The monuments and architecture in ancient times are capable of talking and narrating the historical background of the respective time in which they were built. Through various signs, they inform us about the prosperity, decline of the reigns and empires as well. Thus they are the major means of communication. They can tell us the economic, political and religious circumstances of the respective region. They also narrate the contemporary architectural trend. In medieval Europe, especially in France, the Gothic architecture was at its pinnacle. Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres is one of the Gothic architectures in the middle age. It is also known as Charles Cathedral. The church has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was among the first sites included in the list of World Heritage. The characteristic of this church was built between 1194 and1220. This is one of the wonders that the church completed its construction in mere 26 years ("The Wondrous Background And History Of Chartres Cathedral"). It is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture. The churches in those days used to be primarily the Gothic types. There are three major elements or fundamentals of Gothic Architecture; firstly the architecture has a typical pointed arch. Secondly, it has a ribbed vault and thirdly, it has the flying buttress (The Gothic architecture according to Kleiner (n.d.) was the sign of an era of peace and widespread prosperity, deep spirituality and extraordinary technological innovation.
The church was the milestone in the progress of Western Architecture ("Chartres Cathedral | Cathédrale Notre-Dame De Chartres"). It is the well preserved heritage site in France. Almost all the stain glass windows are still survived. The church is one of the best survived medieval churches ("Chartres Cathedral | Cathédrale Notre-Dame De Chartres"). Unlike most other churches, Chartres is no palimpsest but it is a pristine document and it has been miraculously preserved from the external forces (Ball, 4).
Since thirteen century, the minor alterations have been taken place. The cathedral used to be the most important building in the town as it used to be the major financial and economic center of the town. In the middle age, it was a main market place; and a place for different commercial and trade activities.
The cultural factors related to Charles Cathedral are also very interesting. The place has a religious importance. It was the place of pilgrimage especially by the end of 12th century. The religious festival was divided into four great fairs; presentation, annunciation, assumptions and nativity ("Chartres Cathedral | Cathédrale Notre-Dame De Chartres"). Many devotees used to visit the place especially to see the shroud of Virgin Mary.
During the outbreak of ergotism, the church became the place for medical aid and hospitalization for the victims. The crypt of the church was converted into hospital and a medical care center for the patients (Favier et al., 31).
This Gothic masterpiece Chartres Cathedral has been the house of tunic of Virgin Mary (Sancta Camisia) since 876. In the waves of political upheaval also, the church was survived in the fire of 1134. It has not documented that during French revolution, or other several restoration movements have ever altered its original beauty.
Recently in 2009 the French Ministry of Culture has conducted $18.5 program for restoring the cathedral. Today also the Cathedral has remained the seat of the Bishops of Chartres
Assignment 3.1
The topic of research for this paper was the thorough discussion on one of the beautiful Gothic monuments of France, Chartres Cathedral. The discussion was from cultural, economic and historical perspectives. For the research the focus was basically on the secondary data. The data were collected from the books, articles and the internet websites. Previously before collecting the data, the building was just observed. But that was not sufficient for the research. So the sources were found on the basis of some research questions. The sources were based on the following research questions:
Why is the church called Gothic architecture? What elements of Gothic structure are found in Chartres Cathedral?
The various collected sources described that that the era witnessed economic prosperity and hence the architecture is the symbol of economic prosperity. The obtained sources have not focused on the political references of the cathedral. The number of rich people was significant. The data also reveals the fact that people used to worship Mother Mary. The church was the major seat of all religious affairs in France. The people used to be very religious in those days. Paris was the dominating city and its political importance also grew in the same era. The ornamental and aesthetic values are the evidence of the cultural prosperity.
The collected sources also elaborate how the prosperity was short lived and how the monument had to undergo through political unrest. The damage was substantial due to crisis, and riots etc. During the period of unrest the cathedral suffered from severe damage.
The overall sources reveal the common fact and that the cathedral is the exquisite specimen of Gothic architecture. The sources also introduce with Gothic genre of architecture. The collected sources also inform about structural pattern of the cathedral which was symmetrical.
Thus the sources collectively answer the research questions designed for the research.
Assignment 4.1
Chartres Cathedral is the typical Gothic architecture. The length of the church is 155 meters and it has the interior height of 37 meters. The width of the nave of the cathedral is 47.5 meters while the length is 73 meters. The South Tower of the Cathedral is 107 meters high. The diameter of the large rose window is 13.4 meters ("The Wondrous Background And History Of Chartres Cathedral"). The cathedral has a vast nave in a pure ogival style. The porches of the church are decorated with amazing sculptures from 12th century (Chartres Cathedral).
The Latin Cross plan is used while erecting Chartres Cathedral. The East end of Chartres Cathedral is semi-circular with lot of sculptures. Several scenes from Bible have bee elaborated on the East end.
One of the major attributes of the Gothic Architecture is the flying buttresses. The cathedral is built in flying buttresses (Editor). There are two kinds of buttresses; the pier buttresses and the flying buttresses. The flying buttresses are supported by the pier buttresses.
The nave of Chartres Cathedral is supposed to be the widest in France. There is a cluster of columns up to a great height towards the arched ceiling. The sculptures here depict stories about the holy family. The astrological clock is placed in the Cathedral. It used to tell the different phases of moon, day, month and the time of sunrise and sunset. A labyrinth is there for the worships and meditation. The circumference of this labyrinth is very much similar to the large rose window.
The architecture of Chartres Cathedral witnesses the sublimity in architecture. The asymmetry in Notre Dame is probably maintained to avoid the monotony.
Assignment 5.1
The geographical and environmental factors influence the architecture. Hence one can see the variety of architecture in various parts of the world. Studying the style and structure of different architecture is an amazing experience for the architects. Chartres Cathedral is the typical Western architecture, a typical gothic style architecture which differentiates itself as a religious building, i.e. cathedral. If compared the Western architecture to the Eastern architecture, one can find lot of differences.
There is a notable Eastern or Asian architecture in Burma called Gawdawpalin temple. The temple is located in Bagan, in Burma (Myanmar). As far as the date of erection of these two constructions is considered, both of these architectures are erected in around the same era. Chartres Cathedral and Gawdawpalin temple, both are the building serves the main purpose of worship ("Bagan : Gawdawpalin Temple, Myanmar(Burma)"). Chartres Cathedral is the Christian place of worship whereas Gawdawpalin is the Buddhist place of worship. The temple was completed during the reign of Htilominlo, son of King Narapatisithu. The similarity of these two religious monuments is that both are built to exhibit the glory and the power of the respective kings. Chartres Cathedral is one of the most influential cathedrals whereas Gawdawpalin temple is also one of the largest shrines in the Bagan region ("Bagan : Gawdawpalin Temple, Myanmar(Burma)"). The shape of the temple is square. There are porticoes on the four sides of the temple. Porticoes are the structure with a roof supplemented by columns at regular intervals. They are attached as a porch to the building. It is a double storied and square in plan. On the ground floor, there is a vaulted corridor around a central block. A Buddha image is placed there.
One of the differences in Gawdawpalin temple and Chartres Cathedral is that earlier is a pagoda structure, a tiered tower structure with eaves. Whereas Notre Dame is a typical Gothic architecture with pointed arches, flying buttresses and ribbed vaulting.
Assignment 6.1
The West façade of the cathedral has three sculpted portals. The incarnation cycle and the Sedes Sapientiae is depicted on the South portal. The lowest lintel elaborates the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity and the Annunciation of the shepherds. The presentation of the temple is shown on the second register. The vertical recessed triangular space forming the center of pediment or simply tympanum is the image of the Sedas Sapientiae which can also be defined as the Throne of Wisdom. The Virgin Mary and the child is shown enthroned. The liberal art is also personified and depicted on the two bands of voussoirs. The Liberal Art is shown along with her male supporters and the angels.
On the North Portal the theme of Ascension of Jesus Christ is portrayed. But some of the scholars argue that the theme is rather the preincarnation of Jesus Christ. The two registers have different depiction. On the lowest register there are ten figures sitting under an architectural canopy. They can be elaborated as the prophets who are waiting for the arrival of Jesus Christ. The second register has the depiction of angels talking with gestures to the prophets. The depiction of the Christ in the tympanum is in the swirl of clouds. His arms are open and they are flanked by two angels.
The second portal is the depiction of the arrival of Jesus Christ. The tympanum elaborates Christ seated for judgement and he is surrounded by the lion, bull, eagle and the angel.
The West façade of Chartres consists of many stylish and classic elements. The West Portal is also called as the Martyrs portal. It has depicted the scene of the life of Saint Stephen and his martyrdom. The central porter of South transept depicts the Last Judgement Scene. The central portal depicts the coronation of Virgin Mary. The tympanum shows her sitting on the throne with her child.
There are so many windows with stain glass. The magnificent and jeweled hues of rose windows shine with luminous color. The total number of stain glass windows in Chartres Cathedral is150. The number is substantial in the history of Gothic Architecture.
If compared this peace of architecture with the similar specimen, many differences and similarities can be identified. For example The Chartres Cathedral is very similar to the Notre Dame Cathedral located in Paris. The purpose of both of them is religious and both of them are dedicated for the worship of Virgin Mary. Both Chartres Cathedral and Notre Dame Cathedral have one common architectural factor and that is their Gothic Style. Both are built between 12th and 13th century.
Along with similarities some differences are also found in these two architectures. The first difference is that Notre Dame Cathedral is located in Paris, the major political, social, cultural and religious center of France whereas Chartres Cathedral is located in Chartres city some kilometers away from Paris. Thirdly, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was attacked, devastated several times. On the other hand, the Chartres Cathedral was among the few most preserved monuments with negligible damage by external forces. Hence originality of Gothic structure can be seen in Chartres Cathedral.
Work Cited
"Bagan : Gawdawpalin Temple, Myanmar(Burma)". Bagan.travelmyanmar.net. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Ball, Philip. Universe Of Stone. London: Bodley Head, 2008. Print.
"Chartres Cathedral | Cathédrale Notre-Dame De Chartres". Chartrescathedral.net. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
"Chartres Cathedral - Chartres, France". Sacred-destinations.com. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
"Chartres, Cathédrale Notre-Dame - Mapping Gothic France". Mappinggothic.org. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
"Chartres Cathedral." UNESCO. UNESCO Department of Eure-et-Loire, Centre Region, 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/81>.
Editor,. "Architecture Analysis Of Chartres Cathedral - Yak Max". Yakmax.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Favier, Jean et al. The World Of Chartres. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1990. Print.
"Gothic Architecture: Style, Characteristics & History." Study.com. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://study.com/academy/lesson/gothic-art-and-architecture.html>.
Kleiner, Fred. Gardner's Art Through The Ages. A Global History. Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.
"The Wondrous Background And History Of Chartres Cathedral". En.chartressecrets.org. N.p., 2008. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
