#norman gothic

[royllowarch]

Winchester Cathedral by Roy Llowarch Via Flickr: Another photo of beautiful Winchester Cathedral. I do love this grand old Cathedral which is only about 25 miles away from me. I took these photos with my Nikon camera The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winchester Cathedral, is the cathedral of the city of Winchester, England, and is among the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and is the mother church for the ancient Diocese of Winchester. It is run by a dean and chapter, under the Dean of Winchester. The cathedral as it stands today was built from 1079 to 1532 and is dedicated to numerous saints, most notably Swithun of Winchester. It has a very long and very wide nave in the Perpendicular Gothic style, an Early English retrochoir, and Norman transepts and tower. With an overall length of 558 feet (170 m), it is the longest medieval cathedral in the world. With an area of 53,480 square feet (4,968 m2), it is also the sixth-largest cathedral by area in the UK, surpassed only by Liverpool, St Paul's, York, Westminster (RC) and Lincoln. History Though churches were recorded in Winchester as early as 164, the first Christian church can be traced back to c. 648, when King Cenwalh of Wessex built a small, cross-shaped building just north of the present building. This building, known as the Old Minster, became the cathedral for the new Diocese of Winchester in 662, a vast area stretching from the English Channel to the River Thames, the bishopric having been transferred from Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire by Bishop Wine. The design of this early church cannot be confirmed, for no trace other than ground plan exists today, but Wolstan mentions a gateway tower situated some distance from the west end. Wine died in c. 672, but one of his later successors, Swithun, would become one of the most famous Bishops of Winchester. Whether Swithun himself oversaw any expansion of the Old Minster is unknown, but it is recorded in Acta Sanctorum that from 963 to 984, Bishop Æthelwold greatly expanded the church, the works being finished by the following Bishop, Alphege. The church was rededicated in 993, and consisted of a central tower, north and south aisles, transepts, crypt and an apse, and was briefly the largest church in Europe. Also on the site was the New Minster, in direct competition with the neighbouring Old Minster. The New Minster was begun by Alfred the Great but completed in 901 by his son Edward the Elder. These two monasteries existed side by side, the monks becoming virtually intertwined with one another. Swithun's body, which according to his wishes had been buried in the graveyard outside the church, was brought inside and housed in a magnificent shrine.

[charlesreeza]

The mid-13th-century choir of Rouen Cathedral was substantially repaired after being damaged during WWII. They chose to keep the decorations simple, incorporating original and modern furnishings along with pieces from other churches that were destroyed during the war. The choir benches were made for the cathedral between 1457 and 1470, but the upper parts of the stalls were destroyed during the French Revolution.

Photos by Charles Reeza

[figuresinthevoid]

Luxuriant Gothic

The Ely Cathedral (Cambridgeshire, East Anglia, England, United Kingdom).

This monument, in Romanesque and Gothic styles, was built between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, and remains today in a beautiful state, able to testify its decadent exuberance.

With its harmonious proportions, the cathedral has an astonishing central octagonal tower, as impressive as it is finely decorated. Therefore, the building is now a must visit place for architecture enthusiasts.

(The photographs show, in order: the southwest tower of Norman style, photograph of Sławomir Hutry ; the lantern viewed from the octagon, photography by David Iliff ; the rood screen as viewed from the nave, idem ; the high altar, idem ; the norman nave, idem; the Chapel of the Virgin, idem ; the chorus, idem ; the lantern viewed from the octagon with the ceiling in the background, idem ; the Dean's Door, photography by Poliphilo ; and finally, the octagon and lantern from outside, photography by Brian Key. The original photographs have been modified)

[royllowarch]

Salisbury Cathedral by Roy Llowarch Via Flickr: Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of early English Gothic architecture. Its main body was completed in 38 years, from 1220 to 1258. Since 1549, the cathedral has had the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom, at 404 feet (123 m). Visitors can take the "Tower Tour", in which the interior of the hollow spire, with its ancient wooden scaffolding, can be viewed. The cathedral has the largest cloister and the largest cathedral close in Britain at 80 acres (32 ha) It contains a clock which is among the oldest working examples in the world, and has the best surviving of the four original copies of Magna Carta. In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration.

[figuresinthevoid]

St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall City Cathedral in Orkney, Scotland.

Known as the "Light of the North", this cathedral typical of Norman architecture is consecrated to St. Magnus, and is the most northern cathedral of the British Isles.

(Original photography by Funkydiscopops, this photography has been modified)

[figuresinthevoid]

Nesting Doll

The Gothic cathedral Notre-Dame de Coutances (Manche, France).

The cathedral stands in a style typical of Norman Gothic, which is giving its visual lightness. Therefore this architectural masterpiece has two spires in the western facade side and a lantern tower at the cross of its transept.

The Gothic monument itself, built in the thirteenth century, has the particularity of being built overlay of the previous Romanesque cathedral, dating from the eleventh century; whose structure thus remains observable today on the visiting of the higher parts of Notre-Dame de Coutances.

(The photos show, in order: the lantern tower seen from the inside; the spires on the west facade; a detail of the western facade, the nave from the choir; a detail of the lantern tower; the head of the building; the choir; the ambulatory; the chorus again; and finally, the apse chapel. The original photographs are not mine and are under free license)

[figuresinthevoid]

Norman Gothic

The Notre-Dame cathedral of Bayeux (Calvados, France).

Built in norman Gothic style, the building sits on a Merovingian site, while it is famous for the tapestry of Bayeux, because it is for Notre-Dame de Bayeux that this work was realized.

Originally, as consecrated in 1077, the cathedral was of primitive Romanesque style, as evidenced by the crypt. The Gothic works will begin at 1080 and will end in the 15th century.

(The photos show, in order: a global vision of the cathedral; the central portal of the western facade; a detail of the southern transept portal; a detail of the facade; bas-relief in painted stone, from an altarpiece illustrating the litanies of the Virgin; the central tower; the portal of the south transept, again; the nave; the south transept; and finally the Notre-Dame Chapel, located behind the choir. The original photographs are not mine and are under free license)

[royllowarch]

Wells Cathedral & Bishops Palace by Roy Llowarch Via Flickr: The beautiful cathedral, Bishops Palace and Gardens at Wells, Somerset, England. There has been a church on this site since 700 AD with the cathedral being built 1175 AD. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Cathedral