22. Plan of Notre-Dame Cathedral,
Amiens (France).

 

 

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Amiens

The cathedrals of Reims (see p. 40, 41, 42) and Amiens were intended to be the pinnacle of the French Gothic in terms of structural formation and decoration. They were supposed to surpass the human imagination of the time. Indeed, Amiens Cathedral features the longest nave in France (see p. 32, 33). Romert de Luzarches was the first architect of the building and his name can be found in the medallion of the labyrinth, which was laid out in 1288. However, it is not certain how extensive his contribution to the execution really was, but, allegedly, all significant technical and stylistic innovations and rationalisations, such as iron reinforcing in the tracery and the serial preparation of repetitive elements, are ascribed to him. Most of the building was finished only by the end of the thirteenth century; the remaining work would continue for centuries. The southern tower, for example, was only completed in the nineteenth century by Viollet-le-Duc.

 

Of particularly high artistic value are the cathedral’s sculptures, especially the Vierge dorée (the golden virgin) located at the trumeau of the southern portal, and the Beau Dieu (The Beautiful God). Both rank among the most remarkable masterpieces of the thirteenth century.

 

 

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Chartres

Chartres Cathedral is one of French Gothic’s most beautiful monuments (see p. 34, 36, 37, 38, 39). It is 130m long, has 37m high rib vaulting, an old tower, 105m high, dating from the twelfth century, and a newer 115m high tower from the sixteenth century. Thanks to the new building technology of buttresses, the walls could be relieved of their supporting function and no longer had to consist of massive masonry. Thus the large, colourful window panes (often in the famous Chartres blue) and rose windows could punctuate them. Discarding the second gallery and retaining the triforium resulted in yet another simple three-tier structure.

 

At least five churches, all of which burnt to the ground, had previously stood in the same place. In 1194 the older cathedral, which is stricter in its details, was begun on the foundations of an earlier basilica. Finished in 1233, but consecrated only in 1260 in the presence of Louis IX, it surpassed the cathedrals in Reims (see p. 40, 41, 42) and Amiens (see p. 32, 33) simply by having two completed, if dissimilar, towers. Chartres Cathedral is the first example of high Gothic architecture. It was also here in Chartres that frescos were substituted with typical Gothic glass paintings for the first time.