1. How do the three innovations of pointed arches, flying buttresses, and larger areas of stained glass relate to
each other, in terms of Gothic structural principles?
Flying buttresses were an innovation that allowed the builders to transfer part of the load (weight) of the roof
and the vaults (ceiling) outside to large buttresses. This meant that the walls themselves didn't need to do all
the work of carrying this load; the builders could create large openings in the walls for the stained glass
windows and still build a stable structure. (Pointed arches are a similar Gothic innovation in that they are
better at directing forces down efficiently, even when the arches are very high. The use of pointed arches
helped the Gothic builders to be able to construct higher cathedrals that were still stable.)
2. What does typology mean in the context of Medieval religious iconography (i.e., visual storytelling)? Give
an example of the typological use of Old and New Testament stories and/or characters.
Typology deals with correspondences between Old Testament and New Testament stories and characters. The
idea was that the events and people of the Old Testament were prefigurations (kind of like foreshadowings) of
the events and people of the New Testament; the medieval church thinking was also that the New Testament
represented the perfection of the Old Testament. Two specific examples of typologically-based art: the
association of the (near-) sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham with the crucifixion of Jesus (images: Isaac carrying
the wood that would be used at his altar; Jesus carrying his own cross); the pairing of the New Testament
evangelists with the Old Testament prophets in lancet windows at Chartres that show the evangelists on the
shoulders of the prophets, and showing, in particular, Mark (often symbolized as a lion), astride Daniel, the Old
Testament prophet who escaped being put into a lion's den.
3. What is one way in which Medieval artists allowed us to identify various religious figures, such as saints?
The artists often present saints, and other important figures, with specific emblems: objects (sometimes
clothing, sometimes physical attributes such as John the Baptist's long rough beard) with which they were
associated. Examples include Pope Gregory's dove, Isaiah's scroll (of prophecy), St. Peter's key (to the gates of
heaven). The four evangelists are each associated with a different animal or creature (Luke: ox; Mark: lion;
John: eagle; Matthew: angel -- all are represented with wings)
4. If you are looking at a Medieval representation of the Last Judgement, where do you expect the saved and
damned will be in relation to Jesus?
The saved are at his right, the damned at his left.
5. What are the three art forms we consider when we look at Chartres?
sculpture, architecture, stained glass
6. Why is Chartres a particularly good cathedral to study? Put another way, what makes this cathedral
exemplary?
Chartres was an influential cathedral: after it was built, many other cathedrals borrowed from it the division of
vertical space (its bay elevation) into three parts: arcade, triforium, and clerestory. (Many earlier cathedrals
had used a more complex four-part bay elevation.) In addition, Chartres has a great deal of very high quality
sculpture, and very ambitious sculptural and stained glass "programs." And Chartres has more original
stained glass still in place than do most other medieval cathedrals (where many of the windows are more
modern replacements). The west façade of Chartres is also very useful for students of the period, since it has
two towers that represent two different periods, one much earlier than the other.
7. Define cathedral. Is this term a building type, or does the term refer to visual style, or does it have a different
sort of definition?
The term "cathedral" is defined more by function than by style. The function of a cathedral is to house the seat,
or chair (cathedra) of the bishop. The bishop is the head of the diocese. In the church, hierarchy was (is!) very
important, and the bishop's authority is symbolized by the cathedral.
8. Identify two or three features that will help us to distinguish Romanesque from Gothic in terms of visual
style. (You can concentrate on architecture.)
Romanesque architecture tends to use round (Roman) arches, have barrel and groin vaults (groin vaults are
what you get when two perpendicular barrel vaults intersect) overhead, and have heavy walls with relatively
small windows. Gothic architecture tends to use pointed (Gothic) arches, use ribbed vaults (which concentrate
and transmit forces of weight more efficiently), employ flying buttresses, and have large areas of stained glass.
9. Make one connection between a Gothic cathedral such as Chartres and the concept of journey (as in
pilgrimage).
Chartres, like most (all?) cathedrals, was a pilgrimage site. (Chartres was a particularly major site.) It
housed the holy relic of Mary's camisa (tunic worn by her when she gave birth to Jesus).
The labyrinth of Chartres (which is precisely the same size as the rose window in the west façade just outside:
this was a very intentional correspondence, showing an attention to proportion) also symbolizes a journey: the
arduous but definite path that the righteous must take to attain salvation.
Catholic religious practice includes processions, and everyone would have been keenly aware of the
importance of taking certain paths through certain parts of the church (and indeed around the grounds of the
church) on various festival days. These processions would certainly have been conceived, as was one's walk in
the labyrinth, as a metaphor for following the true path.
10. What is significant about the use of light in Gothic cathedrals? (Keep in mind the meaning that the
churchmen wanted people to experience in these buildings.)
Light was conceived as a metaphor for, or a symbol of, the spirit, of truth, of salvation. Light certainly plays
this role in Dante's Commedia. The closer we humans are to light, the closer we are to salvation. Thinking
back to Plato's Allegory of the Cave is quite appropriate in this context, since the church scholars were very
influenced by an outgrowth of Plato's philosophy: neo-Platonism. The medieval Christians thought, just as did
Plato, that our world was an imperfect replica, or shadow, of a more perfect "ideal" reality. Light was one
medium for attaining that more ideal world. Just as human love, for Dante, was a necessary step towards the
more important step of attaining divine love, so physical light was seen as a step towards divine light. The
filtering of sunlight through the sacred stories of the bible represented, to the Medieval mind, a transformation
of everyday light into more divine light.
11. Give an example of how the concept of number symbolism, or of proportion, come into play in the
construction of a Gothic cathedral.
An example noted above was the size correspondence between the West rose window and the labyrinth of
Chartres. Also related was the correspondence of parts we saw in the use of columns at Chartres: they were
used both as radial spokes in the rose windows and as semi-radial elements within the flying buttresses. The
idea that similar elements -- such as columns -- could recur (be repeated) in different contexts at different
scales, and could create a kind of harmony in being so repeated is definitely related to this concept of
proportion. In addition, measurement and analysis has shown that the builders of many cathedrals often used
rather special proportions, such as golden rectangles and square root of 5 rectangles to lay out the various
sections of the building. In some cases, we can see that a particularly special area of the church, such as the
crossing (the area where the nave and the transept, or cross-piece, intersect) was used as a sort of reference
measure: other "units" of the church were laid out using this basic element as a building block, to be repeated.
Additional important items:
Many cathedrals (including Chartres) were laid out on an east-west axis, with the apse/choir end (where the
altar was located) at the east. The implied compass-direction symbolism was borrowed from much more
ancient cultures, and grows out of the fact that the sun rises in the east: the sunrise represents birth and life.
The nave is the main aisle (main part) of the church.
The transept, which crosses the nave at a right angle, helps to generate a symbolic cross shape. The church's
shape, that is, symbolizes the church.
The clerestory is the level of the cathedral with the stained glass.
You should be able to apply the terms just given -- nave, transept, clerestory, crossing, apse/choir -- to label a
simple diagram of a cathedral.
The main parts of a cathedral are built out of repeated units, with each unit being defined by its vaulted ceiling.
These units are called "bays," and each bay is, more or less, independent and self-supporting. If builders
wanted to construct a bigger cathedral, they would simply include more bays in its design.
The term "elevation" (an architectural term) refers to the view one would have of a building (the view can be
either exterior or interior) looking straight on at it: that is, not looking from any sort of angle. Plans (looking
straight down, as if from a great height) and elevations are the simplest possible views. When we speak of the
elevation of a bay at Chartres, we're considering the design and subdivision of the space from this straight-ahead
point of view. In the illustration above, we see three Gothic cathedral elevations at the top. Below, we see a
couple of different vaulting schemes. Where you see two arches
The move from Romanesque to Gothic to High Gothic generally involved a move to greater height and to more
dramatic depth, as well. We saw this at Chartres when we saw how flat the portals on the west façade appeared
in contrast to those of the north and south porches, where the arches really became tunnel-like, projecting many
feet outwards from the building itself.
The term "program" when applied to a building such as Chartres refers to its ambitious storytelling. There are
multiple "programs" at Chartres, involving both sculpture and stained glass. It's important to remember that
many ideas, characters, and stories were told in multiple places, and in various combinations with other ideas,
characters, and stories. Some religious figures, such as Jesus, are shown at different important moment and also
in different guises or aspects. For instance, Jesus is sometimes seen as the imposing figure of the Last
Judgment; he is also seen as the infant, as a preacher, as a miracle-maker, and so forth. And he is seen, too, as
the ultimate symbol of self-sacrifice and suffering. Part of the idea is that the cathedral becomes a symbol of
completeness: the program of Chartres suggests that the cathedral includes everything. Even the smallest
element suggests the entirety of creation: the microcosm suggests the macrocosm.
Notes about the quiz:
You will not have the time or space to give long answers on the quiz. The length of my explanations here is not
intended to indicate otherwise! Rather, I'm trying to aid your understanding by providing fuller explanations.
As suggested, expect that you may get a very simple diagram of a cathedral to label. If this is the case, I will
provide the terms, and you will be asked to apply those terms to the appropriate areas.
You may be presented with paired imagery showing a contrast between a Romanesque and a Gothic structure.
Then it would be your job to identify which is which, and briefly to explain the reasons behind this
identification.