Great For many years my travel plans were to visit architecture that fascinated me. in the USA, i have traveled to every state to see marvelous buildings. When we were planning 1,200 unit mixed use development in San Francisco, we traveled to Berlin to see a unique similar sized building that the autobahn went through. We traveled to India to see the one of the world’s most beautiful structures, the Taj Mahal. Later, we traveled to Uzbekistan to see buildings there designed by the designers of the Taj Mahal.
TAJ MAHAL
Visiting the ancient architecture in Italy and Greece are beyond compare. The modern design in Finland is inspiring especially the works of one my favorites, Aalto. The colorful Mexican architecture of Barigan and Legoretta makes me feel happy and inspired. Austria is fountainhead for great architects. Starting with Otto Wagner, Hoffman,. Holein, Loos, Neutra, Schindler, and host of other creative geniuses. I have seen amazing architecture in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the Ukraine. The Gothic Cathedrals of England are the equal of the French Gothic masterpieces. What I remember most about architecture in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway is the the changes in the Catholic churches when these churches became Lutheran. The interiors of these Catholic churches contained very bloody and somber scenes of Jesus’s life. When these churches changed, these somber scenes were changed for happy, colorful illustrations. Demonstrating that Architecture is the best evidence of civilizations.
For several years,I have postponed any visits to fascinating buildings. I realized that at 85, by continuing to postpone these trips, I would never see this architecture that I have fantasized seeing for many years.
Forever, I wanted to visit the marvelous French Gothic Cathedrals built in the 12th and 13th Centuries. These were built in the Dark Ages, long before there were professional architects, structural engineers, etc. Yet, these complex structures needed the most accurate and detailed calculations. The awesome height of the Cathedral’s interiors were as high as 150 feet, the equivalent of an unobstructed interior as high as a 15 story building. In addition, the top of these buildings had glass windows that flooded the interiors with light. Yet, this glass prevented the Cathedral walls from being weight bearing. Regardless of the walls not being weight bearing, the Cathedrals did not collapse under the weight of the stone roofs. Why? The designers of these light filled Cathedrals solved this enormous problem by transferring the weight to buttresses outside of the walls of the Cathedral by using flying buttresses.
This remarkable structural development changed architecture. Interiors of churches and other large public buildings ceased to be dark and depressing. Visitors could look up to see the heavens when inside. The morning sunshine shone brightly through the windows in the east end of these Gothic Cathedral, welcoming all.
The starting point of light filled Gothic Cathedrals was the remodeled St. Denis in the north of Paris. St. Denis was a dilapidated church built in 775 by Pepin, father of Charlemagne, that Abbott Suger took over in 1120. Unlike any earlier Paris church, the remodeling ideas of Abbey Suger were revolutionary and ambitious enough to create a great, new church architecture.
NAVE OF ST. DENIS
Who was Abbot Suger?
Born near Paris in 1081 to peasant parents, Suger was first brought to the Abbey of Saint-Denis in 1091, at the age of ten, to be educated by the monks at the church school. While a student at the abbey, his closest friend and schoolmate was Louis Capet, the future King Louis VI (Louis le Gros; reigned 1108-1137). Young Suger worked as secretary to the abbot, provost of outlying properties, and envoy to the papal court before his appointment as abbot on March 12, 1122. After this, he devoted the remainder of his life to reforming the monastery and its monks, rebuilding the church, and enriching its treasury. He would fall ill with malaria in 1150 and died January 13, 1151 at Saint-Denis.
ABBOTT SUGER IN A LEADED GLASS WINDOW IN ST. DENIS
The renovation of the choir of St. Denis by Abbey Suger was dedicated in 1141. Heretofore the interiors of churches were dark and foreboding. In attendance was the French King, 13 Bishops of Catholic dioceses of France, and the most powerful people of France. These invited guests were in awe of the light filled choir. The innovations of this choir were immediately accepted as the basis of the new style of church architecture. St. Denis was where the French Kings were buried. King Louis VI in attendance, agreed to provide huge financial support to complete the conversion of St.Denis from a Romanesque church to a a Gothic church. The most significant development was the amazing appeal that the new Gothic design had on each and every Bishop. Each demanded that they have the finest Gothic Cathedral. As each Gothic Cathedral was completed, the next Cathedral would strive to outdo the last one. For the next 300 years, this desire of bishop’s to have the best Gothic Cathedral directed the continual evolution of Gothic design throughout Europe.
The next Gothic church after St. Denis was in Reims, where the coronation of French Kings took place. The interior of the choir of St.Remi ranks among the finest of the early Gothic Cathedrals.
St. Remi interior
Two of the most beautiful of the early Gothic Cathedrals were Laon and Soissons. Sens is also a leading early Gothic Cathedral. In the area south of Paris , from Chartres across to Troyes,the influence of Sens remained supreme for more than 50 years.
SOISSONS CATHEDRAL
Notre Dame, Paris, was a major step forward- the first flying buttress and many features similar to St. Denis, Laon and Soissons. Notre Dame was the most colossal building of its generation: colossal in length, area, and height.
The impact of Notre Dame and the impression on entering is still one of amazement at the sheer size of the nave and the loftiness of its proportions. Notre Dame is not just a feat of building, it combines height and width into vast yet compact composition.
INTERIOR OF NOTRE DAME, PARIS
The second Gothic system was when the potential of the flying buttresses became suddenly understood as a revolutionary element.
The 13th century can best described as the architecture of the flying buttress. Gothic began all over again with the basic Gothic desire for reduced bulk, spaciousness, and light. The plans for the Cathedrals of Chartres and Bourges returned to double aisles and double ambulatory used at St. Denis. The layout of these two Cathedrals are almost perfect opposites. At Bourges the plan is continuous, without a transept, dominated by the single movement of a large double-aisled nave running from end to end without interruption and folding upon itself in the semicircle of the chevet. By fusing the traditions of Sens and Notre Dame , Bourges is an extreme of no articulation. Chartres is a clearly articulated plan composed of well differentiated elements: a nave flanked by single aisles; then the strong crosswise break of the transept, which is conceived in itself as a nave running north and south, each transept also flanked with aisles and terminating in a facade; then the much wider choir which is larger than the other major components of the plan- which gives the impression of being short because it is so wide. Bourges is one continuous uninterrupted roofline, while Chartres viewed from above shows as a huge cross.
FLOOR PLAN BOURGES CATHEDRAL- FLOOR PLAN CHARTRES CATHEDRAL
Bourges and Chartres became the models of High Gothic.
BOURGES CATHEDRAL – NOTE THE DESIGN OF THE FLYING BUTTRESSES
Bourges was considered the most modern architecture . Descendants of Bourges include Tours, Le Mans, Toledo, and Coutances.
Chartres descendants include Reims, (the original Gothic Cathedral burned down in 1190) and Amiens. These are both masterpieces,
CHARTRES CATHEDRAL
| Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims * | |
|---|---|
 |
| Notre-Dame d’Amiens | |
|---|---|
 West front of Notre Dame d’Ami |
You can find additional pictures and details on many French Gothic Cathedrals in my blog
http://tishmangroup.com
For many years my travel plans were dictated by seeing buildings that fascinated me. in the USA, i have traveled to every state to see marvelous buildings. When I was building a 1,200 unit mixed use building , I traveled to Berlin to see a similar sized building that the autobahn went through. We traveled to India to see the one of the world’s most beautiful structures, the Taj Mahal. Later, we traveled to Uzbekistan to see buildings there designed by the designers of the Taj Mahal.
For several years, have postponed any visits to fascinating buildings. I realized that by continuing to postpone these trips, I would never see these buildings that have fascinated me for several years.
I have wanted to visit the marvelous French Gothic Cathedrals built in the 12th and 13th Centuries. These were built in the Dark Ages, long before there were professional architects, structural engineers, etc. Yet, these complex structures needed the most accurate and detailed calculations. The awesome height of the top of their interiors might by as much as 150 feet, the equivalent of an unobstructed interior as high as a 15 story building. In addition, the top of these buildings had huge glass windows that flooded the interiors with light. Yet, this glass prevented the Cathedral walls from being weight bearing. Regardless of the walls not being weight bearing, the Cathedrals did not collapse under the weight of the stone roofs. The designers of these light filled Cathedrals solved this enormous problem by transferring the weight to buttresses outside of the walls of the Cathedral by using flying buttresses.
This remarkable structural
development changed architecture. Interiors of churches and other large public buildings ceased to be dark and depressing. Visitors could look up to the heavens when inside. The morning sunshine shone brightly through the windows in the east end of the Cathedral welcoming all.
The starting point of light filled Gothic structures was the remodeled St. Denis in the north of Paris. St. Denis was a dilapidated church built in 775 by Pepin, father of Charlemagne, that Suger became Abbott of in 1120. Unlike any earlier Paris church, the remodeling ideas of Abbey Suger were revolutionary and ambitious enough to create a great , new church architecture.
The renovation of the choir of St. Denis by Abbey Suger was dedicated in 1141. In attendance was the French King, 13 Bishops of dioceses of France, and most powerful people of France.
The innovations of this choir were immediately accepted as the basis of the new style of church architecture. St. Denis was where the French Kings were buried. The King
agreed to provide huge financial support to complete the conversion of St.Denis from a Romanesque church to a a Gothic church. The most significant development was the amazing appeal that the Gothic design had to each and every Bishop. Each demanded that they would have the finest Gothic Cathedral. As each Gothic Cathedral was completed, the next Cathedral would strive to outdo the last one. For the next 300 years, the evolution of Gothic design continued throughout Europe.
The next Gothic church was in Reims, where the coronation of French Kings took place. The interior of the choir of St.Remi ranks among the finest of the early Gothic Cathedrals. Two of the most beautiful of the early Gothic Cathedrals were Laon and Soissons. Sens is also a leading early Gothic Cathedral. In the area south of Paris , from Chartres across to Troyes,the influence of Sens remained supreme for more than 50 years.
Notre Dame, Paris, was a major step forward- the first flying buttress, many features similar to Laon and Soissons. Notre Dame was the most colossal building of its generation: colossal in length, area, and height. Notre Dame. The impact of Notre Dame and the impression on entering is still one of amazement at the sheer size of the nave and the loftiness of its proportions. Notre Dame is not just a feat of building, it combines height and width into vast yet compact composition.
The second Gothic system when the potential of the flying buttresses became suddenly understood as a revolutionary element.
The 13th century can best described as the architecture of the flying buttress. Gothic began all over again with the basic Gothic desire for reduced bulk, spaciousness, and light. The plans of Chartres and Bourges return to double aisles and double ambulatory used at St. Denis. In plan the concepts that these revolutionary works materialize are almost perfect opposites. At Bourges the plan is continuous, without a transept, dominated by the single movement of a large double-aisled nave running from end to end without interruption and folding upon itself in the semicircle of the chevet. By fusing the traditions of Sens and Notre Dame , Bourges is an extreme of no articulation. Chartres is a clearly articulated plan composed of well differentiated elements: a nave flanked by single aisles; then the strong crosswise break of the transept, which is conceived in itself as a nave running north and south, each transept also flanked with aisles and terminating in a facade; then the much wider choir which is larger than the other major components of the plan- which gives the impression of being short because it is so wide. Bourges is one continuous uninterrupted roofline, while Chartres has the pJ,g shape of a huge cross.
Bourges and Chartres became the models of High Gothic.
Bourges was considered the most modern architecture . Descendants of Bourges include Tours, Le Mans, Toledo, and Coutances.
Chartres descendants include Reims, (the original Gothic Cathedral burned down in 1190) and Amiens. These are both masterpieces,
You can find pictures and details on many French Gothic Cathedrals in my blog
http://tishmangroup.com