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Gothic Architecture

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... against an external wall to counteract the lateral thrust of a vault or arch ... St. Denis- rebuilding commissioned by Abbot Suger, chief advisor to Louis IV ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Gothic Architecture


1
Gothic Architecture C. 1140-1450
Height and Light
2
Architecture Terms
  • Nave-the central Aisle
  • Transcept-the cross arm of the church
  • Clerestory-row of windows on the upper part of
    the Nave wall
  • Arcade-series of arches supported by piers and
    columns, called a blind arcade when attached to a
    wall
  • Choir-square area between the apse and the
    trancept
  • Apse-a semicircular niche at the end of one or
    both ends of the nave, usually at the east end
  • Ambulatory-Walkway around the apse
  • Flying buttresses-a projecting support built
    against an external wall to counteract the
    lateral thrust of a vault or arch
  • Pier-upright, rectangular support, sometimes with
    capitals and bases
  • Bay-a subdivision of the interior space of a
    church, usually in a series supported by
    architectural supports
  • Crypt-a vaulted space beneath the Choir which
    causes the Choir to have a raised floor
  • Transverse Section-an architectural drawing
    presenting a building as if cut across the
    vertical plane at a right angle to the vertical
    plane
  • Aisle-a passageway running parallel to the Nave
    separating it from the colonnades
  • Façade-The principal face or the front of a
    building
  • Elevation-an architectural drawing presenting a
    building as if projected on a vertical plane
    parallel to one of its sides

3
  • St. Denis- rebuilding commissioned by Abbot
    Suger, chief advisor to Louis IV
  • Championed spiritual politics-the relationship
    between church and state in order to rally the
    nation behind the king
  • Denis was the shrine of the apostle of France and
    the memorial of the Carolingian dynasty
  • Wanted to make it the spiritual center of France
  • Architectural forms seem weightless
  • Windows fill entire wall because of heavy
    buttresses that bear the weight

Interior, St. Denis, 1140-44
4
Plan, St. Denis
  • Buttresses jut out between the chapels in the
    ambulatory
  • Similar to Romanesque- pilgrimage choir, but more
    integrated and ribbed vaulting is everywhere (in
    Romanesque, only ambulatory)
  • New kind of geometric order to the plan-
    continuous, open space

5
  • Suger brought in artisans from many different
    regions for his projects
  • Strove for strict geometry and harmony among all
    the parts
  • Harmony was spiritual, like the light that came
    in through the stained glass windows- symbolism
    of light and of proportion came from early
    Christian thought
  • Sugers new style spread throughout Europe
  • What came first- Sugers theological architecture
    or the innovations that made it possible? Some
    say Suger was an architect
  • New thrust to raise the roof to the
    heavens-maximum space with the minimum of
    material- possible because of the use of the
    pointed arch in groined vaults which could be
    raised to any desired height regardless of its
    width

6
  • Future of Gothic architecture lay in towns rather
    than monasteries.
  • Revival of urban life
  • Bishops and town clergy rose to power
  • Cathedral schools and universities took the place
    of monasteries as centers of learning
  • Our Lady the Virgin Mary in Paris
  • Plan focuses on longitudinal axis
  • Compact and unified
  • Transcept is stubby, double ambulatory of choir
    continues into aisles
  • But still reminiscent of Romanesque-square bays
    under nave vaults and galleries above inner aisles

Plan, Notre Dame 1163-1250
7
Notre Dame, 1163-1250
  • Large clerestory windows, lightness and
    slenderness of form
  • Verticalism of the interior space- the effort
    isnt seen like in Romanesque

8
Flying Buttresses, Notre Dame
  • Seen from the outside, the buttresses are arched
    bridges that reach to the critical spots between
    the clerestory windows where the outward thrust
    of the nave walls is concentrated

9
  • Façade is original except for damage to its
    sculpture during the Revolution
  • Derived from St. Denis and Romanesque Westwork
  • Same three-part façade, three-story arrangement,
    portals
  • More balances and coherent than Romansesque
    facades
  • Sculpture is given a very structured role
  • Very lace-like rather than cubic- more like a
    screen than a wall

West Façade, Notre Dame
10
  • 1145-Bishop of Chartres (friend of Suger)
    rebuilt his cathedral in the new style
  • 50 years later, all but west façade was destroyed
    by fire and rebuilt- second rebuilding in 1194
  • The rest was finished in only 26 years
  • Because of this, the basic design is extremely
    unified- but was constructed in several stages by
    several builders so the design is evolutionary
  • North spire built in the early 16th c.
  • Built on the highest point of the town
  • 1st Cathedral of the mature Gothic style

West Façade, Chartes, 1145-1220
11
West Portals, Chartres
12
Chartres, Transverse Section
13
Plan, Chartres
  • Very few walls- uninterrupted space
  • Pilgrimage Church- massive amounts of people came
    to see relic- remnants of the robe of the Virgin
    Mary (which survived the fire)
  • Wide aisle runs the length of the nave
  • Still has most of stained glass- changes the
    quality of everyday light

14
Shows Clerestory And Gallery
Chartres
15
Amiens Cathedral- The Gothic style at its
climax -height is the aesthetic and technical
aim -entire area above the nave is a clerestory
Amiens Cathedral, Choir Vault, 1220
16
Amiens, Nave
Amiens, Transverse Section
17
Reims Cathedral, 1225-99
Notre Dame, 1163-1250
18
Salisbury Cathedral, 1220-70
  • Gothic style spread to England- although England
    had its own style-mainly used to add to
    Romanesque churches that hadnt been finished-
    called Early English style
  • Instead of tall and compact, Salisbury is
    sprawling, flying buttresses only for show, west
    façade is wider than the church itself

19
  • Nave is different too-
  • Stresses horizontal bands rather than
  • Verticality
  • Very steep curve to the nave vaults-also seen at
    Durham but now its for style rather than
    necessity
  • More conservative style than French Gothic

Salisbury Nave and Choir
20
  • Built as a monumental landmark to civic
    pride-towering over entire city
  • Designed by Arnolfo di Cambio,
  • Most famous for octagonal dome (based on a Roman
    design) built by Brunelleschi done in the 15th C.
  • Nothing Gothic about the exterior
  • West façade was not as important in Italy-some
    not finished until the Renaissance

Florence Cathedral 1296
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