Cathedral of Notre-Dame

 

Robert de Luzarches, Thomas de Cormont, and Renaud de Cormont, Amiens Cathedral, Amiens, France, begun 1220


This cathedral is known as the Amiens Cathedral in Amiens France and was built in the 13th century, the tallest height the cathedral reaches is around 139 feet with and 476 feet long. This cathedral is known to be the largest of the three gothic cathedrals built of this century in France. The Gothic architecture although very complex, it is very beautiful the amount of detail sculpted into such buildings. Each piece of the outer entry way of this church symbolizes a story. The bottom portion of the entrance near the three doorways has several figures sculpted in order to invite people into the church. The way the archways funnel inward presents an invitation. Above the doors there is a strip across the whole front that has several figures standing next to each other and this is known as a kings gallery. The kings gallery consists of several figures that Christians believed to be old ancestors of Christ. Above that segment is the two towers on each side and then in the middle is a rose window. Each entrance has a designated story so the one on the far left is strictly for the first bishop of Amiens known as St. Firmin. The far right is strictly for the Virgin Mary and to tell her story. In the middle it is devoted to Christ. (B. Harris, S. Zucker, 2017) The main door way presenting Christ to us depicts the outcome of our choices essentially. Basically showing how we choose our destiny and what is to come for our after life whether that be heaven or hell. 


When entering the cathedral it is very narrow until you reach the middle section where it finally opens up into a more spacious area where the altar is. Throughout the inside are giant pillars that are doing most of the support in holding up the entire building. And above these pillars and arches are several giant windows of glass in order to let the light shine in because that is the what the whole gothic style is about. The flying buttresses are another crucial part of the exterior building that help disburse the weight equally. The entire structure and architecture of the cathedrals is meant to portray Heaven on Earth. 

Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "Amiens Cathedral," in Smarthistory, May 4, 2017, accessed September 30, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/amiens/.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 1, 2020 at 2:34 PM

    Emily great post, i agree the design is complex but beautiful. I like how they designed the church in a way to be inviting, such as the figures in the front as you mentioned.The architecture is truly amazing to me.

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  2. Sara YaunOctober 3, 2020 at 12:46 PM

    This is such a detailed work of art. You can just imagine how much thought and effort went into this. Famous architecture built so long ago never ceases to completely amaze me. It was tremendously sad to find out that it had been caught on fire but thankfully it is still standing. The fire was thought to be started by a burning cigarette or electrical malfunction.

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  3. Justin DwinellOctober 4, 2020 at 5:14 PM

    Hello Emily,
    What a piece for a blog post. It truly blows my mind how much detail and different materials went into this cathedral. I thought you did a great job at explaining in detail what the cathedral is all about. For example, I had no idea that it is classified as the largest among the three gothic cathedrals during that time. It is also crazy how small the interior portrays from looking at the exterior, but after looking at the picture on the bottom that clearly is not the case. Well done Emily.

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  4. Amanda SantistevanOctober 4, 2020 at 6:52 PM

    Love this architecture, I think it was one of the more detailed churches inside and out. I think it truly matches its purpose of portraying Heaven on Earth. Especially the outside detail of the Gothic architecture.

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  5. Kirstyn CraigOctober 4, 2020 at 6:58 PM

    Really great post Emily! The architecture truly is something else, the elaborate ornamentation and overall design is something else. Very informative piece, thank you!

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  6. Bvigil7October 4, 2020 at 9:13 PM

    Gothic style has always been something I have enjoyed through our history. The architectural design of this church is a work of art that has such high significance. The amount of detail in the structure must have taken ages to work on. This really puts into perspective how much a building can make someone feel.

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