Gothic Architecture and Cathedrals, Week Seven

We scooted through England last week, and now we are in Ireland. Christianity in Ireland was great deal different than what was found the Continent and in England, whose Christianity was influenced directly through Constantinople and Rome. Irish Christianity is also known as Celtic or Insular Christianity. While it began in the Catholic mold, it is distinguishable from the Roman Catholic Church. While the differences are not necessarily in theology, the Celts were able to maintain their regional/traditional practices. A history of the Christian faith in Ireland can be viewed here. Celtic art, as this video shows, was drastically different than the Roman to French to Norman England. Therefore the art found in cathedrals and other ecclesiastical expressions were unique, following a distinct Celtic tradition. This video discusses Celtic art and Christianity.

Two distinguishable differences are the emphasis on writing/scholasticism and the Irish mission system of St. Columba. In the earliest of days, monasticism in Ireland was primarily focused on education and ecclesiastical writings. The monastic settlement of Iona is said to have produced the Book of Kells, today housed in the library at Trinity College in Dublin, and revered in Ireland as an illuminated text, as seen here. Mission work was also a unique part of Celtic monasticism, as they recognized the importance of their patron saint's mission work to Ireland: St. Patrick.

Glendalough was a monastic settlement south of Dublin. From here, Abbot Laurence O'Toole made the move to Dublin in 1162AD to be Archbishop of Dublin. While in this position, he helped rebuild Christ Church into a cathedral, the first in Ireland and in the Gothic style. Christ Church Cathedral: A Thousand Years of History can be viewed at this link. Drone footage of the cathedral, interior and exterior, can be seen here. I use these videos in class and we spend time pointing out the things that make it Gothic. With drone videos we usually start on the outside where we can note the shape of the cruciform, the flying buttresses, the pointed arches of the windows, and the rose window. Each class, we discuss the design of the layout, as I detailed in Week Three of this class. 

The second cathedral in Dublin we studied was St. Patrick's Cathedral. The history of the church on this site can be viewed here, and the drone video can be viewed here. The building fell into disrepair in the late 1800s by Benjamin Guinness. He offered to pay for the entirety of the restoration but stipulated that he would hold the all final decisions on design. This move was controversial and some nicknamed St. Patrick's Cathedral as the Whiskey Church. His restoration was again in the Gothic style and with a reverence for medieval art and architecture. Information on this restoration can be found here. 

This week, our final class, we finish up in Germany and Austria.