Essays on Cathedrals

Works of art can communicate critical information on the times in which they were created. Different time periods and different cultural backgrounds provide the stylistic and media elements of a work of art. There may be no specific intent to portray the times, but that is what happens when the artist creates a work of art in a particular artistic period. Examples of art works from two distinctly different times and cultures will demonstrate how the art in the Medieval period of European history and Pop Art from the late mid-20th century differ. The Medieval period in art history ...

Chartres, France

The monuments and architecture in ancient times allow talking and narrating about the historical background from the angle of 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 a lot about the economic, political and religious circumstances of the specific region. They also narrate the contemporary architectural trend. In medieval Europe, especially in France, the Gothic architecture was at its pinnacle. Cathedral Notre-Dame de Chartres is one of the Gothic architecture examples in ...

A Cathedral refers to a Christian church containing the seat of a bishop. It serves as the central church of the entire diocese, episcopate or conference. Although "cathedral" as a word is often loosely applied, those churches that have the roles of a "cathedral" that occur specifically. It is only in the denominations that have an episcopal hierarchy such as the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox as well as some Methodists and Lutheran churches that have cathedrals (Thomas, 2). Some people argue that cathedrals were designed to intentionally intimidate people, especially during the middle ages. I agree with this idea. ...

Abstract

'Gothic' term represents medieval art that carries a strange history. The style of art developed in Northern France and spread to the rest of Western Europe. Late Gothic art expanded well into the 16th century before getting consumed by the Renaissance art. Gothic period carries splendid examples of sculptures, stained glass, fresco, panel painting, ivories and illuminated manuscripts. The essay offers a perspective on the popularity of Gothic ivories and how they encouraged the devotional practice. The ivory diptychs were used as sophisticated tools and were seen as physical vestiges of the divine. Gothic ivories were the visual cues ...

1. Name two powerful forces molding the development of Romanesque (and Gothic) art and architecture: a. Pilgrimage b. Monastic movement 2. Which cathedral was the starting point to the pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain?

Vezelay cathedral in France

3. What was at Santiago (or maybe who)?

The church in Santiago was believed to house the bones of St James

4. Why did people go on pilgrimages? Cite five reasons. a. to plead for divine help b. to ask for the cure revealed c. to give thanks for favors given d. to ask to forgive their sins e. for the salvation of their souls 5. Whose relics were at Vezelay?

The relics of Mary Magdalene

6. What 3 objects or garments marked ...

Many works of nonfiction and fiction, including Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, have suggested that there is a link between the Knights Templar of the Middle Ages and Freemasonry as it exists today. While the majority of historians and researchers do not currently accept that this is the case, there are certain slight indications that might point in this direction. Certainly a number of Masons believe this might be the case. But to consider the possibility that there is a link between these two organizations requires understanding what occurred during the dissolution of the Knights Templar in the ...