XV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2023

France is a country of memorable architectural monuments. I was interested in Gothic architecture and how it is revealed in the monuments of French architecture. The purpose of my work is to describe three cathedrals that are significant for the architecture of the whole world - Reims, Amiens, Chartres - and find Gothic features in them, as well as talk about their designs and forms and prove why these cathedrals are genuine works of art. I think this topic is relevant for an architect, because we are referring to the origins of architecture, to our database, to beautiful, by generally accepted standards, creations.

Let's examine each of the aforementioned cathedrals.

The Cathedral of Reims, or Notre-Dame de Reims, is located in the French Champagne region. The history of this cathedral should also be mentioned. Its construction began in 1211 on the site of an ancient wooden basilica and ended a century later. It is surrounded by a beautiful landscape: vineyards, creations of architectural art. The building is surrounded by sculptural works.

As for its appearance, the Reims Cathedral is majestic, elegant and really huge: it’s about 140m in length and 30 in width. It belongs to the Gothic style, even a layman can notice it by the columns, arches, spires, massive structures. So, there are two towers of 80 meters each, and according to the architect's idea, they were supposed to be 7.

The decoration of the facade plays an important role in the style of the cathedral, vertical directions prevail over horizontal ones, there are many details, sculptures and reliefs are placed on the facade; thus, the main facade is decorated with more than two thousand figures of ghosts and angels. I would like to mention the most interesting scenes on the portals and facades, for example, on the central portal - the scene of the coronation of the Mother of God, "the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth”, above the right portal we can see "The Last Judgment", etc. Since the theme of the coronation is directly related to this cathedral and its history, the arch reflects biblical scenes about kings David and Solomon, as well as scenes from the Old Testament. Special attention should be paid to the Gallery of Kings -sixty-three figures four meters high. The gutter is decorated with gargoyles and chimeras - these are the symbols of the guards. The exterior decoration of the cathedral is difficult to overestimate from the point of view of assessing the architectural and scenic value.

The interior decoration is distinguished by its severity and "airiness". In shape, this structure is called similar to an overturned ship. The walls are supported by columns and pillars here. The space is filled with a calm brick pattern. It is worth mentioning the lancet windows characteristic of the Gothic style, high and wide, with stained glass windows or in the form of a Gothic rose of various shapes, colors and shades, as well as wall mosaics, black marble on the floor.

Amiens Cathedral is also the French embodiment of the Gothic style, high Gothic. Built on the grave of the martyr Firmin in the period from 1220 to 1270, this cathedral at one time housed all the inhabitants of the city of Amiens, where it is located.

This is a huge cathedral, the size of which is comparable to the previous cathedral. Although, of course, for numerous tourists and pilgrims, it is attractive not in size, but, for example, in its external decoration. The main part of the structures is made of chalk, which makes its facade interesting in texture. The western facade has three portals decorated with sculptural images of saints, as well as scenes from religious teachings. As for the sculptures, they can be seen on the portals of all transepts.

This cathedral, like the previous one, has a Gallery of Kings - 22 statues, in addition, you can admire the Gallery of Musicians here. The moment of asymmetry in the towers is interesting. If we talk about the internal content, then you can observe a medieval interior here. Huge windows that give a feeling of lightness, transparency, airiness; pillars supporting a high ceiling; the so-called Labyrinth on the floor, which in ancient times had to be overcome on your knees.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres is a perfect example of a Gothic cathedral. It was consecrated in 1037. In its lifetime, this work of art has “seen" a lot of historical events, from wars to fires that occurred with the building itself. Since then, about four thousand medieval sculptures have appeared here, stained glass windows contain about five thousand characters, and to this day it is the largest building in the city, whose width is seventeen meters, and its length is 150 meters.

The cathedral has a traditional Gothic plan. The 3 entrance doors are framed by elegant intertwining sculptures, and the outer wall is decorated with bas-reliefs based on biblical motifs. They give the decoration of the exterior of the cathedral a strict, but elegant and elegant look. The high Gothic prevailing in France at that time is reflected, first of all, in the transepts of the cathedral. The interior also has elements of the Middle Ages: rose windows, stained glass windows, narrow long aisles. Under the arches of the cathedral are the famous images of the Virgin Mary and her mother Anna.

We have discovered the characteristic features of Gothic architecture - domes tending to the sky, peaks, high arches, pointed arches, vaults, columns, stained glass windows, strict interior features, etc. In addition, they talked about the significance of all three cathedrals, their beauty and architectural value. So, they proved that it was these, including works of art, that gave a start to the further development of architectural art, its forms and constructive findings.

Bibliography:

The 39 Greatest Constructions of Gothic Architecture in the World (interestingengineering.com)

25 Overwhelming Examples Of Gothic Architecture (list25.com)