W12 L1 Romanesque and Gothic Architecture Lecture Notes

Autun Cathedral (Cathedral of Saint-Lazare) * Location: Autun, France. * Chronology: 1120–1135/40. * Architectural Style: Romanesque Architecture of France. * Influence: Inspired by the Benedictine Abbey at Cluny. * Key Iconography and Sculptural Programs: * Tympanum Reflection: "Christ in judgment." It features the inscription: "May this terror frighten those who are bound by worldly error. It will be true just as the horror of these images indicates." * Artistic Attribution: An explicit inscription states, "Gislebertus made this." * Specific Sculptural Elements: * Lintel block depicting Eve. * Historiated (Sculpted) Capitals: Feature scenes such as "Judas," "The Flight into Egypt," and "The Dream of the Magi." * Distinction: It is a Benedictine church founded from the Cluniac tradition.

General Information: * Location: Vézelay, France. * Chronology: 1120–1138.
Theological Themes in Sculpture: * The architecture and sculpture focus on the reconciliation of the Old and New Testaments through the actions of Christ. * Symbolism: Represented through metaphors of the mill and the bread of communion. * The "Mystic Mill" Capital: * Location: South aisle. * Figures: Moses (on the left) and Paul are shown grinding grain. * Allegory: The grinding of grain symbolizes the spiritual processing of the Old Law into the New Testament bread of life.

Hrabanus Maurus (c. 840, Carolingian Period): * The Door: Symbolizes the Lord. Based on John 14 ("No one comes to the Father except through Him") and John 10 ("I am the door and anyone who enters through Me will be saved"). * The Columns: Situated on either side of the door, they represent the entry into the Kingdom of Heaven for both peoples. * Column Tops (Capitals): Described as the "highest parts," they symbolize the minds of the teachers of the faithful. Just as the head guides the limbs, these teachers guide the thoughts, works, and words of the faithful toward God.
Theophilus: "On Divers Arts" (ca. 1100): * The Place of Prayer: Described as the "habitation of the heavenly court." * King David’s Precedent: David longed to be the founder of the House of God but was barred because of his frequent spilling of human (though enemy) blood. He left resources (gold, silver, bronze, iron) to his son Solomon. * Spiritual Justification: Theophilus argues that God delights in material embellishment when guided by the Holy Spirit. He asserts that such beauty is inspired by the Creator and reflects a pious reflection of the divine.

General Information: * Location: Fontenay, France. * Chronology: 1139–1147. * Order: Cistercian (The order began in 1098; the stricter 12th-century observance follows the Benedictine Rule).
Cistercian Reforms and Principles: * Location: Monasteries were specifically located far away from any secular settlements. * Planning: Orderly plans based strictly upon a square module. * Aesthetics: A total rejection of the elaborate or extravagant decoration found in Cluniac churches.
Bernard of Clairvaux’s Critique: * Financial Hostility: "For God’s sake, if men are not ashamed of these follies, why at least do they not shrink from the expense?" * Opposition to Historiated Sculpture: Bernard viewed the "ridiculous monsters" and "deformed comeliness" in cloisters as distractions. He argued that monks were more tempted to "read in the marble than in our books" and would spend the day wondering at shapes rather than meditating on the law of God.

St. Etienne at Caen (France): * Chronology: 1068–1120 CE. * Founder: William, Duke of Normandy ("William the Conqueror"), who founded the monastery in 1063 to expiate his consanguineous marriage. * Structural Features: * Original wooden ceiling (1068 CE). * Stone vaults added to the nave between 1115–1120 CE. * Three-story elevation: Arcade, Gallery, and Clerestory. * Innovation: Ribbed groin vaults over the nave.
Durham Cathedral (Cathedral of St. Cuthbert, England): * Chronology: 1093–1133 CE. * Style: Anglo-Norman Romanesque. * Structural Elements: * Uses compound piers and massive cylindrical columns. * Thick walls carry the majority of the weight. * Innovations and Foreshadowing of Gothic: * Pointed Arches: Used between transverse arches. * Rib Vaulting: Septpartite (7-segment) ribbed vaults. * Quadrant Vault: Described as an early version of the "flying buttress," located above the aisles to provide lateral support.

Origin of Gothic: The style developed in the Île-de-France, the region surrounding Paris.
The Abbey of St. Denis (St. Dionysios): * Significance: Marks the burial place of St. Denis, the first bishop of Paris and a 3rd-century martyr (a cephalophoros, or saint who carries their own head). He became the patron saint of French royalty. * Historical Layers: 5th-century earliest church; 7th-century Merovingian basilica; 8th–9th-century Carolingian basilica.
Abbot Suger’s Remodeling (1137–1144): * 1137: West façade completed (Norman influence with towers). * 1140–1144: Remodeling of the east end (choir and ambulatory). * Architectural Philosophy (Lux Nova): Suger aimed for a "new light" to pervade the interior. He designed a "circular string of chapels" (double ambulatory) so the whole church would "shine with the wonderful and uninterrupted light of most sacred windows." * Structural Features: Slender columns, pointed arches, and rib vaults.

Gothic Structural Elements: * 1. Pointed Arch: Allows for taller and more flexible vaulting shapes. * 2. Flying Buttresses: Consists of a buttress flyer (the arch), a buttress pier (the mass), and a pinnacle (top weight to stabilize the pier). These must be precisely placed to direct the lateral thrust to the columns so that the walls do not carry the burden. * 3. Ribbed Vaults: Composed of vaulting ribs (structural framework) and vaulting web (the masonry infill).
Architectural Consequences: * Weight Management: The combination of rib vaults and buttresses transfers weight to the piers rather than the walls. * Stained Glass: Because walls carry less load, larger openings are possible, allowing for extensive tracery windows and stained glass.
Comparative Elevations: * Romanesque elevations often include: Arcade, Gallery, Clerestory. * Gothic elevations typically feature: Arcade, Triforium, and Clerestory with Wall Shafts running vertically.