The Medieval Gothic Cathedral Essay -- European History Architecture E

The Medieval Gothic CathedralThe medieval Gothic duomo 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 selfsame(prenominal) 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 nutriment to the workers and donating money to pay for its construction. The architecture of the cathedral dominated the town in the way that modern skyscrapers are the centre civic buildings today. Many of the decorations in the cathedral such as the thousands of sculptures and beautiful stained glass windows were donated by guilds and tradespeople of the town. People visited Chart res for the fairs held on the feasts of the Virgin, a major place for trade. Townspeople also used the lofty cathedral and its grounds for business.Medieval cathedrals such as Chartres show the strength and majesty of the Catholic church. The original Romanesque cathedral in Chartres that was built in the eleventh century burned down in a fervidness in 1134. The cathedral was then rebuilt in the gothic style, but then another fire destroyed all except the towers and the west front in 1194. (See Hallam & Everard 2001) The new Gothic cathedral was regarded as one of the first examples of High Gothic architecture. at that place was a genuine desire, of course, to build places of worship and prayer and to build a cathedral as a way to pay homage to God. However, the catholic... ...ey, A. 1922, Medieval France A Companion to French Studies, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UKVon Simpson, O. 1988, The Gothic Cathedral Origins of Gothic Architecture and the Medieval concept of Orde r, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey USAWison, C. 1990, The Gothic Cathedral The Architecture of the smashing Church 1130-1530, Thames and Hudson, Singaporehttp//art.ranken.edu/borchardt/archistI/Course%20stuff/Medieval/medieval.htm, accessed 13/04/04Classical Architectural History Lesson, subheading The New CathedralsHalsall, P. 1988, http//www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1210chartres.html, accessed 13/04/04Halsall, P. 1988http//www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1224chartres.html, accessed 13/04/04Ingersoll, R. 1995, rice University Cities and Historyhttp//www.owlnet.rice.edu/arch343/lecture9.html, accessed 13/04/04