Gothic Architecture and Cathedrals, Week Five

This week we wrapped up French Gothic and dabbled in another medieval construct that shows up in early the early Gothic period. The last French cathedral in this study is the cathedral found in Amiens, ranking as the tallest completed cathedral in France, standing at 138.8 feet. The Beauvais cathedral is taller, but is incomplete.

As with previous cathedrals, there is a relic associated with this structure. It is said the head of John the Baptist was found in the ruins of a palace in Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade and brought to Amiens. During the French Revolution, the relic was removed, and while it was commanded to be buried in a cemetery, it was housed with the mayor of the town. It was returned to the cathedral in 1816.

During the construction, the builders were uncertain on the placement of the buttresses and placed them too high to counteract the force of the ceiling, causing structural defects. Other buttresses were later added to assist in holding up the load.

Other points of interest for this cathedral:

• The largest medieval interior in Western Europe 

• the famous "weeping angel" (not the Doctor Who variety but the chubby cherubim)

• And the World War One memorials commemorating those who perished at the Battles of the Somme

More details from the class and the cathedral can be found here.

A fantastic video by drone of the interior of Amiens can be found here. The constructs of Gothic architecture are on fabulous display.

The last structure in our Gothic architecture study is not a cathedral (the seat of a Bishop). It is St. Chappelle and it is in the heart of Paris, specifically the royal palace complex. Louis IX (1214-1270 AD), and later canonized in 1297 as St. Louis, was king of France. He had two primary interests: his collection of Passion relics (of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to his crucifixion and death) and solidifying his power through his patronage of the arts and architecture in France. At the time, the emperor in Constantinople, the head of the church in the East, could enter the Hagia Sophia through The Emperor Door, his own personal entrance. Louis IX wanted this same convenience and a place to house his Passion relic collection. Among his collection were the Holy Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the cross of Christ. He believed with his possession of the Crown of Thorns and Gothic chapel to house it, he would be unequivocally be the central monarch of Western Christendom. (This is all grossly simplified and I feel I'm leaving out pertinent information, but the reminder here is that it's a class of 6th-8th graders.)

St. Chappelle represents the height of Gothic architecture and is known as the rayonnant style, focusing a thinner look a a brighter, wider space for displaying the stained glass. As you can see, the basic constructs are there: ribbed vaults, pointed arches, stained glass; but it lighter, more delicate than previously found in Gothic architecture.

For more information and in depth detail on the chapel, watch the video here.

And to walk through St. Chappelle with Rick Steves, watch the video here.

We've spent quite a bit of time discussing the purpose of the monks, the pilgrimage, the shrines and relics, and the cathedrals-- all part of this need to have a physical representation of the the spiritual journey. In early Gothic architecture, a labyrinth was utilized to represent this journey. Unlike a maze where you have a choice of right or left, there is only one way to go in a labyrinth. The mystery of the labyrinth is long and fabled, but it represents the idea of a beginning and an end along a varied and meditative walk. In the Chartres and Amiens cathedrals, the builders inlaid in the floor a labyrinth where the nave and the transept cross. 

Chartres Cathedral Labyrint:

Amiens Cathedral Labyrinth:

For those artistic types, here's a video on how to draw the Chartres labyrinth.

This week we move across the English Channel and take up the Gothic there.