Gothic society was very different than how we see society today. First off, Paris was the center of the Gothic world and churches were the center of city life.There was a lot of rivalry between cities, states and nations and competition in the construction of cathedrals. I thought it was interesting to see that they had knights back then and how much society has changed. The black plague was the most devastating occurrence during this time that resulted in the death of 75 million people. That's crazy to think about how many lives were lost and how things could have been different if that happened now with all of the technology we have.
Popes had a lot of power during the Gothic period. Since there were so many people churches required large worship spaces. Cathedrals had appearances of weightlessness. They had tall, stained glass windows and many of them.
Here is a diagram of all of the areas within a Gothic cathedral. They had nave roofs and mostly always had pinnacles on the exterior as well as gargoyles and flying buttresses. The exterior as well as the interior of these cathedrals is breathtaking and the detailing is incredible.
Another important characteristic of a Gothic cathedral is the rose window. It is stained glass with a mix of different bright colors to reflect the light.
Here are some interior photos of the St. Denis Cathedral in France. As you can see it has the Gothic pointed arches and rose windows surrounding the whole interior. It is cool to see how the light shines through the stained glass.
Gothic cathedral in Germany.
This is a Gothic cathedral in Spain. They have wider and more complex designs.
It is cool to see all the different Gothic cathedrals around the world and how they vary in architecture. I personally love the look of the one in Barcelona because of the tall arch in front and just the whole look in general is amazing and would be even better to see in person!
These are some modern examples of Gothic style being applied today.
I love the arches and look of Gothic design it is definitely one of my favorites!
If you're also really into Gothic design you should definitely watch this video and get ideas and inspirations for Gothic modern interiors.
Mohammad is the figure-head of Islamic religion. The first mosque, Mohammad's farm, was the prototype of mosques in the future. The common features of mosques were perimeter walls, covered halls of columns and a courtyard. A mosque is where people of Islam would come to pray to God kneeling on a carpet always facing Mecca.
One example of a mosque back then is The Great Mosque of Kairouan. This is the Prayer Hall in the Mosque. It had classic capitols with the Islamic arch. It is the most famous arch in Tunisia.
This is an interior of the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed. This is the prayer area and main dome. I love the detail that went into it and the multiple domes that are present. The color also stands out to me and how different mosques have different design techniques.
One other mosque that really stood out to me was the Taj Mahal. It is a breathtaking piece of history that still stands today. It is a white domed marble mausoleum. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned this building upon death for his favorite wife- Mumtaz Mahal. I thought that was crazy that he went through so much and created such an amazing building for his wife. I can't imagine how much time and effort must have went into building such a large, beautiful mosque.
Here is a picture of the Taj Mahal with the intended reflection in the pond in front of it. It adds so much more design to the mosque.
One complete opposite interior design of a mosque would be the Great Mosque of Cordoba. The colors and multiple arches are phenomenal. The fact that they could pull off such an interior is amazing. The arches are thoughtfully planned out to create repetition and design techniques.
I thought the Alhambra was just breathtaking. The gardens as well as the interior are so elegant and beautiful. So much design went into planning that and I am just amazed at what they came up with back then.
One of my good friends is Muslim and she often goes to this Arabic restaurant/entertainment club Downtown Chicago called Alhambra. It feels as though you are in a palace when you are in it and actually living in that time. The food is really good and the people are so friendly and put on a great show every time I've gone.
I thought the design and architecture really fit with the Islamic design and made it feel like you were actually in a building back then.
Here is another example of modern Islamic design. The design against the window is so beautiful and definitely completes the design.
I thought this video showed a wide variety of different mosques located around the world. If you have time I would suggest watching some of it and seeing how much detail went into the architecture of these mosques. The differences in styles and design as it travels around the world is remarkable.
I looked at Natalie L's blog and I loved the modern pictures she had. I think the simplest forms of history in design is incredible to see. I can't believe after all these years we still find ways to incorporate these designs into spaces today. I also looked at Rachael's blog and she had great input on the detailing that went into designing mosques. I love looking at even the tiniest details of buildings and I always wonder how someone was so patient to put all of their concentration into the design for such a long period of time!
Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Roman Empire in 800. He encouraged learning arts and started building communities and monasteries. Prior to A.D 1000 little architecture was built, it was the millennium of the Apocalypse. The religious movement was strong during this time. Charlemagne initiated pilgrimages to Christian shrines. The typical features of Christian churches were semicircular arch and vaults, plans from the Early Christian basilica and a side chapel added in the transept. The structures had vaulting and multiple aisles.
I would love to go into one of these churches because the detailing and architecture are simply breathtaking. The arches are so well designed and make the design really stand out.
One example of a Romanesque church is the Pisa baptistery. It includes three free standing buildings, a cross shaped cathedral and a cylindrical baptistery. It is made of local marble.
The residential life during the Romanesque period was very drafty, wet and dark. The homes were made of wood, mud and twigs. Not many homes survived because of the wooden structure.
I liked the examples Wendy had in class of the modern applications. You have to really be open about applying design to today's buildings and furniture because sometimes it's hard to tell at first.
I also found this Portfollio someone had online and it had some great examples of modern applications from the Romanesque time period.
I looked at Emily P's blog and was amazed at some of the pictures she had. She talked about the arches and applied them to modern day designs. I thought it was cool to see how that plays into homes today. She also found a blog that talked about a Romanesque church that was converted into a home and made into a more modern style. The pictures of this house were astonishing and I was truly amazed at how they converted such an old building to a nice home like that. I also looked at Megan's blog and it was interesting to me when she was describing the town of Aigues and how it had very confusing roads that often led to dead ends. However it was found to be intimate and charming to strangers.
Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24th, 79 C.E. and buried the town of Pompeii and its people. It was later discovered and had the most interestingly, breathtaking ruins of all time. The pieces of architecture and design that were found were remarkable. This town is known as "The Living City of Dead". Because even though everyone from that time period is no longer there, the town is still very much alive and the remnants that remain are still in place. The town was first rediscovered in1599 when digging an underground channel. They found paintings and inscriptions, but covered it back up and didn't do anything more with it. In 1738, a town near Pompeii, Herculaneum, was discovered. 10 years later Pompeii was discovered from intentional excavations.
Streets of Pompeii.
Pompeii is a very popular tourist destination; by 2008 it attracted almost 2.6 million visitors per year. The government had to issue tickets to allow people to tour other cities such as Herculaneum and Stabiae so that Pompeii wasn't as crowded. Since there is so much tourism, residents work as taxi drivers, waiters and hotel operators in the nearby town of Pompei. Not as many sections are available for viewing today, however tourists can spend several days touring the whole site.
The objects that were buried beneath Pompeii were generally well preserved from the lack of air and moisture they had while being underground. Because these objects were still intact, researchers were able to find out what the peoples' of Pompeii life was like. Since the town was underground for so long, once it was exposed, it deteriorated rather quickly.
These are some modern examples of Pompeii interiors.
I liked how John talked about how it was left when it was buried and what they found when they discovered Pompeii after all the years it was underground. It was interesting to look at and see how people lived back then. I also liked how Desiree talked about the bronze art and how important that was in society. She also talked about the women's position in families and what their responsibility was. It showed how much time has changed since then.
The Byzantine culture had a lot of influence from the East Asian and Greek cultures. They developed the Penditive style, which became their most greatest accomplishment. They took the dome and furthered it into something more. They really added to it to make it more detailed and dimensional. The Hagia Sophia is a great example of that.
Here it shows the ceiling and all the design that went into it. There are multiple half domes and a full one at the top. The penditive style allowed for this. It is very intricate and detailed. It is one of my favorite aspects of the Byzantine time period. They also made great use of natural light since they didn't even have the option for artificial lighting. I think that adds to the design and that we should use more of that today.
The Byzantine style is known for using predominantly brick.
The only buildings that remain from the Byzantine period are either churches or temples. The flooring was generally tiled in marble and had geometric designs. They were more durable than the wall tiles. The walls and ceilings often had mosaics and alabaster, which is a translucent form of gypsum.
I loved this picture that was in the PowerPoint because I love modern design and the way the Byzantine style was tied into it makes for such a cool look.
This interior used a lot of geometric designs just as they did in the Byzantine period and modernized it into a space that could be used today.
I liked how Kristina talked about the architecture and how she related it to places she's visited. I think it's interesting to look at architecture and be able to know where the influence came from. I also liked how Melanie compared the Byzantine to the Early Christian time period. It showed how the architecture and history developed and came about. I can understand it more clearly when I have a timeline of what happened and how everything came together.
Christianity was the largest religion of all time. Early Christian lasted from 330-800 C.E while the Byzantine lasted from 330-1453 C.E, the longest reign in history. Rome tolerated most religions, but Christianity was the one that posed as a threat to them. Christianity claimed that there was one God, and the followers were murdered after the death of Jesus Christ. Christianity prospered under persecution and became an underground religion. Many followers were a part of the lower class. Since Christianity promoted access to God through Jesus in a personal relationship, it provided great hope to the people and was the reason it prospered. Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity through Edict of Milan and recognized it as a valid religion. He allowed them all rights and privileges and garnered support of the Christian Church. Early Christians met in homes of existing buildings because they didn't have many places of worship. The Roman temples weren't constructed to accommodate group worship. Christian Architecture had centrally planned buildings, separate baptisteries and their chief goal was to glorify God.
Old St. Peter's Cathedral was the chief monument of Christianity. St. Peter was an apostle it is believed that his tomb is in the Cathedral. It has masonry walls, clerestory windows, wood roof and the nave was as high as many Gothic cathedrals to come. The total length is 700 feet.
Here is a picture of the Sant’
Apllinare In Classe. It is defined by geometric volumn, 24 columns of Greek marble, a Triumphal arch and a semi vaulted apse with mosaics. There are two styles of churches, Basilica and Centralized.
The basilica is in the shape of a cross whereas, the centralized style can fit more people.
Very few examples of Christian furniture exist. They had elaborate, rich decoration with caving and jewels. Storage was very important to them to store artifacts and Eucharist. Their motifs were the Cross, doves, lambs and fish.
Here are some examples of Early Christian furniture.
Clive Christian is a fantastic designer that creates beautiful Christian designs and makes them fit into today's style.
I liked Jessica's blog and how she talked about the architecture of the churches. She had great pictures and described them very well. I also liked how Sammy talked about how the Christians adapted from the Roman architecture and how they had to change the churches to fit their worship style.
