The Master Masons of Chartres

The Master Masons of Chartres PDF

Author: John James

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780646008059

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James' analysis of Chartres is likely to be the best and most detailed we shall have.' JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS The great cathedral of Chartres is the most impressive and exciting building surviving from the middle ages, andis preserved almost intact. Yet we know nothing of the men who created it. John James, in this masterpiece of detection, shows how he came to identify the master masons from the stones themselves. His meticulous `reading' of the cathedral has revealed much about those men: how they solved problems of engineering and design, how they raised two-ton stones forty metres into the air, and how one mason controlled over 300 men in this gigantic workshop. JOHN JAMES is an Australian architect. His first visit to Chartres, in 1969, led to a continuing passion for the early Gothic buildings of northern France, and he has been `reading their stones' ever since.

The Template-makers of the Paris Basin

The Template-makers of the Paris Basin PDF

Author: John James

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 9780731645206

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The 12th- and 13th-century early Gothic churches from the region around Paris which form the basis of this study were large-scale undertakings. Dr James draws on evidence which suggests that work proceeded in a series of projects, when funding, technical problems (for example, slow-setting mortar), and the work of other trades (such as roofing and centring) allowed. Within each project there were generally a number of separately organised phases, or `campaigns', and it is from close study of these campaigns that the author proceeds to an identification of the characteristics of the individual master masons, the template-makers.

High Gothic Sculpture at Chartres Cathedral, the Tomb of the Count of Joigny, and the Master of the Warrior Saints

High Gothic Sculpture at Chartres Cathedral, the Tomb of the Count of Joigny, and the Master of the Warrior Saints PDF

Author: Anne McGee Morganstern

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 0271048654

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"Re-examines the sculpture on the transept porches of Chartres Cathedral and revises their chronology, based on information from the previously unstudied tomb of the count of Joigny. Documents the production of the monument within the context of French High Gothic sculpture"--Provided by publisher.

In Search of the Unknown in Medieval Architecture

In Search of the Unknown in Medieval Architecture PDF

Author: John James

Publisher: Pindar Press

Published: 2007-12-31

Total Pages: 601

ISBN-13: 1915837162

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John James is an Australian architect and medieval historian. Since 1969 he has been searching for the origins of the Gothic style, beginning with a five-year study of Chartres cathedral. At that time there were no coherent techniques for analysing the detailed construction history of existing stone structures. This he created. He expanded his research to include all the early Gothic churches in the Paris region with a three-year survey of over 3500 buildings. His most important discovery has been that all churches of this period were constructed in many short campaigns by mobile building teams, and that major innovation was more likely to occur in the smaller buildings than in the larger. This volume makes available 42 of the author's studies on the development of Gothic architecture in France.

Master Builders of the Middle Ages

Master Builders of the Middle Ages PDF

Author: David Jacobs

Publisher: New Word City, Inc.

Published: 2016-12-30

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 1936529610

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Today, the great cathedrals of Europe stand as beautiful, imposing monuments - the pride of parishioners and the wonder of tourists. It is difficult for us now, even with all our engineering and architectural skills, to imagine the extraordinary ways these medieval houses of worship were constructed. Midway through the twelfth century, the building of cathedrals became a crusade to erect awe-inspiring churches across Europe. In their zeal, bishops, monks, masons, and workmen created the architectural style known as Gothic, arguably Christianity’s greatest contribution to the world’s art and architecture. The style evolved slowly and almost accidentally as medieval artisans combined ingenuity, inspiration, and brute strength to create a fitting monument to their God. Here are the dramatic stories of the building of Saint-Denis, Notre Dame, Chartres, Reims, and other Gothic cathedrals.

Encyclopedia of Architectural and Engineering Feats

Encyclopedia of Architectural and Engineering Feats PDF

Author: Christine Garnaut

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2001-12-06

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 1576075699

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Encyclopedia of Architectural and Engineering Feats presents more than 200 achievements in architecture and structural engineering in all the inhabited continents, from prehistory to the present. An architect once described the built environment as "the manifestation of the human spirit in stone, wood, and steel." In this new volume, readers can explore the most innovative and magnificent architectural expressions of the human spirit, from pre-history to the present, from all parts of the world. Readers can visit the Acropolis and Chartres cathedral, along with less familiar places like the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, once the greatest city in sub-Saharan Africa, and China's 71 meter high, 1,200 year old Grand Buddha, carved from stone. They'll learn the secrets behind audacious engineering feats like the Panama Canal, the U.S. interstate highway system, and the Deltaworks in the Netherlands. They will discover that many of these awe-inspiring projects were not the work of trained architects and engineers, but of "underdeveloped" communities, where unified will, tight social organization, and shared commitment to a spiritual ideal were more important than the inventions of the Industrial Age.

Cracking the Symbol Code

Cracking the Symbol Code PDF

Author: Tim Wallace-Murphy

Publisher: Watkins Media Limited

Published: 2012-01-01

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1780282532

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Expanding on issues touched on in The Da Vinci Code, this thought-provoking study explores the real story of Christianity—a story told by men and women condemned by the traditional, orthodox church, and one long hidden in mysterious codes and symbols. In medieval times, dissenters believed the established church ruthlessly suppressed the truth about Jesus and his ministry. Branded as heretics and subject to torture and execution for their beliefs, the dissenters—including the Knights Templar, Freemasons, Cathars, and groups of scientists—devised an ingenious code to communicate with fellow sympathizers and preserve the truth. They concealed these complex symbols in art, artifacts, and architecture of the medieval world. Finally, this fascinating underground language is deciphered…revealing powerful messages meant as much for today’s truth seekers as for medieval minds.