church architecture in the practice of Christianity

The cathedral served to be Man’s way of bringing Heaven to Earth. Cathedrals are shaped in the form of a cross to symbolize the power of The Word. The height of these prominent cathedrals were intentionally made to be 144 roman feet tall to represent the height of heaven as described by the book of Revelations. The Bible has many sacred numbers that the clergy and builders used to bring life to these walls. In no small part thanks to Charlemagne and the Carolingian period, Christianity was structured to a formidable religion. Pilgrimage was incentived by the presence of relics with their sought after effects. To house them, Grand structures were made inspired by the learning and beauty of the reforms made in this period. All forms of Art were relentlessly studied to understand why art had such an emotional impact of people, and it was explored tirelessly in order to find out how to use it to enhance the emotional reaction of the audience and clergy. The purpose of these cathedrals were to house the stained glass windows and allow the light of God in, so that those who strived to be one with God could bask in his holy spirit. Although the idea originated from a misunderstanding of 3 separate men by the name of Denis, the end results speak for themselves.

Pointed Arch- Allowed the builders to build taller structure by redirecting the weight out and downward, with the weight of the church itself to keep pressure on the stonework. Rib vaulting- the weight of the cathedral could keep pressure on the pointed arches, but it was through the innovation of the rib vault that stopped the magnificent building from toppling on itself. Flying buttresses- the funny thing about the rib vaults is that they apply pressure to the ceilings in an outward direction, so without some acting force outside keeping counter pressure, the building would implode (explode?). The final counter measure that makes the Cathedral possible is the counter force of the flying butress. These help redirect the force down to Earth to keep the structure stable. Pinnacles and finials were the counter weights that backed up the strength of the Flying Buttresses.