Gothic Architecture - Gilman School

							   Gothic
 Architecture
and Sculpture:
 12th and 13th
Century France
      Images and text from
Alan Peterson’s Art History Site
  and Gardner’s Art History
                       Gothic Europe
The Gothic style originated in France around 1140. It spread
to other parts of Europe and remained the dominant
architectural style in northern Europe for the next 400 years.
Like the preceding Romanesque style, the Gothic style is
defined largely in terms of architecture, with many regional
variants.


"Gothic": Giorgio Vasari, A Renaissance art historian, first used the word
"Gothic" as a term of ridicule to describe late medieval art and
architecture.
Gothic Architecture
 Early Gothic 1140 - 1194
 High Gothic 1194 - 1300
 Late Gothic 1300 – 1400

 Whereas Romanesque culture was
 still primarily rural and built around
 village culture, Gothic culture grew
 out of urban culture. The revival of
 Europe’s cities that began during the
 Romanesque period continued
 throughout this period.

 During the Romanesque period the
 major religious centers were
 monasteries. During the Gothic
 period cathedrals, the seats of local
 bishops, became great centers of
 education and political power.
Cult of the Virgin Mary
 The rise of the popularity of the Cult
 of the Virgin Mary led to a new
 emphasis in the church on the role of
 Mary. The Virgin assumed a status
 equal to that of great female deities
 of the past such as Isis, Demeter,
 Aphrodite and Hera.
 Prominent women such as Blanche
 of Castille and Eleanor of Aquitane
 supported court manners that
 developed into the vogue for
 "courtly love" and chivalry. As a
 result, women assume a much more
 prominent role in society.
St. Denis Cathedral
 In 1144 the royal abbey of St. Denis
 was substantially remodeled by
 Abbot Suger (pronounced "soo
 zhay"). This abbey held the relics of
 St. Denis, the Apostle of Gaul. It had
 also become the burial place of
 French kings.
 Abbot Suger was a counselor to
 Louis VI & VII and served as regent
 when Louis VII went on crusade. To
 enhance the prestige of the kings he
 served, Suger wanted to make St.
 Denis a spiritual center. So he used
 his royal connections to build a
 magnificent pilgrimage center.



                                          St. Denis, Paris
The Birth of Gothic
Architecture:
Abbot Suger redesigned the apse end of
the abbey by incorporating new vaults
similar to the ribbed vaults we saw at
St. Etienne but also incorporating his
own theological ideas about the spiritual
nature of light.
Because of the architectural lightness of
the rib vault, supporting columns could
be made more slender and masonry
walls reduced in thickness or eliminated
altogether. The outer walls were opened
up and filled with stained-glass
windows.
Gregorian Chant



                                            Nave of St. Denis looking toward the choir
St. Etienne 1067 – 1120 CE   St. Denis 1144 CE
 St. Denis: Plan

Suger rebuilt the east end of the
church using the existing crypt (a
vaulted space beneath a building) as
the foundation. His design unified the
radiating chapels and the ambulatory
with a single structural system unlike
the Romanesque system of creating
discrete, compartmentalized spaces:
   - the apse, chapels and ambulatory
were all unified
   - the supporting system of columns
and arches was reduced in mass.
                      St. Sernin                               St. Denis



  At St. Denis, the radiating chapels are integrated into one open, flowing
space rather than defining individual spaces. This integration of the various
              spaces is followed throughout the whole interior.
St. Denis: Gothic Arches

 Round arches are as high as they are
 wide - semi-circular- thus creating a
 dome like effect - a smaller arch can’t
 achieve the same elevation as a larger
 one.
 Using the pointed arch, space can flow
 together, in a more unified manner
 - larger clerestory
 - reduced walls/piers              -
 larger windows in the aisles
Stained Glass: The Holy Ghost
  The light admitted by the stained glass was
  seen by Suger as "the light Divine”: the true
  essence of God. Suger was influenced by
  the anagogic writings of a fifth c. mystic, St.
  Dionysius, concerning the mystical,
  metaphysical properties of light. (Anagogy
  refers to an interpretation of scripture that
  goes beyond literal meaning and reaches for
  a higher, metaphysical, level of spiritual
  consciousness.)




                                                    The Kyrie
                   Anagogical window, St. Denis
Stained Glass: The Holy Ghost
These windows serve as powerful symbols
for Suger’s mystical understanding of the
nature of God:

Light is a visible manifestation of God’s
presence: you can see it and feel it, but you
can’t touch it.

The glass transmutes the light creating a very
otherworldly effect, inviting contemplation,
and allowing the soul to come into union with
the presence of God.


Holy Spirit --> Virgin Mary :
Light --> Glass
Gregorian Chant
(Music History 102)
Early Christians derived their music from Jewish and Byzantine religious chant.
Like all music in the Western world up to this time, Christian plainchant was
monophonic: that is, comprised of a single melody without any harmonic support
or accompaniment. The many hundreds of melodies are defined by one of the
eight Greek modes, some of which sound very different than the major/minor
scales our ears are used to today. The melodies are free and seem to wander,
dictated by the Latin liturgical texts to which they are set. As these chants spread
throughout Europe, they were embellished and developed along many different
lines in various regions. It was believed that Pope Gregory I (590-604) codified
them during the 6th c., establishing uniform usage throughout the Western Church.
Although his actual contribution to this enormous body of music remains
unknown, his name has been applied to this music, and it is known as Gregorian
Chant. Gregorian chant remains among the most spiritually moving and profound
music in western culture. An idea of its pure, floating melody can be heard in the
Easter hymn, Alleluia Justus ut Palma . Many years later, composers of
Renaissance polyphony very often used plainchant melodies as the basis for their
sacred works.
From Romanesque
to Gothic at Laon

 The deep porches in front of
 the doorways on the west
 façade, and the open structure
 of the towers, reduce the wall
 mass and replace it with
 intricately framed voids.




           Laon Cathedral, 1160-1225
Vezelay 1120-32   Laon Cathedral, 1160-1225
Laon Cathedral, 1160-1225




Laon Cathedral retains many Romanesque features: such as the six-part rib vaults in the
nave bays, but it combines them with the Gothic rib vault, with its pointed arches. A new
feature is the arcaded triforium below the clerestory and a less compartmentalized and
more unified interior nave space.
Chartres Cathedral
1194 - 1220
The Bishop of Chartres incorporated
Abbot Suger’s ideas into the
rebuilding of Chartres Cathedral,
which began in 1145.
In 1193 there was a fire which
destroyed all but the facade and the
crypt. In 1194 rebuilding was begun
and completed in only twenty-six
years.The North Tower was built in
the 16th century. Because of these
stages of building, Chartres shows an
evolutionary process in the building
from the Early Gothic western facade
to the High Gothic south portals
which were built last.
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral




       Chartres’ North tower is a 349 ft
         plain pyramid dating from the
      1140s, and its South tower is 377
        ft tall and was built in the early
                           16th century.
Chartres Cathedral:
Nave
The interior elevation is simplified from
the Early Gothic four part elevation into
High Gothic- three part elevation by
eliminating the gallery and enlarging the
clerestory.
The nave arcade is 40’ high.
The triforium is 20’ high.
The clerestory is 40’ high.
Alleluia Justus ut Palma
Salve, salus
hominem
               Apse of Chartres Cathedral
St. Etienne 1067-1120   Chartres 1194 - 1220
                               Chartres was the first church where flying
An outstanding Chartres site   buttresses were used integrally from the
                               beginning of the design and building process.
Chartres Cathedral: Plan

  Chartres also begins a move to a
  more rectangular bay system with
  smaller, 4 part rib vaults. This
  creates a more unified appearance
  in the interior, a continuous hall.
  Also, the choir and apse were
  enlarged into a chevet ("sh vay")
  and it is equal to, or larger in area
  than the nave itself.
  The plan shows a fluid, unified
  space, unlike the
  compartmentalized interiors of
  Romanesque churches.
West rose window of The Last Judgment
North Transept Rose Window
 (early 13th c.)
 The Rose window is 42’ in diameter.
 In the center Mary and infant Christ are
 enthroned. The surrounding panels all
 number twelve:
 1st set - four doves and eight angels
 2nd set - squares - the twelve old
 testament kings - precursors to Christ
 3rd set - quatrefoils gold lilies on blue field
 (the symbol of French kings)
 4th set- (outer circle) - old testament
 prophets Lancets
 - St. Anne and baby Mary
 - 2 old testament prophets
 - King David & King Solomon
 Small windows: royal coats of arms -
 proclaiming the divine right to rule of the
 French kings.
Salve, salus hominem
Detail of North Rose Window
Buddhist Mandala

Mandala Coloring
Book
Notre Dame, Paris,
1163-1250.
Notre Dame, Paris, view fr. south
         1163 - 1250
Gargoyle of Notre Dame Cathedral
The large amounts of tracery
that are integral to the design
of this rose window from
Notre Dame are
representative of the
Rayonnant ("radiant") Style
of stained glass.
The North Rose Window of
Notre Dame was described
as a “multi-foliate rose of
light”
At the center is Mary as
mother of Christ
She is surrounded by 32 Old
Testament Kings. Then 32
high priests and patriarchs.
The predominant color of the
window is blue, color of the
northern sky and of Mary’s
mantle as Queen of the
Heavens.
                                  North Transept Rose Window 1240 - 1250, 43' diameter
Amiens:
1236-1400
Amiens Cathedral employed
a buttressing system that
permitted thick weight-
bearing walls to be virtually
eliminated and allowed the
four-part rib vaults to be built
very high. The walls and
towers of the west façade are
deeply pierced. Remaining
surfaces are decorated with a
network of colonnettes,
arches, pinnacles, rosettes,
and other decorative
stonework.
Amiens South transept and choir, note the elegant flying
       buttresses, click here for a closer view
Amiens Cathedral


View of the choir and its
vaults. The vaults are 144’ in
height.
Rheims Cathedral
1225 - 1290

  Glass Replaces Stone at Rheims:
  During the High Gothic period
  builders attempt to dematerialize
  the building. Like Amiens, the
  cathedral at Rheims is in the High
  Gothic style. Architecturally and
  sculpturally the design is taller,
  narrower, and more intricately
  decorated. Stained-glass windows
  replace the stone relief sculpture
  in the tympanums over the
  doorways.
Gothic Sculpture at
Chartres Cathedral
 Royal Portals c. 1145-50
 Royal Portals Filled with Sculpture: The
 Royal Portal of Chartres has statues of Old
 Testament kings, queens, and prophets
 attached to columns on the jambs flanking all
 three doorways. The capitals are also carved,
 as is the tympanum, lintel and the archivolts
 above each doorway.
 The three portals are unified thematically.
 They represent crucial events in the Christian
 view of time:
           - The Incarnation (South Portal)
           - The Resurrection (North Portal)
           - The Apocalypse (Central Portal)
Vezelay, 1120   Chartres, 1145-50
Chartres Center Portal: The Apocalypse: Judgment Day
The Apostles
On both sides of the central portal,
images of the Apostles are arranged--
six on each side, although the outer
statues hug the buttresses between the
portals. They stand over
representations of their earthly
adversaries.
“All the suffering that was inflicted
upon the apostles failed utterly to
impede their divine mission. Their
victory over death at once insured and
foreshadowed the ultimate victory of
the church. By endowing them with the
attributes of martyrs, the sculptors of
Chartres turned the apostles of the
Apocalyse into archetypes of all the
martyrs and confessors who were to
become the heroes of the church”
(Jedson, 206).
North Portal: Voussoirs with the Labors
of the Months (harvesting and pruning
vines) and Signs of the Zodiac (Cancer
and Aries)
The cycle includes both a sign of the zodiac
and a "labor," like harvesting, associated
with that time. To depict such subjects
indicates that the physical life was not
unimportant.
South Portal, details
Music   Grammar
Details of St. Paul, the beardless St. John the Divine, and St.
James the Greater The last carries a pilgrim's pouch with scallop
shells, a symbol worn by pilgrims who journeyed to his shrine at
Santiago de Compostella.
South Portal The Last Judgment
The Saved
Demons and the Damned
St. Lazare, c. 1130   Chartres, 1145-50
Chartres: Western Portals
In Chartes’ jamb figures we see a re-
awakened interest in the naturalistic
depiction of the figure despite the
elongation.
The figures calmly stand on
platforms; their feet don’t dangle.
The drapery is still a highly stylized
pattern but it shows some logic.
Chartres’ figures stand out. The
figures interact with each other
The sculptors also incorporated
symbols and figures from other
realms of medieval writing, not just
theological.




                             Jamb Figures
                                   1150-70
                        Cathedral, Chartres
Figures on the west portal
                 1150-70
      Cathedral, Chartres
Jamb Statues, South Transept
   Portal, Chartres Cathedral
      St Theodore
            c. 1230
Cathedral, Chartres
Figures on the north transept
                    1200-10
         Cathedral, Chartres
Visitation Group and
Prophet Daniel




                       c. 1225
           Cathedral, Chartres
Rheims Cathedral Central Portal: The Annunciation
Compare the modeling of the four heads.
Death of the Virgin 1220,
Strasbourg Cathedral

 Mary is is surrounded by the
 Apostles who are intensely
 emotional in the expression of
 their grief. Mary Magdalene
 wrings her hands. Note how
 postures of the figures create a
 sense of movement in the group -
 almost like seaweed swaying in
 the tide. This motion helps
 amplify the emotional quality of
 the sculpture.