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| | There was outstanding architecture in the Middle Ages, which can be seen in the majestic churches built during that era. There were two main styles: Romanesque and Gothic. Romanesque architecture is characterized by thick walls, rounded arches and small windows. The Gothic style, developed later, consisted of taller, perpendicular structures with long windows, pointed arches and “flying buttresses” (stone supports on the outer walls of churches). | | There was outstanding architecture in the Middle Ages, which can be seen in the majestic churches built during that era. There were two main styles: Romanesque and Gothic. Romanesque architecture is characterized by thick walls, rounded arches and small windows. The Gothic style, developed later, consisted of taller, perpendicular structures with long windows, pointed arches and “flying buttresses” (stone supports on the outer walls of churches). |
| | + | [[Image:Chartres Cathedral drawing.jpg|right]] |
| | + | Gothic architecture, with its tall, pointed spires is said to reflect the desire of people of the Middle Ages to grow closer to God, reaching towards heaven and away from the earth. Tall windows allowed sunlight to illuminate the interior, unlike Romanesque architecture, in which windows were small and interiors were dim. A particularly stunning example of Gothic architecture is the Notre Dame in Paris, on which construction began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII, and was completed about 200 years later in about 1345. The Notre Dame features a beautiful stained-glass “rose window,” another distinguishing characteristic of Gothic churches. |
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| | + | The image at right is a drawing of a long side of the Chartres Cathedral, which is preserved in its nearly original form in the medieval town of Chartres, France, merely 50 miles from Paris. This is a classic example of Gothic architecture, featuring: |
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| | + | *flying buttresses (see the arched supports at the far right) |
| | + | *stained-glass colored windows (notice the round window above the entrance) |
| | + | *relics (not visible on the drawing) |
| | + | *labyrinth inside, which is a maze-like walkways designed like that found in Jerusalem |
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| − | Gothic architecture, with its tall, pointed spires is said to reflect the desire of people of the Middle Ages to grow closer to God, reaching towards heaven and away from the earth. Tall windows allowed sunlight to illuminate the interior, unlike Romanesque architecture, in which windows were small and interiors were dim. A particularly stunning example of Gothic architecture is the Notre Dame in Paris, on which construction began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII, and was completed about 200 years later in about 1345. The Notre Dame features a beautiful stained-glass “rose window,” another distinguishing characteristic of Gothic churches. | + | Inside, a Gothic cathedral utilizes a high nave (the central or open space of a church), supported by the flying buttresses on the outside, and with three aisles in the interior. In the Chartres Cathedral, one end has five semi-circular radiating chapels.<ref>http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/chartres-cathedral.htm</ref> |
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| | ==The End of the Byzantine Empire and the Expansion of Islam== | | ==The End of the Byzantine Empire and the Expansion of Islam== |