way of life, as the place that housed the relic of the cloak of the Virgin Mary. The local citizens assisted the building of the cathedral by providing the labour, giving food to the workers and donating money to pay for its construction. The architecture of the cathedral dominated the town in the way that modern†¦show more content†¦The buildings were for the glory of God, but they also expressed Episcopal prestige and affirmed the bishops power in the face of his secular rivals. (Duby 1991: 4) Since there were often rivalries between the church and the state, a massive cathedral ri sing high above the town is one way of showing the strength of the church. In Capetian France (987-1328), royal officials often claimed that bishops and cardinals were getting away with some crimes because of what was known as benefit of clergy, immunity from prosecution in lay courts. There were major disputes between royal officials and the churches of Chartres, Poitiers Lyons - and here the royal interests won. (Hallam Everard 2001: 399) With the church losing in these disagreements with the government, another tall cathedral reaffirms their status. At this time, churches were being built in Northern France at ever increasing height, with Laon at 24 metres, Notre dame de Paris at 32 metres and Notre dame de Chartres at 35 metres. (See Kleiner et al 2001: 493) The funds to build this enormous cathedral came partly from the laity, many of whom wanted to see a fitting place for the housing of the cloak of the Virgin. Many people came to worship the objects connected with religious figures, called relics, that were stored in cathedrals through Europe during the Middle Ages. One of the most widely known relics was housed in Chartres cathedral. This cloak, which was supposed to have been worn by theShow MoreRelated Gothic Arches Versus Romanesque Arches1185 Words   |  5 PagesRomanesque period of style morphed into the Gothic period of style. The Romanesque period was characterized by the following: thick walls, barrel/round arches, supporting groin vaults, and thick buttresses (Calkins 1998, 110). The Gothic period was characterized by the following: thin walls, pointed arches, stained glass, and flying buttresses (Icher 1998, 20-30). During the early medieval years, the use of thick walls in building a church or cathedral was not only to c reate a stable monumental buildingRead MoreAnalysis Of Notre Dame Cathedral1022 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Notre-Dame Cathedral on the  Ile de la Cite  in  Paris is one of the most recognised Gothic structures of medieval Europe. It is considered a fine example of new architectural strategies of the twelfth century, as well as a symbol of socio-political power of the Catholic Church within this period (Swaan, 1988). Therefore, the cathedrals design and construction highlight advances in art and building strategies throughout the history of European culture. This essay is going to discuss Notre-DameRead MoreArchitecture: Classical Greek vs. Medieval Gothic Essays996 Words   |  4 PagesArchitecture: Classical Greek vs. Medieval Gothic Wendy DeLisio HUM_266 September 24, 2012 Taniya Hossain Architecture: Classical Greek vs. Medieval Gothic Looking at the design of different structures throughout the world, one may not realize the beauty of the art in each of them or the ideals on which they were constructed. For example the classical Greek era, 480 BCE – 330 BCE that held the ideals ofRead MoreCultural Influence Of The Early Medieval Era1570 Words   |  7 Pagesallow for new types of artwork to be produced. Artwork during the Early Medieval era, Romanesque era, and Gothic era demonstrates how local and imported ideas intermingle to produce new things. 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