When one thinks of St. Sernin and Notre Dame, one tends to think of two beautiful
cathedrals, not to churches that portray two totally different styles of architecture.
Those two styles are, of course, Romanesque in St. Sernin and the Gothic style of Notre
Dame. Some characteristics that these two buildings share include quest for height,
basic floor plan, and artistic flair. The period of Romanesque architecture, which
lasted roughly from 1050 A.D. to 1150 A.D., concentrated mainly on achieving massive
proportions, rounded vaulted bays, the round arch, the wall buttress, cylindrical apse
and chapels, and towers. Early Gothic architecture, which began in 1144 with the
dedication of Saint Denis, concentrated more on mastering the idea of an obscenely high
ceiling, as well as ribbed and pointed vaults, the relationship between the structure and
its appearance, and perhaps, most importantly the use of light.
One of the most enjoyable things about comparing the two structures of St. Sernin and
Notre Dame is that there are so many differences as far as the particulars go, but in
general the two cathedrals are very, very much alike. Through the years, enough
architectural and engineering advances had been made to raise the ceiling to staggering
new heights of over one hundred feet. The materials remained the same as they had for
years before, stone and mortar. The basic floor plan remained the same, a cross. The
nave had become longer and more spectacular and the ceiling had been heightened due to
recent discovery of vaulted ceilings, but other than that, it was the same floor plan as
ever. The cathedrals were designed to draw vast numbers of people them, therefore they
were built so that one might not only come to worship, but to see the beauty of the
structure. Even to this day people are in awe of these building, and come more to stare
at their beauty than to worship God.
Regardless of how many likeness' we are able to find between the Romanesque style of St.
Sernin and the Gothic style of Notre Dame, it is the difference that make them so
amazing. In my opinion there are three major differences in Early Gothic and Romanesque
styles of architecture. These are the differences in buttresses, the use of towers, and
the use of windows. From the exterior, one of the first differences one would notice is
the use of flying buttresses in Gothic architecture. Where in Romanesque buildings,
standard buttresses would have been used, the buttresses on Gothic buildings were
detached from the building. This created a more open essence to the church and in my
opinion a more "spiritual" look. As far as the towers go, in Romanesque structure the
towers were used as a more central figure, while in Gothic construction, the towers were
used more as an entrance structure. Most importantly though, is the different use of
light. In Romanesque structures, as is obvious in St. Sernin, it was realized that in a
structure as big as a cathedral, much light was needed. Therefore many, small windows
were put in to light up the deep bowels of the cathedral. In Gothic architecture,
however, and especially Notre Dame windows became a major part of the construction
process. They found that by transferring more of the force down the flying buttresses
that the vertical walls did not carry as much stress, therefore more windows could be
added without reducing structural integrity. Therefore windows were put in on several
levels, not only as a source of light, but as a form of art. Most of the stained glass
windows depicted either scenes from the bible or people of royalty. The windows pierced
through the walls and added to the beauty of the cathedral. Between the addition of the
flying buttresses and the use of stained glass windows, Gothic cathedrals produced some
of the most beautiful and enormous works of art known to man. The use of sculptures,
stained glass, and gargoyles added to the Romanesque ideas of size, vaulted ceilings, and
towers made Gothic Architecture some of the most artistic and fascinating buildings ever
built.
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