Meaning of Innovations and Traditions in Chartres Cathedral - Essay Example

Notre-Dame de Chartres (the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres), is perhaps the supreme monument of High Gothic art and architecture, dominates the French town of Chartres. In no other Gothic church of comparable size is the architecture, sculpture, and stained glass so harmonious and of such quality, owing to the comparatively short (1194-1220) period of construction for the major parts of the edifice. The present church, the sixth on the site, was begun immediately after the fifth church burned in 1194. People of every rank helped rebuild the church, with labor or with lavish benefactions. An 1194 fire destroyed most of what had by then become a Romanesque cathedral but spared the western facade and crypt. The cathedral you see today dates principally from the 13th century, when it was rebuilt with the efforts and contributions of kings, princes, churchmen, and pilgrims from all over Europe. One of the world's greatest high Gothic cathedrals, it was the first to use flying buttresses to support the soaring dimensions within. French sculpture in the 12th century broke into full bloom when the Royal Portal was added. A landmark in Romanesque art, the sculptured bodies is elongated, often stylized, in their long, flowing robes. But the faces are amazingly lifelike, occasionally winking or smiling. In the central tympanum, Christ is shown at the Second Coming, with his descent depicted on the right and his ascent on the left. Before entering, walk around to both the North Portal and the South Portal, each from the 13th century. They depict such biblical scenes as the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Inside is a celebrated choir screen; work on it began in the 16th century and lasted until 1714. The niches, 40 in all, contain statues illustrating scenes from the life of the Madonna and Christ: everything from the Massacre of the Innocents to the Coronation of the Virgin. (James, John, The Master Masons of Chartres) Stained Glass Windows of Chartres Cathedral: The light from the stained glass covers an expanse of more than 2,500 sq. m. (9,000 sq. ft.), the glass is unlike anything else in the world. The stained glass, most of which dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, was spared in both world wars by painstakingly removing it piece by piece. It's difficult to single out one panel or window above the others, but an exceptional one is the 12th-century Vierge de la Belle Verrire (Our Lady of the Beautiful Window) on the south side. Of course, there are three fiery rose windows. The glass has gemlike richness, with the famous deep Chartres blue predominating. The oldest window is arguably the most beautiful: Notre-Dame de la Belle Verrire (Our Lady of the Lovely Window), in the south choir. The nave, the widest in France, still contains its ancient floor labyrinth, which formed a mobile channel of contemplation for monks. The wooden Notre-Dame du Piller (Virgin of the Pillar), to the left of the choir, dates from the 14th century. The crypt was built over 2 centuries, beginning in the 9th. Enshrined within is Our Lady of the Crypt, a 1976 Madonna that replaced one destroyed during the Revolution. Everywhere vivid color splashes on to the floor from the superb stained glass windows that glow like jewels. Dating from the early 13th century, the glass largely escaped harm during the religious wars of the 16th century; it is said to constitute one of the most complete collections of medieval stained glass in the world. Of the original 186 stained-glass windows, 152 have survived. A very notable window is the Blue Virgin Window (Notre Dame de la Belle Verrire), created in the early 1200s. (James, John, The Master Masons of Chartres) The Royal Portal: The west portal, known as the Royal Portal (Porte Royale), was carved in the 1140s. It has a revolutionary funnel shape that later became widspread. The sculptures and reliefs were modeled on those in the triple west portal at St. Denis, which were mostly destroyed at the Reformation. Decorating the recesses of the Royal Portal are very tall, thin statues of kings, queens and figures from the Old Testament that seem to sway rather than stand atop their columns. All the figures are completely motionless, yet their faces and expressions seem watchful, gazing down on the visitor. In the center of the portal is The Last Judgment, with Christ in the middle tympanum surrounded by the symbols of the Four Evangelists. He sits enthroned in a mandorla (an almond-shaped aura), raises his right hand and holds the Book of Life in his left hand. This figure of Christ is unique in cathedral sculpture and seems to embody the divine and human natures of Christ in equal measures. Friezes on the capitals left of the central door depict scenes from the life of Mary (from right to left). The capitals on the left of the central portal depict Anne and Joachim struggling with infertility before the birth of Mary, which some scholars think reflects the local cult of Mary as a healer of mothers and infants. Friezes to the right of the central door depict scenes from the life of Christ (from left to right). The left-hand portal centers on the the Ascension of Christ (or maybe the Second Coming) in the tympanum. Christ stands on a cloud, supported by two angels. Below this is a relief with four singing angels and the bottom lintel shows ten seated men (possibly the apostles) holding books or scrolls and looking up at Christ. The archivolts are decorated with symbols of the zodiac and the labors of the months. In the right-hand portal, the tympanum bears scenes from the Infancy of Christ. The bottom register shows scenes from the Life of the Virgin, including the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, and the Annunciation to the Shepherds. In the middle register is the Presentation at the Temple. In the upper level is the Virgin and Child enthroned between two censing angels. The inner archivolt contains angels and the outer archivolt depicts the Seven Liberal Arts and two signs of the Zodiac (Pisces and Gemini). The spacious nave is the widest in France and stands 121 feet high. There is an unbroken view from the western end right along to the magnificent dome of the apse in the east, 427-foot away. Clustered columns rise dramatically from plain bases to the high pointed arches of the ceiling, directing the eye to the massive clerestory windows in the apse. Unity and the Use of Geometry: The design of the elements, like the piers and windows, were all determined from the first parts laid out. The width of the window openings, which also determined the width of the column of light that flood into each bay of the aisles, was made the same as the thickness of the piers. It was as if the master measured the overall pier size, and used that to fix the glass width. The result was quite extraordinary: the solids, which support the vaults, alternate with the luminous openings, forming a contrapuntal harmony down the length of the nave. Mass and void have been placed in a sublime artistic balance. The thickness of the pier from which the width of the windows was determined was itself evolved from the dimensions of the bay and span, so that the distances between the axes both down the aisle and across the space of the nave were used, albeit in a somewhat complex way, to create the pier placed on the intersection of these axes. (Medieval Geometry: the western rose of Chartres cathedral", Architectural Association Quarterly) Labyrinth: The stone floor still bears its ancient floor labyrinth (1205), used for walking contemplation by monks and still used for meditation by pilgrims. There is just one path through the labyrinth and it is 964 feet long. According to John James, the center of the labyrinth once had a metal plate with figures of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur, figures from the classical myth of the labyrinth on Minos. (James, John, The contractors of Chartres) The Use of Eleven: The Chartres labyrinth has eleven tracks, or rings. Eleven is a somewhat non-Christian number. Its source may be eastern. In early Hindu numerology the most important shrines had eleven roofs, as in Bali today. (James, John, The contractors of Chartres) The Tracks and the Number 35: The labyrinth has 31 curved tracks and 4 straight ones, 35 altogether. This spells BVM, which is short for Beata Virgo Maria, to whom the cathedral is consecrated. There are 28 half-round changes of direction and six quarter changes, 34 in total. This is the number of ANNA the mother of Mary, while both 6 and 28 are the first two Perfect Numbers. Together they add up to 34 which is one off BVM, and one off MV, or Maria Virgo. Half of 34 is seventeen which is the letter R standing for the Resurrection. 37 times 3, is 111, which we met earlier. Twice 35 is 70, which spells JESUS, Thrice is, 105, which is TRINITAS, and four times is 140, or CHRISTOS EST. (James, John, The contractors of Chartres) Exterior of Chartres Cathedral: - From a distance Chartres Cathedral seems to hover in mid-air above waving fields of corn, and it is only when the visitor draws closer that the city comes into view, clustering around the hill on which the cathedral stands. The massive spires dominate the quaint medieval city, popping into view around every corner. The plan of the Gothic cathedral is cruciform, with a nave, and short transepts to the south and north. The east end is rounded with an ambulatory which has have five semi-circular chapels radiating from it. Chartres Cathedral's two contrasting towers - a 349-foot (105m) plain pyramid dating from the 1140s, and the other a 377-foot (113m) tall early 16th-century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower - soar upwards over the pale green roof. All around the outside are complex flying buttresses, which are necessary due to the revolutionary size of the interior clerestory windows. The upper walls of the nave and choir are made largely of glass, so they had to be buttressed with high arches extending over the roofs of the side aisles. Chartres was the first place that buttresses were used as a structural element that determined the overall external appearance of the building. The west front is not the only showcase of sculpture and architecture at Chartres - both transepts also feature large rose windows, flanking towers, and three sculptured portals. This was directly modeled on the rose-windowed transepts at Laon Cathedral, but the three-portal layout is unique to Chartres. In total, Chartres Cathedral has nine portals, including three portals salvaged from the earlier cathedral. The south transept portal centers on a scene from the Last Judgment with sculptures of the apostles occupying the recesses. In this scene Christ appears human, mild and gentle, a depiction that became known as the Beau-Dieu, the "handsome God." In the left-hand portal, look for the two contrasting knightly figures of St. George (grim, older) and St. Theodore (a handsome young hero). The north transept portal portrays the Coronation of the Virgin with prophets and other figures in the center. Between the doors is a statue of St. Anne holding a (now headless) infant Mary. In 1204, Chartres received a relic of the head of St. Anne from Constantinople and this was probably added afterwards. Look for the Holy Modesta, a female figure with a seductive smile, and a fat Solomon in the right-hand portal. (James, John, The Master Masons of Chartres) Works Citied: 1. James, John, The Master Masons of Chartres, West Grinstead, 1990 2. Medieval Geometry: the western rose of Chartres cathedral, Architectural Association Quarterly, v 1973, 4-10. 3. The mystery of the great labyrinth, Chartres cathedral, Studies in Comparative Religion, xi 1977, 92-115. 4. James, John, The contractors of Chartres, Wyong, ii vols. 1979-81 Read More