Title of the work of art :Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres: architectureGothicart

Date: 1260

Location: France

Place of Manufacture: Chartres

Material: Limestone

Technique: Flying buttress

Figure1: The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres

Source: whc.unesco.org(n.d).

Figure 2: The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres

Source: whc.unesco.org(n.d).

The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartresis composed by three parts: the main body and two contrasting spires, 105 meter and 113 meter respectively.(See Figure 1)The church has three temples connected with three doors, which stands for Jesus’s activity and life in different periods.(See Figure 2)As the widest nave of church in France, the nave of Chartres Cathedral is 130.2 meters long, 16.4 meters wide and 36.5 meters high. The west front entrance is a set of pointed arch doors, with 19 cylindrical statues. As Chartres Cathedral website (2016) has introduced, the center of the church is a maze with 320 yards (290 meters) of winding passages, which is the only one still intact in France and the three facades are decorated by hundreds of sculpted figures.

Figure 3: The interior space Chartres Cathedral

Source: whc.unesco.org(n.d).

Figure 4: The sculptures of Chartres Cathedral

Source: Chartres Cathedral. Net (n.d).

Figure 5: Stained-glass windows of Chartres Cathedral

Source: Chartres Cathedral. Net (n.d).

The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres is also called as Chartres Cathedral, which is typical Gothic architecture. It is located in Chartres, France. According to the Chartres Cathedralwebsite (2016), the original Chartres Cathedraldates back to 12th century, but the fire in 1194 destroyed almost all of the previous church. The reconstruction began from 1194 and the new choir has been completed by 1221 while the whole building was completed in 1260. From the Sacred Destination (2016), it can be known that the west towers, the façade and the crypt of Chartres Cathedral have survived in the 1194 fire. Based on this, the rebuilding process has lasted for several years and showed typical Gothic style. The stained-glass windows are famous and can convey many symbolic meanings. There is not a single light enters the176 stained-glass windows while sunshine is filtered through by the windows.(See Figure 5)In this way, the spiritual sense is strengthened. When standing in front of the hall and facing the image of Jesus, people are easy to feel a kind of sense out of the world. As the light cast by the windows changed during different time of the day, medieval pilgrims were reminded of the wondrous nature and merit of God (Vandermast,2002).In addition, the cathedral is also celebrated for the sculptures.Chartres Cathedral has a lot of decorative statues. In the column of the church, there are various standing figures. Some show biblical prophets and saints while some stand for the Emperor and Empress, reflecting the theocratic ideology. The statue has a quiet and peaceful demeanor and strong religious appeal, reflecting the ideal image of the Christianity.

Chartres Cathedral is of 34 meters height and 130 meters length. It is built of limestone. The creation of Chartres Cathedralmade use of all high Gothic elements, the pointed arch; the rib-and-panel vault; and, most significantly, the flying buttress (Chartres Cathedral, 2016). The overall exterior appearance of Chartres Cathedral depended on flying buttress, which was necessary for the clerestory windows and nave with great size and height. The creation of Chartres Cathedral not only displays similarities of its contemporaries, but also presents unique features, such as “tall arcades, unusually narrow triforium, and huge clerestory—the massive weight of which required using flying buttresses in an unprecedented manner” (Encyclopedia Britannica,2016).

Since the early middle Ages, Chartres Cathedral has been a quite important pilgrimage centerand the holy destination to worship Virgin Mary. Since ancient times, the town of Chartres has had significant religions meaning. Meanwhile, the Chartres Cathedral was considered to have strong association with the cult of the Virgin Mary. Just as Vandermast (2002) put it, thousands came to “Our Lady of Chartres to renew their faith and see the tunic of theVirgin Mary, which is said to have been worn by her during the birth of Jesus.Besides, the Chartres Cathedralhas alsocontributed to the architecture. As typical new Gothic architecture, it shows all Gothic structural elements, which has contributed to the development of western Gothic architecture. The “Chartres style” has swept over Europe. The reconstruction process which has experienced several years has witnessed the evolution of Gothic architecture. The church itself has become one of France's four famous Gothic cathedral and the sample of many other famous church. The Chartres Cathedral is still intactafter several religious wars, the French Revolution and World War II. Called as a Bible in Stone, its religious meaning for French people cannot be replaced. Hicks has pointed out that ChartresCathedral was meant as a symbol of the home of God (2011).

The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres can be regarded as a great masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Still well preserved, it is included among the first sites of UNESCO list of world heritage. It is considered as the first cathedral to show flying buttresses extensively and widely recognized as one of the greatest High-Gothic-stylearchitectural example in France.

References

Chartres Cathedral. (2016). Net(n.d).The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Chartres.Retrieved from http://chartrescathedral.net/

Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d).ChartresCathedral. Retrieved fromhttp://www.britannica.com/topic/Chartres-Cathedral

Hicks, Clive. (2011)ChartresCathedral: From earth to heaven- the architecture of consciousness.Retrieved from

http://www.contemplativespirituality.org/media/chtalk080510.pdf

Sacred Destinations.Com(n.d).ChartresCathedral. Retrieved fromhttp://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/chartres-cathedral

UNESCO. Org.(n.d).ChartresCathedral. Retrieved from

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/81

Vandermast, Roberta. (2002). The Cathedral at Chartres:A Bible in Stone.Retrieved from

http://fd.valenciacollege.edu/file/gadams/The%20Cathedral%20at%20Chartres.pdf

Questions for readers to think about:

1.      How many stained-glass windows does ChartresCathedral have?

A.    194 B. 176 C. 154. D. 571

Answer: B

2.      When wasChartresCathedralalmost destroyed by fire?

A.    1145 B. 1194 C. 1221 D. 1220

Answer: B