Ely Cathedral, Lady Chapel & Golden Haggadah – Comprehensive Study Notes module 10 done

Early 14th-century expansion (Decorated Style)
• 1321 – construction begins on a new chapel north of the presbytery.
• 13 February 1322 – the crossing tower collapses, crushing portions of the choir; work on the chapel halts.
• Immediate response led by Sub-Prior & Sacrist Alan of Walsingham: design and erection of a radical new crossing known as “the Octagon.”
Mid- to late 14th-century interruptions
• 1348 – arrival of the Black Death in England likely kills or incapacitates master masons and sculptors; workmanship in the Lady Chapel becomes noticeably less refined.
Late Middle Ages (Perpendicular Style)
• Second half of 14th c. → c. 1500 + : widespread adoption of the Perpendicular Style—characterised by straight vertical lines, rectilinear window tracery, and grid-like vaults.

Structure & dimensions
• Height from floor to roof boss: 142\ \text{ft}—identical to the Pantheon in Rome; likely an intentional dialogue with the classical monument.
• Plan: octagonal base formed after removal of the ruined square crossing.
• Above: a timber lantern tower sheathed in lead; called a lantern because its openwork sides admit abundant light.
Visual & structural features
• Tierceron ribs spring from each octagon side, interlacing to produce a star-shaped vault when viewed from below.
• Acts as a Gothic reinterpretation of the Pantheon’s dome—light-filled yet skeletal rather than monolithic concrete.
• Capitals beneath depict episodes from the life of St. Etheldreda (Æthelthryth):
– Marriage to Igfrid.
– Her rest while travelling from Northumberland to Ely.

Purpose & dedication
• Dedicated to the Virgin Mary; focuses on her life and miracles.
• “Lady Chapel” = space in a cathedral reserved for Marian devotion.
Plan & elevation
• Rectangular hall.
• Two-zone elevation:
– Dado encircling interior.
– Clerestory above.
Dado sculptural program
• Continuous sequence of niches, each protected by a nodding ogee canopy (characteristic S-curve profile).
• Reliefs depict Marian scenes; niches have a noted vulvular outline—possibly alluding to Mary’s childbirth and role as porta coeli (the “gateway of heaven”).
Impact of the Black Death
• Western bay: ogees flatten, surface diaper-work stops abruptly, vault fits awkwardly—evidence of diminished craftsmanship after 1348.
• Surviving vault ribs appear bulkier and less crisp (Fig. 16.4.20).
Iconoclasm during the English Reformation
• Sculptures decapitated or pried out of niches as “idolatrous.”
• Stained-glass windows smashed; only fragments remain (Fig. 16.4.21).
• Original polychrome survives only in faint traces.

Perpendicular Style characteristics
• Dominant c. 1350–1550.
• Emphasis on verticals, rectilinear panel tracery, and fan- & lierne-vault grids.
• Contrast with the Decorated Style’s flowing, curvilinear forms.
Function of a chantry chapel
• Space endowed so Masses may be said for donor’s soul, thereby reducing time in Purgatory.
• Theological context: Purgatory conceived as a temporary fiery realm (see Hours of Catherine of Cleves, Fig. 16.4.23).
• Time in Purgatory could be lessened through indulgences during life or posthumous prayers.
Bishop John Alcock (†1500)
• Former Controller of Royal Works & Buildings to Henry VII; brings royal-court architectural literacy to Ely.
• Probably designed key aspects of his own chapel.
Architectural features
• Micro-architectural screen (intricate miniature tracery & empty statue niches) cordons chapel off from north aisle.
• Screen appears “shoe-horned” into limited width—evidence chapel may have been designed for Worcester Cathedral (Alcock’s earlier bishopric) and transplanted.
• Interior includes:
– Alcock’s tomb recess.
– Altar for perpetual Masses.
– Rebus of a cock on a globe and coat-of-arms with three cocks, reinforcing personal identity.

Gothic architecture as theological metaphor
• Light from the Octagon’s lantern symbolises divine illumination, paralleling the Pantheon’s oculus yet re-cast in Christian terms.
• Marian imagery in Lady Chapel underscores themes of Incarnation, purity, and intercession.
Material loss & historical memory
• Reformation iconoclasm converted once-lush polychrome interiors into sparsely carved shells—modern viewers must reconstruct original appearance mentally.
• Surviving fragments (glass, pigment) act as archaeological witnesses to medieval craftsmanship.

Jewish manuscript contemporaneous with Decorated Ely work.
• Illuminated scenes show Passover preparations (Fig. 16.5.1).
• Illustrates women cleaning house, men slaughtering sheep, distribution of matzoh & haroset, and Miriam leading songs with Islamic-influenced tambourine motif.
• Demonstrates cross-cultural artistic exchange (Islamic designs in a Jewish object) paralleling cosmopolitan currents seen in English Gothic ornament.

Tierceron: a secondary rib springing from a main springing point to the ridge rib in Gothic vaulting.
Ogee: double-curved (S-shape) arch or canopy.
Diaper-work: repetitive, small-scale surface pattern carved or painted on stone.
Lantern: openwork tower admitting light at a crossing.
Chantry: endowed space where priests celebrate Masses for the souls of specified individuals.