Top Ten French Gothic Cathedrals
The Gothic style originated in France; the Ile de France and Picardy are dotted with fine cathedrals.These ten cathedrals represent the heights of the Gothic style. But warning; if you get addicted, you’re going to want to search out the others too – Sens and Senlis, Soissons, Noyon, Mantes… you might [...]
Some of the greatest and most enduring accomplishments and advances of the Renaissance were in architecture and the fine arts. The main emphasis of these areas was on humanity and human nature and as a result it was a conscious turn away from the otherworldly concerns of the Middle Ages.
Renaissance Replacement of Gothic Style Architecture
In [...]
Most tourists visit the town of Chartres, an hour south of Paris, to view the famous Gothic cathedral, but there is much more to this town and its environs. Chartres is an ancient town visitors need to take time to melt into using all their senses.
Visiting Chartres
Chartres sits on the banks of the Eure River [...]
Gothic architecture in Europe and Great Britain grew out the Crusades. The rounded arches in churches soon evolved to the strong arch and Gothic style was born.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote that the principle of Gothic architecture is “infinity made imaginable.” And Ralph Waldo Emerson described a Gothic cathedral as “a blossoming in stone.” Both writers [...]
