Gothic Cathedrals

The purpose of building Gothic cathedrals was to build a temple worthy of God. In the twelfth century, bishops became independent of the secular power and took their destiny, and that of the Church, into their own hands. The growing power and prestige of the bishops combined with the architectural development of the flying buttress and rib vaulting enabled the building of the great Gothic Cathedrals. Stained glass work attained its epiphany in the windows of these Gothic cathedrals. The stained glass windows constructed during the thirteenth century are considered some of the finest examples of this art form.

The extensive use of stained glass windows could not have taken place without the invention of rib vault architecture. Rib vault architecture allowed the weight of the stone roof to be carried by the visible ribs. The webbing between the ribs was lighter placing less stress on the lower portion of the building. This meant that the walls could be opened to let in sunlight and illuminate the interior of the church with God's own light. The development of the flying buttress to support the walls, at the points of stress, meant that the walls of a cathedral could almost literally become walls of light. All parts of the cathedral architecture had their basis in the scriptures. Likewise, the significance of the lig

. . .
ources of information about Mary outside of the Bible. Of particular importance was the text of the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew; this text was a compilation of stories about the infant Christ and his mother. Other texts of the period were also drawn upon by the artists: Protevangeluim of James gave details of the Virgin's upbringing and education; the Gospel of Nicodemus gave a harrowing account of Christ's decent into hell and was filled with images translatable into glass. The Passion of Christ, His suffering upon the cross, and His resurrection following death are depicted for instruction to the illiterate population and to encourage devotion to Christ for His gift of salvation. The Joseph window is an example of God instructing and interacting with Joseph through his dreams. The theme of the Jesse Tree is depicted repeatedly. In it a tree grows from the loins, or belly of Jesse (the father of David), and represents the lineage of Christ from the kings of Judah through Mary. Windows were undoubtedly used as devotional aids, instructional material, and also to influence the population according to the Church's prejudices. In the case of the Saint-Die Jewish medallions, the Church's purpose was to inflame the Christ
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
God Rayonnant, Cathedrals Stained, Jesus Christ, Chartes Chartes, Middle Ages, Saint Lubinus, Cathedral Saint-Denis, Virgin Mary, , Christ Five, stained glass, rose window, glass windows, gothic cathedrals, rose windows, virgin mary, twelfth century, development rose window, stained glass windows, development rose, cathedrals stained glass, joseph window, stories bible, stories bible saints, gothic cathedrals stained,
Approximate Word count = 1845
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Gothic Cathedrals