Misplaced Pages

#831168

131-574: Christianity was established in Rouen in about 260 by Saint Mellonius , who became the first bishop. The first church is believed to have been under or close to the present cathedral. In 395, a large basilica with three naves was built at the same site. In 755, the archbishop Rémy , the son of the Frankish statesman and military leader Charles Martel , established the first Chapter of the cathedral and constructed several courtyards and buildings around

262-516: A lierne vault with a keystone depicting Saint George and the Dragon . Following the 1428 Catalonia earthquake , a replacement Flamboyant rose window on the west façade of the church of Santa Maria del Mar, Barcelona , was completed by 1459. It is worth mentioning a few examples of civil buildings, in particular the trading floors(Lonjas) in Palma de Mallorca( 1420-1452) and Valencia(1482-1498) having

393-638: A Flamboyant rib vault; St. John's Cathedral ('s-Hertogenbosch) in 's-Hertogenbosch (1220–1530), the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels (1485–1519); and Liege Cathedral . The town halls of Belgium, many of which were built by the prosperous textile merchants of Flanders, were even more flamboyant. They were among the last great statements of Gothic style as the Renaissance gradually came to Northern Europe, and were designed to showcase

524-667: A Roman triumphal arch flanked by pilasters with Lombard candelabra. Gothic foliage, which was now more jagged and wilted as seen at the Hôtel de Cluny in Paris, mingles with portraits of Roman emperors in medallions at the Château de Gaillon . The maison des Têtes (1528–1532) in Valence is another example of Flamboyant blind tracery and foliage mixing with classicizing figures, medallions, and portraits of Roman emperors. In architecture,

655-454: A central courtyard. The Château de Châteadun , which was transformed between 1459 and 1468 by Jehan de Dunois , the half-brother of king Charles VI , and was one earliest residences built for leisure in France. The Château has one of the seven remaining Sainte-Chapelle chapels and an elegant spiral staircase. The corresponding façade is decorated with characteristic flame-like tracery in

786-418: A few years earlier; the decoration of the portals spills over into the adjacent sections. Each portal has a column-statue between the doors, and is topped by a tympanum full of sculpture, and above that an arched voussure filled with three bands of statues. Above this a lace-like pointed gable, which rises upward in front of the windows of the claire-voie gallery as far as the rose window. A similar sculpted gable

917-903: A good number of fine cloisters built during the 15th century such us the ones in the cathedrals of Burgo de Osma, Sigüenza, Lérida(LLeida), Segovia, Oviedo, in monasteries like San Salvador in Oña , Santa Maria la Real in Nájera , Santa Maria de la Oliva in Carcastillo , or San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo , and in churches like Santo Domingo in Jerez de la Frontera , Santa Maria in Los Arcos (Navarra), San Miguel in Oñate or Santa Maria la Real in Sasamón . Spain

1048-536: A hurricane in 1683. In 1796, in the course of the French Revolution , the new revolutionary government nationalised the cathedral and transformed it for a time into a Temple of Reason . Some of the furniture and sculpture was sold, and the chapel railings were melted down to make cannon. In 1822 lightning started a fire that destroyed the wood and lead Renaissance spire of the central tower. The architect Jean-Antoine Alavoine proposed to replace it with

1179-414: A late Gothic Flamboyant style. It received its popular name because donors to the tower were given dispensation to consume butter and milk during Lent. The dense decoration of the tower emphasises its height; tall pointed niches for sculpture, buttresses decorated with tracery, pinnacles, gables and arches. At the top, the square plan of the tower becomes an octagon, with an ornate stone crown. A bell for

1310-549: A long episcopate, in 311, he retired to a hermit's cell at a place called Hericourt, where he died A.D. 314. Mellonius was succeeded by Avitianus . He is sometimes confused with Mellonius, Bishop of Troyes , from 390 to 400. His feast day is 22 October. In the English translation of the 1956 edition of the Roman Martyrology , 'St Mellon' is listed under 22 October with the citation: At Rouen, St Mellon, Bishop, who

1441-463: A new episcopal throne, and a new communion table and pulpit made of cast iron and gilded copper. Beginning in 1985, excavations were carried out beneath the church and its surroundings, which uncovered vestiges of the earlier Paleochristian buildings and foundations of the Carolingian cathedral. In 1999, during Cyclone Lothar , a copper-clad wooden turret, which weighed 26 tons, broke free from

SECTION 10

#1732772592832

1572-418: A new spire made of cast iron. The idea of an iron spire was highly controversial; the novelist Gustave Flaubert denounced it as "the dream of a metal-worker in a delirium." The new spire, 151 meters (495 feet) tall, was not finally completed until 1882. For a short time, from 1876 to 1880, the spire made Rouen Cathedral the world's tallest building , until the completion of Cologne Cathedral . In 1905, under

1703-727: A particularly strong influence in Low Countries, which was then part of the Spanish Netherlands and was also a part of the Catholic diocese of Cologne . Extraordinarily high towers were a feature of the Belgian style. In the 15th century, Belgian architects produced remarkable examples of religious and secular Flamboyant architecture, one of which is the tower of St. Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen (1452–1520), which

1834-542: A projecting polygonal west porch with openwork ogee gables . The influence of Pierre Robin's design lasted into the 16th century, when Roulland Le Roux oversaw work on the upper parts of the Tour de Beurre ("Butter Tower") (1485–1507) and the central portal (1507–1510) of Rouen Cathedral. Increasing specialization in Gothic workshops and lodges led to the sophisticated forms characteristic of structures that were completed in

1965-616: A series of new monasteries and churches that were covered with decoration inspired by banana trees, sea shells, billowing sails, seaweed, barnacles, and other exotic elements as a monument to the Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama and to celebrate Portugal's empire. The most lavish example of this decoration is found on the Convent of Christ in Tomar (1510–1514). Architects in central Europe adopted some forms and elements of Flamboyant in

2096-743: A similar design with a columnar hall plan, the one in Valencia being more ambitious. The fine columns have a helicoidal design, characteristic of Iberian Gothic architecture. Other examples can be found in the church of Santiago in Villena, the Cistercian monastery of Secar de la Real in Palma, the church of Magdalena in Olivenza or the Palace of Montarco in Ciudad Rodrigo. Additional examples of

2227-592: A specific street or square. This architectural response to increasing concerns with the aesthetics of urban space is particularly notable in Normandy, where a striking group of late 15th- and early 16th-century projecting polygonal porches were constructed in the Flamboyant style; examples include Notre-Dame, Alençon ; La Trinité, Falaise ; Notre-Dame, Louviers ; and Saint-Maclou, Rouen . Martin Chambiges ,

2358-407: A very ornate belfry. This contains the bourdon or largest Cathedral bell, named Joan of Arc, which weighs 9.5 tons. It also houses the sixty-four smaller bells of the carillon , which was restored in 2016. It is the second-largest carillon in France. The roof of the tower is decorated with sculptures of four small suns, made of gilded lead. The Butter Tower was constructed between 1488 and 1506, in

2489-584: Is found in the top of the Great West Window in York Minster—the cathedral of the Archbishop of York . It also appears in the Flamboyant curvilinear bar-tracery of St Matthew's Church at Salford Priors , Warwickshire . The flamboyant tracery designs are the most characteristic feature of the Flamboyant style. They appeared in the stone mullions , the framework of windows, particularly in

2620-533: Is generally considered the turning point of the acceptance and establishment of the Renaissance style in France. Early evidence of the intermingling of Flamboyant and classicizing decorative motifs can be found at the Château de Meillant , which was transformed by Charles II d'Amboise , governor of Milan , in 1473. The structure remained fully medieval but the superposition of the windows in bays connected to each other by extended, cord-like pinnacles foreshadows

2751-532: Is generally considered to be the starting point of the period of interaction between the Flamboyant Gothic and early French Renaissance styles. In general, theories of building design and structure remained French while surface decoration became Italian. There were connections between French architectural production and other stylistic traditions, including Plateresque in Spain and the decorative arts of

SECTION 20

#1732772592832

2882-543: Is generally thought to be Saint Melaine , Bishop of Rennes . The two have, unfortunately, been hopelessly confused in many biographies. Mellonius' story tells how he travelled to Rome to pay the British tribute. He was there converted to Christianity by Pope Stephen I , who ordained him priest and later consecrated him a bishop. Shortly after the martyrdom of Pope Stephen in 257, Mellonius set out for Gaul. He succeeded Nicasius of Rouen as Bishop of Rouen in 261. After

3013-519: Is placed against the south wall. The nephew, Georges II, moved the statue of his uncle to the side of the tomb and placed his own in the central position. The baldaquin or upper portion of the tomb is lavishly decorated with sculpture of the Apostles, in pairs, separated by Sibyls and Biblical kings. The top of the tomb is ornamented with sculpted candelabra and tempietti. or miniature classical temples. Mellonius Saint Mellonius (229-314)

3144-492: Is placed over the rose window, just below the triangular gable of the transept roof. The embrasures of the doorway are also filled with delicate sculptural medallions. The front of the south transept and the portal of La Calende are even more packed with sculpture and decoration. The scenes in the tympanum over the portal illustrate the life of Christ, while the contreforts on either side of the portals contain niches filled with angels and prophets The quadrille medallions around of

3275-522: Is possible Morow or his team of Continental masons worked on both. Comparison can also be made with the chapel (1379–) of the Château de Vincennes , a castle and royal residence near Paris. Somewhat later, further Flamboyant work was done on the western bays of Brechin Cathedral. In England, the contemporaneous Late Gothic (or Third Pointed) style Perpendicular Gothic was prevalent from the middle 14th century. A very early example of Flamboyant tracery

3406-624: Is the Church of Saint-Maclou in Rouen, which was commissioned by the Dufour family during the English occupation of the town . It was designed by the master mason Pierre Robin, who was in charge of construction from 1434 until the church was consecrated in 1521. The church, which is referred to as "monumental architecture in the miniature", has double-tiered flying buttresses , fully developed transept façades with portals, curvilinear rose windows , and

3537-516: Is the Parlement de Normandie , now the Palais de Justice of Rouen (1499–1528), which has slender, crocketed pinnacles and lucarnes terminated with fleurons . They were designed by architects Roger Ango and Roulland Le Roux . In 15th-century France, few churches were constructed entirely in the Flamboyant style; it was more common to commission additions to existing structures. One exception

3668-436: The lierne and the tierceron , whose functions were purely decorative. These ribs spread out over the surface to make a star vault; a ceiling of star vaults gave the ceiling a dense network of decoration. Another feature of the period was a type of very tall, round pillar without a capital, from which ribs sprang and spread upwards to the vaults. They were often used as the support for a fan vault , which branched upward like

3799-529: The Castel Nuovo of Naples are evidence of a new decorative art in which the structure remains deeply Gothic. The spread of ornamental vocabularies from Pavia and Milan also played major roles. Equally important is the influence of Italian architects who designed formal gardens and fountains to complement French monuments as seen at the Château de Blois (1499) and the Château de Gaillon shortly thereafter. The incorporation of Flamboyant Gothic with

3930-706: The Church of Saint-Pierre, Caen . Mouchettes and soufflets were also applied in openwork form to gables, as seen on the west façade of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme . The term "Flamboyant" typically refers to church façades and to some secular buildings such as the Palais de Justice in Rouen. Church façades and porches were often the most elaborate architectural features of towns and cities, especially in France, and frequently projected outwards onto marketplaces and town squares. The intricate and dazzling forms of many façades and porches often appealed to their urban contexts; in some cases, new façades and porches were designed to create impressive architectural vistas when viewed from

4061-514: The Château de Gaillon , The first major project of the period was a new tower to match the old Saint-Romaine tower, built almost three centuries earlier. Work on the tower had begun in 1488, under master builder Guillaume Pontifs, but under Cardinal d'Amboise in 1496 the project was taken over 1496 by Jacques Le Roux, who had a more ambitious plan with Renaissance touches. The Pope authorised Cardinal d'Amboise to grant dispensations to consume milk and butter during Lent , in exchange for contributions to

Rouen Cathedral - Misplaced Pages Continue

4192-543: The Sacristy and the Revestiaire are attached to the south side of chevet. The nave is the portion of the cathedral where the churchgoers are seated, extending from the west front to the transept and choir. It is covered with four-part rib vaults , supported by colonettes with reach down the walls to the massive pillars on the ground floor. The first four traverses of the nave, on the west, completed by 1200, followed

4323-511: The bar-tracery , which give the style its name; by the multiplication of ornamental ribs in the vaults ; and by the use of the arch in accolade . Ribs in Flamboyant tracery are recognizable by their flowing forms, which are influenced by the earlier curvilinear tracery of the Second Gothic (or Second Pointed) styles. Very tall and narrow pointed arches and gables , particularly double-curved ogee arches, are common in buildings of

4454-526: The 1020s, the archbishop Robert began to rebuild the church in the Romanesque style, beginning with a new choir, crypt and ambulatory , and then a new transept . The Romanesque cathedral was consecrated by the archbishop Maurille on October 1, 1063, in the presence of William, Duke of Normandy, soon to become William the Conqueror after his conquest of England in 1066. The project for a cathedral in

4585-606: The 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota , which secured the independence of the Kingdom of Portugal . Batalha was modified in the Flamboyant style after 1400. The building includes elements borrowed by the English Perpendicular style, tracery inspired by French Flamboyant, and German-inspired openwork steeples. In 1495, Portuguese navigators opened a sea-route to India and began trading with Brazil, Goa , and Malacca , bringing enormous wealth into Portugal. King Manuel funded

4716-445: The 13th century four smaller towers, or tourelles, with spires, were added atop the buttresses that were built to support the west front, two on either side of the central portal below. In the 14th century, to enrich the decoration even further, three gables were attached to the west front below each of the tourelles. The gables were filled with sculpture; over the north portal, statues of the first archbishops, apostles and saints, and on

4847-476: The 14th century. The central sculptural element of the tympanum, or arch over the portal, is a Tree of Jesse , a traditional depiction of the family tree of Christ. At the top is the Virgin Mary, with a halo of sun and stars. The arches above the tympanum of the portal are filled with sculpture of prophets, sibyls , or fortune-tellers, and patriarchs. The portals on either side of the central portal followed

4978-454: The 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance . Elaborate stone tracery covered both the exterior and the interior. Windows were decorated with a characteristic s-shaped curve. Masonry wall space was reduced further as windows grew even larger. Major examples included the northern spire of Chartres Cathedral , Trinity Abbey , Vendôme , and Burgos Cathedral and Segovia Cathedral in Spain. It

5109-468: The 18th-century altar screen, as well as two kneeling angels, made by Caffieri in 1766, and previously in the Church of Saint-Vincent de Rouen, which was destroyed in 1944. The Choir also received modern screens by 20th-century artist Raymond Subes, a new episcopal throne, and a modern communion table and pulpit made of cast iron and gilded copper.[ The Choir stalls were put in place between 1457 and 1470 by

5240-531: The Baptist. It is nine meters in diameter, with 89 sections of glass, of which all but nine are original. The curling tracery of the window spills out onto the exterior of the west façade. where the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes , a royal chapel constructed by King Charles V of France , is a notable example. It was located just outside Paris, next to the massive Château de Vincennes and was inspired by

5371-593: The Butter Tower, named Georges d'Amboise in honor of the Cardinal, was completed in 1501. It cracked in 1786 and was melted down during the French Revolution. A central lantern tower over the transept is a tradition of Gothic architecture in Normandy. The lantern tower with its flèche, or spire is placed over the transept, almost in the centre of the cathedral, and is 151 meters high, the tallest of

Rouen Cathedral - Misplaced Pages Continue

5502-786: The Crown of Castile, the portion of Spain governed by Isabella I of Castille . During the same period, Flamboyant features also appeared in Manueline style in the Kingdom of Portugal . In Central Europe, the Sondergotik ("Special Gothic") style was contemporaneous with Flamboyant in France and the Isabelline in Spain. The term "Flamboyant" was first used by the French artist Eustache-Hyacinthe Langlois (1777–1837) in 1843, and then by

5633-585: The Decorated style, which had largely passed out of fashion in England by 1360, rather than from the more current Perpendicular style". The clear rejection of the grid-like forms in France indicates some awareness of the contrasting styles. The emergence of the Flamboyant style was a gradual process. What has been termed "proto-Flamboyant" appeared at the Saint-Ouen Abbey, Rouen in the inner wall of

5764-477: The English historian Edward Augustus Freeman in 1851. In architectural history , the Flamboyant is considered the last phase of French Gothic architecture and appeared in the closing decades of the 14th century, succeeding the Rayonnant style and prevailing until its gradual replacement by Renaissance architecture during the first third of the 16th century. Notable examples of Flamboyant in France include

5895-567: The Flamboyant repertoire. With the ascendancy of Louis XII, French masons and sculptors were further exposed to new, classicizing motifs that were popular in Italy. In architectural sculpture, the systematic contribution of Italian elements and the "Gothic" reinterpretation of Italian Renaissance works is evident in the Abbey of Saint-Pierre in Solesmes , where the Gothic structure takes the form of

6026-752: The Flamboyant style in the Kingdom of Valencia include the cloister of the Convent of Sant Doménec, the dome of the cathedral of Valencia, or the reformed transept of the cathedral of Orihuela. In the kingdom of Castile, representative examples of civil Gothic architecture include the Infantado Palace in Guadalajara , the Casa de las Conchas in Salamanca or the castle of Manzanares el Real . There are

6157-627: The Flamboyant style. In most regions of Europe, Late Gothic styles like Flamboyant replaced the earlier Rayonnant style and other early variations. The style was particularly popular in Continental Europe . In the 15th and 16th centuries, architects and masons in the Kingdom of France , the Crown of Castile , the Duchy of Milan , and Central Europe exchanged expertise through theoretical texts, architectural drawings, and travel, and spread

6288-785: The Flamboyant style. Due to its size and decoration, the abbey-church of Saint-Antoine in Saint-Antoine-l'Abbaye ( Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ) is one of the most significant examples of Gothic architecture in southeastern France. The five-aisled abbey-church was a key pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages because it contained the relics of Saint Anthony the Great , which were especially sought out by those who were suffering from "Saint Anthony's Fire" ( ergot poisoning ). Royal figures including Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1415), Louis XI of France (1475), and Anne of Brittany (1494) also visited

6419-516: The Hundred Years' War against England (1337–1444). Despite this, the construction of new cathedrals, churches, and civil structures—as well as additions to existing monuments—went ahead in France and continued throughout the early 16th century. Features of the Flamboyant style are richly articulated façades, very high, lavishly decorated porches, towers, and spires. Early examples included the castle chapel of John, Duke of Berry, at Riom (1382),

6550-414: The Hundred Years' War. Façades and porches often used the arc en accolade , an arched doorway that was topped by short pinnacle with a fleuron or carved stone flower, often resembling a lily. The short pinnacle bearing the fleuron had its own decoration of small, sculpted forms like twisting leaves of cabbage or other naturalistic vegetation. There were also two slender pinnacles, one on either side of

6681-709: The Isabelline style; they were the chief architects of the flamboyant features of Burgos Cathedral (1440–1481), including the openwork towers and the tracery in the star vault in the Chapel of the Constable. The Manueline style was named for King Manuel I of Portugal , who reigned from 1495 to 1523, a period of cultural and economic splendour in Portugal, the style was originally known as ad modus hispaniae . Batalha Monastery 's construction began in 1387 to celebrate John I of Portugal 's victory over John I of Castile at

SECTION 50

#1732772592832

6812-402: The Magnificent. In 1185 he demolished the Romanesque nave and began building the western end of the sanctuary. He had completed the west front and first traverses when the work was interrupted by a major fire on Easter eve in 1200, which destroyed a large part of the town and seriously damaged the unfinished church and its furnishings. Gautier quickly repaired the damage and resumed the work, which

6943-407: The Saint-Romain tower. The bells melted, leaving molten remains on the floor. Following World War II, a major restoration effort began to repair war damage by the Service of Historic Monuments, concluding in 1956. Then a new campaign began to consolidate the structure and to restore the statuary of the west front, including putting back four statues that had been moved elsewhere. In 2016, the project

7074-455: The Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. The Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes had a single floor and the windows, consisting of curvilinear tracery, covered nearly all of the walls. Construction began in 1379 but was halted by the Hundred Years War and the window and west front were completed until 1552. A significant Flamboyant landmark in Paris is the Tour Saint-Jacques , which is all that remains of the Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie ("Saint James of

7205-449: The abbey-church. The building's most prominent architectural feature is its monumental west façade, which was completed in the Flamboyant style in the 15th century. The façade has a central portal flanked by secondary portals and a large lancet window with curvilinear tracery that includes triskelions . Additional ornamentation in the form of naturalistic vegetation, gables, pinnacles, and delicate sculpture niches are further testaments of

7336-434: The additions were begun in 1419. Flamboyant had little influence in England, where the Perpendicular style prevailed. Flamboyant architecture was not common in the British Isles but examples are numerous. The flame-like window tracery appeared at Gloucester Cathedral before it appeared in France. In Scotland , Flamboyant detailing was employed in window tracery of the northern side of the nave at Melrose Abbey , and for

7467-481: The arcade are circular, crowned with capitals decorated with stylised foliage and crochets. Above the arcade is the triforium, or enclosed gallery, and above that the high windows, which form a half-circle. The center of the Choir was substantially refurbished before the 1956 re-opening to repair damage suffered during the war. The high altar was added, topped by an 18th-century Rococo statue of Christ made of gilded lead made by Clodion , which had previously been part of

7598-431: The arch. Elision—the elimination of capitals —coupled with the introduction of continuous and "dying" mouldings, are additional noteworthy characteristics of which the parish church of Saint-Maclou in Rouen is a key example. The uninterrupted fluidity and merging of disparate forms led to the emergence of decorative Gothic vaults in France. Another characteristic feature were vaults with additional types of ribs called

7729-478: The butchers"), which was built 1509–23 and was located close to Les Halles , the Paris central market. In the Loire Valley , the west front of Tours Cathedral was a notable example of Flamboyant architecture. As the French Renaissance began with the royal chateaux along the Loire, the towers of the cathedral were updated with domes and lanterns in the new style, completed in 1507. Beyond northern France, churches were also enlarged and updated with additions in

7860-491: The central nave look out over the roofs of the collateral aisles, and bring more light to the interior. The transept is unusually large and brightly lit thanks to the large rose windows on the north and south and the large windows below them in the triforium of each transept. Overhead, the interior of the lantern tower is visible. The walls of the inside of the north and south facades are richly decorated with tracery, composed of pointed stone arches and sculpture in niches and in

7991-477: The chapel of the Constable of Castile ( Spanish : Capilla del Condestable ) at Burgos Cathedral (1482–94); Notre-Dame de l'Épine , Champagne ; the north spire of Chartres Cathedral (1500s–); and Segovia Cathedral (1525–). The Late Gothic style appeared in Central Europe with the construction of the new Prague Cathedral (1344–) under the direction of Peter Parler . This model of rich, variegated tracery and intricate reticulated (net-work) rib-vaulting

SECTION 60

#1732772592832

8122-406: The choir and apse. It has very high buttresses, topped by pinnacles containing statues, and high lancet windows topped by gables, which are topped with statues. Above all these is the 'Golden Virgin", a gilded statue of The Virgin Mary made by Nicolas Quesnel in 1541. Smaller chapels, accessed by the disambulatory, are fit between the buttresses north and south of the Virgin Mary Chapel. In addition,

8253-402: The choir. These are the tombs of Rollo , a Viking and the first Duke of Normandy; William Longsword , the son of Rollo (died 942); Henry the Young King (died 1183); and a tomb with the heart of Richard the Lionheart , Duke of Normandy and King of England (died 1199); his body was buried at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou . The original tomb of Rollo was destroyed during the bombing of 1944, and

8384-458: The church, including a palace for the archbishop. The cathedral was enlarged by St. Ouen in 650, and visited by Charlemagne in 769. However, beginning in 841, a series of Viking raids seriously damaged the cathedral complex. The Viking leader Rollo became first Duke of the Duchy of Normandy and was baptised in the Carolingian cathedral in 915 and buried there in 933. His grandson, Richard I of Normandy , further enlarged it in 950. In

8515-422: The city's prominent religious brotherhoods and corporations. In 1280 the surrounding spaces and buildings were modified to permit the construction of portals on the north and south transepts. The next addition was a response to the growing role of the Virgin Mary in church doctrine; the small axial chapel at the east end of the apse was replaced by a much larger chapel dedicated to her, begun in 1302. The west front

8646-408: The city. Nonetheless, in the weeks before D-Day in Normandy, the cathedral was hit twice by Allied bombs. In April 1944, seven bombs dropped by the British Royal Air Force hit the building, narrowly missing a key pillar of the lantern tower, and damaging much of the south aisle and destroying two windows. In June 1944, a few days before D-Day, bombs dropped by the U.S. Army Air Force set fire to

8777-453: The classicizing forms of Italy produced eclectic, hybrid structures that were rooted in traditional French building practices yet modernized through the application of imported antique motifs and surface decoration. These transitional monuments led to the birth of French Renaissance architecture. Variations of Flamboyant, influenced by France but with their own characteristics, began to appear in other parts of continental Europe. Flamboyant had

8908-494: The crossed rib vaults and pierced openwork tracery of Burgos Cathedral . To this, Spanish architects such as Juan Guas added distinctive new features, for example in the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo (1488–1496) and the Colegio de San Gregorio (completed 1487). The rose window on the west façade of Toledo Cathedral (late 15th century) is a good example. Juan de Colonia and his son Simón de Colonia , originally from Cologne, are other notable architects of

9039-455: The decoration. The Saint-Romain tower, on the left facing the west front, was begun in 1145 as part of the original Gothic cathedral. The top of the tower, more decorative, was added in the 15th century. Like the Butter tower on the right side, it is separated from and slightly behind the main block of the west front. The ground level has no windows, and contains the Baptistry. Above is a tall vaulted space with are four levels of bays, topped by

9170-416: The destination needing merely their cementing in place. This eliminated storage near the construction site, and the work could be done without the permanent presence of the architect. Before the unification of Spain , monuments were constructed in the Flamboyant style in the Crown of Aragon and Kingdom of Valencia , where Marc Safont was among the most important architects of the Late Middle Ages. Safont

9301-418: The early 16th century, such as the south façade and porch of the Church of Notre-Dame de Louviers (1506–1510) and the north tower of Chartres Cathedral , which were designed by architect Jehan de Beauce (1507–1513). The style also appeared early in Île-de-France . The west rose window of the Sainte-Chapelle was made between 1485 and 1498 by a glass artist known only as The Master of the Life of Saint-John

9432-594: The east end of the cathedral is the Chapel of the Virgin, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was constructed by master builder Jean Davi beginning in 1302, when the veneration of the Virgin began to play a larger role in Christian theology, and replaced a more modest earlier chapel. Following the style of the 14th century, the windows fill the entire upper portion of the walls, while the lower walls are covered with elaborate tracery and sculpture. Traces of gilding and pigment on

9563-417: The few parts of that Cathedral still standing. The Flamboyant façades of Sens Cathedral, Beauvais Cathedral, Senlis Cathedral and Troyes Cathedral (1502–1531) were all the work of the same master builder, Martin Chambiges . Flamboyant windows were often composed of two arched windows, over which was a pointed, oval design divided by curving lines called soufflets and mouchettes . Examples are found in

9694-466: The fire of 1200, the master builder Jean d'Andeli began to revise the plans, following the design used in High Gothic cathedrals, which had only three levels. He made a compromise; he preserved the tribunes but he installed a narrow coursiere or passageway atop the arches of the tribune, which wound around the pillars. He then made the arches of the tribune wider and taller, allowing more light from

9825-593: The fireplace in the great chamber (1390s) of the ducal palace at Poitiers , and in the La Grange chapels (c. 1375) at Amiens Cathedral . Residences of the nobility were among the earliest structures that were entirely built in the Flamboyant style. The Palais Jacques Coeur, residence of the treasurer of the King at Bourges was built between 1444 and 1451. It combines residential and official wings that are richly decorated with gables, turrets, and chimneys arranged around

9956-542: The flickering, flame-like tracery motifs after which the style is named may have been "inspired by the English Decorated style", though this is disputed. In addition, the Duchy of Normandy , was in personal union with England until the 13th century, while during the Hundred Years' War , Rouen, capital of Normandy, was English territory from 1419 until 1449. Earlier in the conflict, John, Duke of Berry

10087-569: The flèche, or spire of the cathedral, a lead-covered wooden spire over the lantern tower, fell. It was replaced within a few months in exactly the same form and with the same materials. In the late 16th century the cathedral was badly damaged during the French Wars of Religion : in 1562 the Calvinists attacked the furniture, tombs, stained-glass windows and statuary. The cathedral was again struck by lightning in 1625 and 1642, then damaged by

10218-459: The gathering of souls, Christ in majesty, and the stoning of Stephen. The portal to the Traces of pigment and gilding on the sculpture indicate that all the sculpture was originally brightly colored. The towering buttresses on either side of the central portal were installed in the 14th century to strengthen the west front, and were covered with galleries of sculpture to merge them into the rest of

10349-513: The great churches of northern France, palaces constructed by royal and elite patrons provided "fertile grounds for innovation" with curvilinear tracery in France while England turned to the Perpendicular style. The term "Flamboyant" was coined in the early 19th century, primarily to refer to French monuments with flame-like, curvilinear tracery that were constructed between circa 1380 and 1515. The Flamboyant style appeared in France during

10480-435: The great rose windows of the period, and in complex, pointed, blind arcades and arched gables that were stacked atop one another, and which often covered the entire façade. They were also used in balustrades and other features. Interlocking openwork gables and balustrades, as seen on the west porch of the church of Saint-Maclou, Rouen, were often used to disguise or diffuse the mass of buildings. An important early example from

10611-431: The grid designs of the façades of early French Renaissance monuments. Other notable features include the entablature with classical egg-and-dart motifs surmounted by a Gothic balustrade and the treatment of the upper part of the helical staircase with a semi-circular arcade equipped with shells. In the final years of the reign of Charles VIII, experimentation with Italian ornamentation continued to enrich and mix with

10742-493: The guilds of the city. Some of the chapels are very plain, while others are adorned with paintings and sculptures from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Chapel of Sainte-Catherine is distinguished by its highly ornate lambris with painted panels of the life of Saint Brice. The bombardment of the Catedral in 1944 destroyed the other five chapels on the south side of the nave; only the Chapel of Sainte-Catherine survived intact. At

10873-404: The late 14th century, and added many innovations of their own. The Late Gothic buildings of Austria , Bavaria , Saxony , and Bohemia are sometimes called Sondergotik . The high triple west porch of Ulm Minster was placed at the base of the tower; it was designed by Ulrich von Ensingen . The porch, which was in the centre of the façade — a break from earlier Gothic styles. Work on the tower

11004-466: The late 15th century is the west rose window of the royal chapel, Sainte-Chapelle (1485–98), depicting the Apocalypse of St John . It is 9 meters (29.5 feet) in diameter, with eighty-nine panels arranged in three concentric zones around a central eye. Flamboyant rose windows are also prominent features of the transept of Sens Cathedral (15th c.) and the transept of Beauvais Cathedral (1499), one of

11135-540: The master woodworker Philipott Viart. A majority of the original seats are still in place, along with the carved decorations, called misericords , illustrating scenes from the Bible, as well as proverbs, fables and craftsmen at work. Unfortunately, the upper portions of the stalls were destroyed during the Revolution. The remains of four Dukes of Normandy are placed in the simple tombs with their images on either side of

11266-421: The most prolific French architect between c. 1480 and c. 1530, combined three-dimensional forms such as nodding ogees with a miniaturized vocabulary of niches, baldachins, and pinnacles to produce dynamic façades with a new sense of depth at Sens Cathedral, Beauvais Cathedral , and Troyes Cathedral . The addition of sumptuous Flamboyant façades and porches provided new public faces to older monuments that survived

11397-609: The nave, in the middle of the 13th century, and the style is more unified than in the nave. The beginning of the choir is marked by the retable of the main altar, and the throne of the Archbishop. Beyond that to the east are the stalls where the members of the clergy were seated. The elevation of the Choir is different from that of the nave, being more in the High Gothic style of the 13th century, with three levels. The pillars of

11528-399: The nave. The west front was first built in the 12th century, entirely redone in the 13th century, and then totally redone again at the end of the 14th century, each time become more lavishly decorated. The main, or central portal, was originally dedicated to St. Romain in the 12th century, but was rededicated to the Virgin Mary when the facade was remade on a grander scale at the beginning of

11659-548: The new Gothic style was first launched by the Archbishop of Rouen, Hugues of Amiens, who had attended the consecration in 1144 of the Basilica of Saint-Denis , the first Gothic structure, with its emphasis upon filling the interior with light. In 1145, he began constructing a tower, now called the Tower Saint-Roman, in the new Gothic style. A complete reconstruction of the cathedral was begun by his successor, Gautier

11790-546: The new law separating church and state, the Cathedral became the property of the French government, which then granted to the Catholic Church its exclusive use. At the beginning of World War II in 1939, remembering the damage caused to French cathedrals in World War I, the Cathedral authorities protected the sculpture of the cathedral with sandbags and removed the old stained glass and transported it to sites far from

11921-506: The newer Flamboyant style. Consisting of two bays , it features a small oratory and a sacristy . The pendant vaults are decorated with finely carved keystones . The mouldings of the transverse ribs are decorated with the monograms of Charles de Bourbon, Pierre de Bourbon, and his wife, Anne of France . The transition from Flamboyant Gothic to early French Renaissance began during the reign of Louis XII (1495) and lasted until roughly 1525 or 1530. During this brief transition period,

12052-416: The north transept between 1390 and 1410. No flowing, double-curved forms were used there but the "eight double lancet panels seem to spin around a quatrefoil center". Although this rose motif appears dynamic and in motion, its design was not based on the double-curve. It is an early example of experimentation with tracery forms that anticipates the use of flowing, double-curve forms in Normandy. More so than

12183-552: The north—especially Antwerp . The limits of this style, which is called style Louis XII in French, were variable, especially outside the Loire Valley . This period includes the seventeen-year reign of Louis XII (1498–1515), the end of the reign of Charles VIII , and the beginning of that of Francis I , whose rule corresponded with a definitive stylistic change. The creation of the School of Fontainebleau in 1530 by Francis I

12314-538: The ogee arch and the naturalism of the Gothic style was blended with round arches, flexible forms, and stylized antique motifs that are typical of Renaissance architecture. A good deal of Gothic decoration is apparent at the Château de Blois but it is totally absent from the tomb of Louis XII , which is housed in the abbey-church of Saint-Denis. In 1495, a colony of Italian artists was established in Amboise and worked in collaboration with French master masons. This date

12445-404: The original elevation plan of the late 13th century; an arcade of pillars on the ground floor, which opened into the collateral aisles; above that a tribune, or wide passageway; above that the triforium, a narrow passageway; and above that the clerestory, the high windows which reached up into the arches of the vaults. All these levels provided the necessary width to support the upper walls. After

12576-595: The portal illustrate the Book of Genesis and are filled with an array of fantastic animals. Scenes of the Last Judgement fill the space over the tympanum. At the very top, over the rose window, is another gable filled with sculpture of the crowning of the Virgin Mary. The dominant feature of the Chevet, or east end of the Cathedral beyond the choir, is the chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which extends well east of

12707-476: The precise origin of the Flamboyant style remain unclear, it likely emerged in northern France and the County of Flanders during the late 14th century. Parts of these lands were involved in the cloth trade with the Kingdom of England or were under the control of John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford , regent of France for his nephew Henry VI , King of France from 1422 to 1453. Through this direct connection,

12838-415: The roofs of the aisles and nave are both decorated with balustrades and pinnacles. Two portals, on the north and the south, heavily decorated, give access to the transept at the meeting point between the nave and the choir. On the north is the portail des librairies, and to the south the portail de la Calende. The north portal is similar in its plan to the north transept portal of Notre-Dame-de-Paris , built

12969-498: The same format, with sculpture in the tympanum vividly illustrating Biblical stories. The central portal, facing the building, is dedicated to John the Evangelist , and the sculpture in the tympanum above illustrates the baptism of Christ, the passage of Saint John; the dance of Salome ; the feast of Herod ; and the beheading of John the Baptist . The portal to the right is devoted to Saint Stephen , and its sculpture illustrates

13100-409: The small quadrille panels of the south transept. In the northwest corner is a stairway from 1471 which gave access to the cathedral library. It was updated with Neo-Gothic landings in the 18th century. The Choir is the section of the cathedral at the east which was reserved for the clergy, and in the Middle Ages was separated from the nave by an elaborate screen. It was constructed slightly later than

13231-492: The soggy ground, weight was saved by wooden barrel vaults instead of stone vaults and the flying buttresses required for those. In most cases, the walls were made of bricks but cut natural stone was not unusual. Everaert Spoorwater played an important role in spreading Brabantine Gothic into Holland and Zeeland. He perfected a method by which the drawings for large constructions allowed ordering virtually all natural stone elements from quarries on later Belgian territory, then at

13362-481: The south, kings and prophets from the Old Testament. Flying buttresses along the north and south sides of the cathedral reach up over the roof of the side aisles to support the upper walls of the nave. The space between the buttresses on the lower level is filled with lateral chapels. Because of the support of the buttresses, the upper walls of the nave are able to be entirely filled with windows. The edges of

13493-574: The talents of the masons' workshop. Work on the façade stopped before it was completed; there is no evidence of the iron hooks that are needed to attach figural sculptures. At Lyon Cathedral , the Bourbons chapel, built during the last decades of the 15th century by the Cardinal Charles II, Duke of Bourbon and his brother Pierre de Bourbon , son-in-law of Louis XI, is a key example of the trend of expanding existing Gothic churches in

13624-424: The three towers. The first two levels of the lantern tower were built in the 13th century. The original Gothic spire was destroyed by fire in 1514, and rebuilt in 1544 in wood and lead by the master builder Robert Becquet. The next builder, Rouland Le Roux, consolidated the first two levels of the lantern tower and added flamboyant decoration and sculpture. Another fire in 1822 destroyed the lead and wood spire, which

13755-410: The tower and fell partly into the church, damaging the choir. On 11 July 2024, the central spire of the cathedral caught fire during renovation works. The fire was brought under control the same day by a team of some 70 firefighters and 40 fire engines. The west front of the Cathedral, with its three portals, is the traditional entrance to the Cathedral. The portals are aligned with the three aisles of

13886-422: The tower. The new tower soon took on the nickname of the Butter Tower, though the money collected paid only a portion of the cost. As the new tower was being built, the west front of the Cathedral showed weaknesses and began to tilt. Cardinal d'Amboise ordered its complete reconstruction. This was carried out by master builder Rouilland Le Roux, nephew of Jacques Le Roux, in a lavishly ornate Flamboyant style. It

14017-424: The use of Flamboyant ornament and design across Europe. Notable examples of Flamboyant style are the west rose window of Sainte-Chapelle (1485–1498); the west porch of the Church of Saint-Maclou , Rouen , (c.1500–1514); the west front of Troyes Cathedral (early 16th century), and a very early example, the upper tracery of Great West Window of York Minster (1338–1339) in England. Further major examples include

14148-473: The use of brick and stone on buildings from the 16th century can be observed, for example in the Louis XII wing of the Château of Blois . The French high roofs with turrets in the corners and the façades with helical staircases perpetuated the Gothic tradition but the systematic superposition of the bays, the removal of the lucarnes , and the appearance of loggias influenced by the villa Poggio Reale and

14279-405: The walls show that the chapel was originally brightly colored. The central feature of the chapel is an enormous altar, made in the 17th century, framing a painting of the Virgin surrounded by carved and sculptural decoration. The chapel also contains the tomb of Cardinal Georges d'Amboise , the principal patron of the Gothic cathedral, and his nephew and successor, Cardinal Georges II d'Amboise. It

14410-562: The wealth and splendour of their cities. Major examples include the town hall of Leuven (1448–1469) with its multiple, almost fantastic towers, and those of Brussels (1401–1455), Oudenaarde (1526–1536), Ghent (1519–1539), and Mons (1458–1477). Many churches in the former Counties of Holland and of Zeeland are built in a style sometimes inaccurately separated as Hollandic and as Zeelandic Gothic. These are in fact Brabantine Gothic style buildings with concessions necessitated by local conditions. Thus (except for Dordrecht ), because of

14541-694: The west rose window of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, the transepts of Sens Cathedral and Beauvais Cathedral , the façade of Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes and the west front of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme . Significant examples of civil architecture include the Palais Jacques Cœur in Bourges and the Hôtel de Cluny in Paris . In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, contemporary styles called Decorated Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic appeared in England. Although

14672-700: The west window that completed the construction of Brechin Cathedral . Melrose Abbey had been destroyed during the English invasion of 1358 and the initial rebuilding followed the traditions of English masons. From c.1400, the Parisian master-builder John Morow began work on the Abbey, leaving an inscription identifying him in the church's south transept. Morow had possibly been brought to Great Britain by Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas , for whom he also worked on Lincluden Collegiate Church . The design of some windows in both Brechin and Melrose are so similar it

14803-460: The windows and also includes dormers with fleur-de-lys , denoting the owner's status as a descendant of Charles V . Another notable example is the Hôtel de Cluny in Paris, originally the residence of the abbot of Cluny, now the Museum of the Middle Ages. Flamboyant details are found in the chapel, the doorways, windows, tower, and roof-line. A late example of Flamboyant civil architecture in France

14934-436: The windows of the collateral aisles to enter the nave. These modifications were possible thanks to another new technology, the flying buttress , which reaches over the collateral aisles to provide support to the upper nave walls, allowing them to be thinner and the windows to be larger. The collateral aisles at Rouen are fourteen metres high compared with twenty-eight metres high vault in the nave. The high clerestory windows of

15065-429: Was also given new decoration between 1370 and 1450. Beginning in 1468 a highly ornamental new top, made of iron and covered with stone tiles, in the late Gothic Flamboyant style was added to the tower of Saint-Romaine. Cardinal-Archbishop Georges d'Amboise (1494-1510) had a major influence on the church architecture. He incorporated into the Gothic design new Renaissance features, as he had done in his own residence,

15196-568: Was an early 4th-century Bishop of Rotomagus (now Rouen ) in the Roman province of Secunda Provincia Lugdunensis (now Normandy in France ). He is known only from a 17th-century 'Life' of little historical value, meaning the historicity of his existence is uncertain. Mellonius (surnamed Probus) is said to have been born near Cardiff in Wales , presumably at St Mellons , although the saint there

15327-415: Was built as both a bell tower and a watch tower for the defence of the city. The tower was intended to be 167 metres (548 ft) high and was designed to have a 77-metre-high (253 ft) spire, only 7 metres (23 ft) of which was completed. Other notable Flamboyant cathedrals include Antwerp Cathedral with a 123-metre-high (404 ft) tower and an unusual dome on pendentives that is decorated with

15458-506: Was buried at Rouen, but his remains were subsequently translated to a church in Pontoise towards the end of the eighth century to protect them from Norse warbands. They remained there until they were lost during the French Revolution . St. Mellon's Church in St. Mellons, Cardiff is dedicated to Mellonius of Rouen. A fair used to be held on his feast day in the village of St Mellons. The church

15589-517: Was commissioned to repair the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya in Barcelona and worked on this project from 1410 to 1425. He designed the building's courtyard and elegant galleries. Also notable is the Chapel of Sant Jordi (1432–34), which has a striking façade consisting of an entry portal flanked by windows resplendent with blind and openwork Flamboyant tracery. The chapel's interior includes

15720-474: Was continued by Ensingen's son after 1419 and much more decoration was added from 1478 to 1492 by Matthaus Boblinger. The spire was added between 1881 and 1890, which made it the tallest tower in Europe. Other remarkable towers were constructed like openwork webs of stone; these include Johannes Hultz's additions to the tower of Freiburg Minster , which had an open spiral staircase and a lacework octagonal spire;

15851-451: Was covered with layers of lacelike stone tracery , and hundreds of sculpted figures were added to the arch and niches of the portals. To stabilise the new facade, he added two massive buttresses, also richly decorated with sculpture. In addition to his changes to the Cathedral, the Cardinal and his architect reconstructed and decorated the Palace of the Archbishop close by, adding a new reception hall, galleries, gardens and fountains. In 1514

15982-420: Was directed by his master mason, Jean d'Andeli. The nave was sufficiently complete by 1204 for King Philip II of France to be received there to celebrate the annexation of Normandy to the Kingdom of France. By 1207 the main altar was in place in the choir. The first architectural addition to the new church was a series of small chapels between the buttresses on the north and south sides of the nave, requested by

16113-441: Was finished and the scaffolding which had covered much of the cathedral for a half-century was finally removed. Prior to the re-opening of the Cathedral in 1956, the choir , damaged by the bombing during the war, was given a substantial renewal. This included a new high altar topped by an 18th-century Rococo statue of Christ made of gilded made by Clodion , which had previously been on the altar screen, as well as new choir screens,

16244-455: Was gradually replaced by Renaissance architecture in the 16th century. French scholars define Flamboyant as the fourth phase of Gothic style, preceded by Primary Gothic , Classic Gothic and Rayonnant Gothic. British and American historians describe it as a period of Late Gothic architecture , following Early Gothic architecture , High Gothic , and Rayonnant . Flamboyant is characterized by double curves forming flame-like shapes in

16375-608: Was ordained by Pope St Stephen and sent thither to preach the Gospel. In the 2004 edition of the Roman Martyrology, Mellonius is listed under the same date, 22 October, with the Latin name Mallóni . He is mentioned as follows: 'At Rothómagi (Rouen), bishop, who in that city announced the Christian faith and handed on the episcopate'. Bishop Mellonius is depicted in a fifteenth-century illuminated Book of Hours. Mellonius

16506-554: Was previously dedicated to St. Lucius, but was changed upon the arrival of the Normans. The church at Thiédeville is dedicated to him at Héricourt , where there was a holy well . There is also a church dedicated to St. Mellon in Plomelin, Brittany. Flamboyant Flamboyant (from French flamboyant  'flaming') is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in

16637-595: Was replaced by a copy of the tomb of Henry the Young King made in the 19th century. The remains of Rollo and his son William Longsword were transferred from the first cathedral to the Romanesque cathedral in 1063, shortly after it was built, then to the Gothic cathedral when it was completed. Eighteen small chapels are placed between the buttresses on the north and south sides of the nave. They are filled with art, sculpture and stained glass given by wealthy donors and

16768-629: Was taken hostage in England. The ongoing war provided many opportunities for cultural exchange, as evidenced by the fireplace in the ducal palace in Poitiers and the panelled, screen-like upper parts of the west façade of Rouen Cathedral . Tracery patterns of the 14th century are either rich, flame-like forms inspired by the English Decorated (e.g. west façade of York Minster) or the "panelled severity" of English Perpendicular style (e.g. King's College Chapel, Cambridge ). According to Robert Bork, "continental builders borrowed almost exclusively from

16899-406: Was then replaced, after much controversy, by the architect Jean-Antoine Alavoine with one of iron and copper, finished in 1882. He surrounded the new spire with four smaller spirelets, made of copper. One of these fell during a hurricane in 1999, going through the roof and damaging the choir stalls below. On 11 July 2024, the main spire caught fire, though it was quickly brought under control. In

17030-608: Was united by the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469, and saw the conquest of Granada , the last stronghold of Moorish occupation, in 1492. This was followed by a great wave of construction of new cathedrals and churches in what became known as the Isabelline style after the queen. This late Spanish Gothic style includes a mixture of French-inspired Flamboyant tracery and vaulting features, Flemish features such as fringed arches, and elements that may have been borrowed from Islamic architecture , such as

17161-552: Was widely used in the Late Gothic of continental Europe, and was emulated in the collegiate churches and cathedrals, and by urban parish churches that rivalled them in size and magnificence. Use of the ogee was especially common. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Flamboyant forms spread from France to the Iberian Peninsula , where the Isabelline style became the dominant mode of prestige construction in

#831168