In 1194 the construction of the Chartres Cathedral beagn. It was completed in 1220. The Cathedral has many stain glass windows that show a virgin woman and a child. There are alot of symbols of God and the virgin Marry because of teh Christians strong beliefs of their religion. There are 176 stained glass windows and 94% of them are the original pieces. The Chartres is said to be one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the world.
The Chartres Cathedral exemplifies its period through its architectural work by the great art and religion of the Medieval Era. The Roman Catholic Church was very wealthy in the 12th century and art and religion was a huge part of their life. The wealth enabled them to create the cathedrals to symbolize their religious beliefs and to higher great artists to create the building.
The gothic style of the Cathedral developed over two centuries through
the Romanesque in North Central France. Gothic art arose at that time
because Bishoprics and Abbeys were corrupted.
The Chartres Cathedral was said to be built for a tourist attraction,
to attract pilgrims to patronize merchants and to draw people to the
church. The purpose of this was to make money from coffer donations
to as far as prostitution.
The Cathedral has many Gothic characteristics. Sculptures and stained
glass are a few of the main design features used when the building was
constructed, also the sculptures were mainly of religious figures, such
as The Beasts Of The Apocalypse – The Lion and The Ox.
The Chartres is unique because of its stature, how large it is compared
to everything else around it. There are Large pointed arches on the
outside and rounded arches on the inside that are decorated with amazing
detailed sculptures.
Some of the architectural features include pitched roofs, stained glass
windows, high pointed arches and steep spires. The walls are thin with
a great amount of support and vertical lines for an elongated effect,
to exaggerate the already high ceilings. All these features are examples
of Gothic architecture derived from the Romanesque.
