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The New Design In The Gothic Era

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The opening gospel of St John stated “and the light in the darkness shines, and the darkness did not overcome it “(biblescripture.net 2017). This was interpreted in the Gothic Era to show how physical and metaphysical ideas could be fused to create sacred spaces. All light was considered divine, whether reflected from metallic substances or streamed in through windows. This discourse led to the investigation into the new design in cathedral construction. Great expanses of wall were replaced with large windows to let in the divine light. Abbot Suger (1081-1151) abbot of the French abbey of Saint-Denis championed this initiative.

The ambulatory of abbey at St Denis in 1144 was the first major redesign in the Gothic style. Honour and Fleming cite Suger as describing the essence of Gothic architecture as, “conjoining the material with the immaterial, the corporeal with the spiritual, the human with the divine” (2012, 291). Natural light became a metaphor for god’s light (Wilson …show more content…

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris underwent modifications to the existing vaults to alter the curve to accommodate the new enlarged widows. The building was modified to include flying buttresses (1175-122, 1225), which in turn allowed the nave to be built to a staggering 108 feet high. The flying buttresses, a main feature of High Gothic design, dispersed the weight and supported the walls even under the pressures of wind (Wilson 2009, 73). Notre Dame in Paris was the first Gothic cathedral to use the flying buttress system (Wilson 2009, 75). The illumination of the space at Notre Dame underwent a transformation as well by removing the band of oculus windows placed under single lancet windows and replacing them with double lancet and rose windows, therefore increasing the proportions of glass in the clerestory (Tansev 1996, 491). This was made possible by the flying buttress support

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