And another Cathedral - Thoughts.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, I had to go into town this morning.

My town is an old roman city built with a north, south, east and west gate with a circular wall around it.
'Least it was - all the gates are gone now although the places where they were are still called Eastgate, Westg.... you get the picture.

I did what I needed to and then rambled round a little and thinking about what has just happened to Notre Dame in Paris, I looked at our cathedral in a slightly different light.
Much to the disappointment of the thousands of tourists visiting our city, much of it is covered over as the roof is being renovated.

Our Cathedral was founded as a cathedral in 1075 (that's just nine years after the Battle of Hastings and the Norman invasion).

It took a few years to finish mind you, and it has had some interesting times:

Like Note Dame it had a pretty bad fire but that was in 1187. Much of the town was also damaged.

The four towers have had some issues over the centuries due to subsidence, and one collapsed in 1210 (when King john "taxed" the churches).

It had a shrine to the local saint built in 1245(ish) which was destroyed in 1538 (reformation and all that).

1642- During the Civil war the city was besieged (for a few days!) by government troops who stabled their horses in the Cahedral and defaced lots of the paintings. (If you look at a large painting on wood of all the bishops - they all look he same - like the guy who re-painted them after the troops had damaged the originals.

1721 The spire was struck by lightening

1861 the spire collapsed and telescoped into the main building.

It was built of French stone which has not weathered well so there is constant masonry work being done, but at present they are replacing the copper roof which was put on in 1945/6 - when, apparently there was a lead shortage.

End of WW2? Lead shortage ?? I wonder why???

[jpd]

Your town sounds idyllic. I'd like to visit it some day

[Bob Womack]

Sounds like a Cathedral I visited. Which one is it?

Bob

[Ozzy the dog]

All cathedrals are a thing of wonder. I've been in a few around England and always find myself gazing up at the structure trying to imagine how they managed to build them. In those dark ages, without the surveying instruments and knowledge we now take for granted, they somehow managed to create such things of great beauty.

I remember visiting Windsor Castle after the refurbishment following the 1992 fire. With all the modern day road infrastructure, modern cranes, machinery etc it still took 5 years to complete.

As tragic as such destruction by fire can be, the thing that struck me most with Windsor castle was going from the original undamaged rooms to the newly refurbished ones. It was interesting to see the original tired and faded decor side by side with the 'new' brightly coloured decor which gave an insight into what it would have been like for the inhabitants in earlier centuries. It was like seeing an old black and white film restored to full colour.

They cost a lot to maintain but they're worth it. We're lucky to have so many on our doorstep.

[Dirk Hofman]

Is it Chichester?

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by Ozzy the dog

All cathedrals are a thing of wonder. I've been in a few around England and always find myself gazing up at the structure trying to imagine how they managed to build them. In those dark ages, without the surveying instruments and knowledge we now take for granted, they somehow managed to create such things of great beauty.

Interestingly, the "Dark Ages" partially got their name through architecture, where in the Romanesque period the churches were necessarily darker as technological limitations of the architectural methods of the period only allowed a small clerestory on the upper third or quarter of the wall. The High Gothic of the early Renaissance brought in the flying buttresses, often surrounding the choir, that allowed the large window areas that allowed in light through most of the height of the wall. The flying buttresses also resisted the lateral forces of the stone vault ceilings.

Of course, the folks of the Renaissance, always proudly hailing their advancements, thought of their period as a time of light and all previous periods as times of darkness. But there were so much interesting cultural stuff going on during the middle ages including previous renaissances. For example, think of the beautiful Carolingian Miniscule script that was developed around 780 during the reign of Charlemagne to allow the Latin of Jerome's vulgate to be read by educated people of all regions. It developed into Gothic script that continued to be used as a beautiful formal script in Northern Europe through the 20th century.

Bob

[imwjl]

It’s all sad when there’s destruction. My alternate thoughts have been about the church arson incidents in the US. My thoughts on religion are probably unconventional for many here but those have been on my mind understanding they’re active congregations and the incidents have likely rattled their members big time. I feared those are important pillars of some communities and they’ve been rattled in a terrible way.

I don’t mean that as a put down to the famous cathedral that burned but I never forget the hate and damage some did to my family property and congregation when I was a kid. The wondering I had as a kid and what I saw in the elders. My mind has been on the restoration of these famous places but definitely feeling for those small communities. It was good to read some charity and recognition went to those places too as well as some arrests made.

Basically, these buildings are important but they’re also just stuff. I’ve got empathy for the individuals who use those buildings for their spiritual well being.

[architype]

It is awe inspiring to walk into such grand and graceful spaces such as Gothic cathedrals. The architecture did it's job well because you can't help but turn your gaze upward to take in the great volume.

I have always seen a connection between Gothic architecture and Modern architecture. It may sound odd since Gothic is highly decorated and Modern is very austere, but The goal of both was to lighten the structure to it's physical limits to allow for the maximum amount of glass and light. Gothic did it with stone and Modern with steel.

Beauvais cathedral, also in France was going to be the largest and tallest in the world. The architects and builders pushed the limits of stone too far and it kept collapsing during construction. Only the transepts and apse were completed. It currently has steel bracing holding it together.

A Modern "Gothic" masterpiece designed by Architect Fay Jones, is in Eureka Springs , Arkansas. It is a modern interpretation of Gothic Architecture in wood and glass. It is on my list of American masterpieces to visit.

I recommend the novel "Pillars of the Earth", by Ken Follett. It follows the life of a medieval stone mason/master builder as he designs and builds a Gothic cathedral. It has much drama and intrigue too, but the description of the construction techniques and building process are very accurate and fascinating.


Another book that I recommend is "Stones of the Abby". It is the actual daily log of a French monk that is supervising the construction of Le Thoronet monastery in southern France. I discovered this book, (a Divine experience), when I was doing an analysis of the monastery in college. It is written like a novel and is also fascinating.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by architype

A Modern "Gothic" masterpiece designed by Architect Fay Jones, is in Eureka Springs , Arkansas. It is a modern interpretation of Gothic Architecture in wood and glass. It is on my list of American masterpieces to visit.

That must be Thorncrown Chapel. I've seen some really good pictures of this and it is an amazing structure. I wonder how it sounds?

Bob

[architype]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

That must be Thorncrown Chapel. I've seen some really good pictures of this and it is an amazing structure. I wonder how it sounds?

Bob

Yes, Thorncrown Chapel...Thank you, Bob. I apologize for excluding the name. I need to practice my proofreading!

Interesting question about the acoustics. It is mostly glass with a stone floor, both highly reflective acoustic surfaces, but, I would speculate that the sound would probably be balanced somewhat by the lattice of wood trusses.