Greek and Roman Architecture and Chartres Cathedral - Essay Example

Greek and Roman Architecture and Chartres Cathedral Introduction: Architecture is simply not just the designing and construction of the buildings. In fact, it involves a thoughtful combination of expressions and intelligence. However, it has been observed that the culture and civilization of any nation can be best understood by their architectural designs and constructions such as Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans. Their architecture represents their powerful and expressive cultural and religious beliefs.

Greek and Roman Architecture: Greeks and Romans are known in the history for their superior architecture. Greeks developed a unique architecture design during the archaic period in which they reached the heights of excellence in designing and construction of buildings. The inspiration was mainly derived from “Mycenaean megaron.” Their religious temples were different from those of Egyptians and Hindus, however; their temples had “Cella” which is their porch or the centre room with the statue of god in the centre as the main chief of the temple.

This Cella or the centre room was usually surrounded by single or double rows of columns. Their Columns hold a central position in the design of the temple. The idea and design of post and lintel design of the columns was an inspiration derived from Egyptians which Greeks changed with their own decoration and format. They typically used Ionic, Doric and Corinthian design for column building. On the other hand, Romans followed Greek architectural design in buildings. Romans were the first ones to use concrete as an important building material.

Their architectural design developed a relationship between the form and the function. They were the first ones to introduce roman arch in their temple designs. Their three famous structures include The Aqueducts, The Coliseum and The Pantheon.Gothic Architecture of Chartres Cathedral: Chartres Cathedral in France is the best example of Gothic architecture. Chartres Cathedral best expresses the gothic art in the modern world today through its intact sculptures and stained glass windows. The Cathedral was completed in three different stages and each stage adds a different gothic touch to the building.

The Cathedral is a magnificent piece of artwork, sculptures and towers. The towers are inspired by the Roman designs and style (Titus Burckhardt). The Cathedral has almost 150 stained glass windows which represent different stories and events from the bibles.Conclusion: Greeks and Romans have left their heavy influence on the history of architecture. They added meaning, expression and intelligence to the design of the buildings and temples which were followed by other nations, too. Hence, we can say that if Greeks were the fathers of the ancient architecture then, Romans added modernism and style to their ancient art and gave a new dimension to architecture.

Works Cited:Burckhardt, Titus. “Chartres and the birth of the cathedral.” Bloomington: World Wisdom Books, (1996).