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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. | | 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: | + | The image at right is a drawing of a long side of the Chartres Cathedral, which is only significant medieval church preserved in its original form, as completed and dedicated in A.D. 1260. It stands in the town of Chartres, France, merely 50 miles from Paris. Its long side is a classic example of Gothic architecture, featuring: |
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| | *flying buttresses (see the arched supports at the far right) | | *flying buttresses (see the arched supports at the far right) |
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| | 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> | | 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> |
| | + | [[Image:West facade Chartres Cathedral.jpg]] |
| | + | The west facade of the Chartres Cathedral (see right) is not Gothic, but is Romanesque in architecture. It was built earlier, in 1150 before a fire ignited by lightning destroyed the other parts. That facade was left intact as the rest of the church was rebuilt, leaving the Chartres Cathedral today with both the Romanesque and Gothic styles of architecture in different parts of the same church! |
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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== |