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The Basilica of St. Denis

The innovations at the heart of the French Gothic style, reach back to the eleventh century; but only in the basilica’s choir, built near Paris by statesman and abbot Suger around 1130–1140, did the Gothic appear as a unified system (Illustrations 18, 19). The basilica already contains all elements of the Gothic style: pointed arches, pillars and ribbed vaulting. The church of Saint-Denis is considered to be the “founding construction of the Gothic”. The façade with its double towers, which were erected between 1137 and 1340; the vertical sectioning into three parts with protruding buttresses; the small rose window; and the spires, which were erected after 1144, all carry clear Gothic features. The absence of partitioning walls between the choir chapels offered a new, harmonious, spatial feel – a characteristic that would point to the vastness of later cathedrals. The rose window in the Basilica of St. Denis is the first of its kind. The upper part of the choir and the nave were built from 1231 to 1281.

While the Basilica of St. Denis and a few of its contemporary edifices represent the preparatory stage, the new building method reached a decisive breakthrough in Notre-Dame in Paris (Illustrations 1, 2, 3, 4) and Laon Cathedral.

Plan of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Strasbourg.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris

The system of the French Gothic found its first complete expression in Notre-Dame in Paris (Illustrations 1, 2, 3, 4) Building commenced in 1163 and the church, which was completed at the beginning of the thirteenth century, except for its two towers, served as a model for most French cathedrals. In particular its façade proved very typical. It consists of three tiers, which are strictly separated by horizontal sectioning: above the three portals is a row of arches adorned with statues. This is the “gallery of kings”, so called because it depicts the kings of Israel; then, above the second tier, runs an open gallery. This strict emphasis on the horizontal line, which actually contradicts the essence of typical Gothic, is a feature specific to French Gothic style and may explain at least partially why the towers of several French cathedrals remain incomplete. Others remained unfinished because the master builders simply could not conclude them, probably for a variety of reasons. When the architects realised the contradiction between the proclivity for heights, which lay at the core of the Gothic style, and the horizontal sectioning inherited from the Romanesque period, the two could no longer be reconciled. Among their works are many creations, the artistic appeal of which lies especially in the rich formation of the façades.

Sainte-Chapelle in Paris

Sainte-Chapelle is the most mature and splendid creation of the French Gothic and a jewel of medieval art (Illustrations 24, 25). Situated in the court of the Palais de Justice, its incredibly beautiful stained-glass windows create a very special light. Considering the exceptional grace, lightness and slenderness of the holy chapel, this building illustrates the transition to the High Gothic. It was in order to protect the relics retrieved from the Holy Land in 1243 and 1251, that Louis IX, the Holy, hired master builder Pierre de Montereau, who had also built the western façade of Notre-Dame in Paris. The palace chapel consists of a lower church with three aisles and an upper church with one. It consists almost exclusively of a frame of slender pillars with magnificent stained-glass windows replacing the walls. The higher space, created as a monumental shrine housing the relics was used for royal service, while the lower space served for the comon people service.

Church of St. Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris

At times, strict laws of style were also observed in the late Gothic period. Proof is the Church of St. Germain l’Auxerrois in Paris. Its tower is not connected to the church proper, but was erected in the ancient Christian tradition of the free-standing belfry. From this belfry the sign for the massacre and persecution of the Huguenots was issued on the night of St. Bartholomew, the night of the Paris blood wedding, on 24 August, 1572.

Nave, seen from the West, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Strasbourg, begun in 1176.

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel, 1446–1500/1521.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg

While little is known about the master builders of the Freiburg Cathedral, there is some information about those that built the Strasbourg Cathedral with its three-aisle structure (Illustrations 1, 2, 3, 4). However, this only holds true after 1280, when Master Erwin (Erwin of Steinbach) began his work. Erwin is celebrated as the creator of the façade, the entire building’s pièce de résistance. He was influenced significantly by the French Gothic, yet he far surpassed his models with courageous construction, as well as splendid and tasteful decoration. Although, after his death, his son Johannes continued the construction until 1339, Erwin’s plans only reached the completion of the second tier. This is why only the lower part of the façade constitutes a harmonious composition with its almost freely crafted, as it were, lace-covered tier and its unique rose window in the centre. The third tier began to deviate from Erwin’s plan, and by the time building of the northern tower commenced, it was all but forgotten. The latter eventually received its crowning finish from Master Johannes Hütz, who executed the groundbreaking stone pyramid between 1419 and 1439. It is an artwork in itself because it aims to shine intrinsically and because of the hitherto unheard-of audacity of construction, with which the master from Cologne far superseded Freiburg Cathedral. After that, construction of the cathedral slowly ground to a halt and no one ever dared to undertake the construction of a southern tower.

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey Church

The magnificent fortified abbey lies in the sandy bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, Normandy. Located on an island 160 metres above the sea, it rises above the entire landscape in a unique harmony with nature. At low tide it is even possible to reach the island on foot. The abbey was founded in 709 by the Bishop of Avranches, who was probably later canonised as St. Aubertus, after he had a vision of Archangel Michael at this spot. A single alley leads to the abbey church, which was begun 1022 in the Romanesque style. The construction was continuously enlarged with battlements, buttresses and encirclements until the 87 m high belfry was finally added. In the thirteenth century the monks refashioned the three-tiered northern wing (1211–1228) called “La Merveille” in the Gothic style by adding 220 little polished granite pillars, sculptures and inscriptions. The dormitory lies on the upper floor; the splendid cloister, which is 25 m long and 12 m wide, is on the second floor. Both date back to the twelfth century, as do the refectory and the great hall. Mont-Saint-Michel is still a destination for pilgrims as it was a thousand years ago, and up to one million faithful and tourists are drawn there every year. Because of its unique beauty the entire island is considered to be the eighth wonder of the world and was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984.

Plan of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Amiens.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Amiens

The cathedrals of Reims (Illustrations 1, 2, 3) and Amiens were intended to be the pinnacle of the French Gothic in terms of structural formation and decoration. They were supposed to surpass the human imagination of the time. Indeed, Amiens Cathedral features the longest nave in France (Illustrations 1, 2). Romert de Luzarches was the first architect of the building and his name can be found in the medallion of the labyrinth, which was laid out in 1288. However, it is not certain how extensive his contribution to the execution really was, but, allegedly, all significant technical and stylistic innovations and rationalisations, such as iron reinforcing in the tracery and the serial preparation of repetitive elements, are ascribed to him. Most of the building was finished only by the end of the thirteenth century; the remaining work would continue for centuries. The southern tower, for example, was only completed in the nineteenth century by Viollet-le-Duc.

Of particularly high artistic value are the cathedral’s sculptures, especially the Vierge dorée (the golden virgin) located at the trumeau of the southern portal, and the Beau Dieu (The Beautiful God). Both rank among the most remarkable masterpieces of the thirteenth century.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Chartres

Chartres Cathedral is one of French Gothic’s most beautiful monuments (Illustrations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). It is 130 m long, has 37 m high rib vaulting, an old tower, 105 m high, dating from the twelfth century, and a newer 115 m high tower from the sixteenth century. Thanks to the new building technology of buttresses, the walls could be relieved of their supporting function and no longer had to consist of massive masonry. Thus the large, colourful window panes (often in the famous Chartres blue) and rose windows could punctuate them. Discarding the second gallery and retaining the triforium resulted in yet another simple three-tier structure.

At least five churches, all of which burnt to the ground, had previously stood in the same place. In 1194, the older cathedral, which is stricter in its details, was begun on the foundations of an earlier basilica. Finished in 1233, but consecrated only in 1260 in the presence of Louis IX, it surpassed the cathedrals in Reims (Illustrations 1, 2, 3) and Amiens (Illustrations 1, 2) simply by having two completed, if dissimilar, towers. Chartres Cathedral is the first example of high Gothic architecture. It was also here in Chartres that frescos were substituted with typical Gothic glass paintings for the first time.

Western Façade, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Amiens, c. 1240–1245.

Nave, seen from the West, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres, 1194–1233.

Choir, St. Pierre Cathedral, Beauvais, begun in 1225 and renovated in 1284 and 1573 after its collapse.

Three Kings and One Queen of the Old Testament, jamb figures, right side wall of the western portal called “Royal Gate”, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres, c. 1194-c. 1233.

Plan of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims

Begun in 1211 by Robert de Coucy and completed in 1250, Reims Cathedral is one of the most striking creations of Gothic architecture and the most consistent example of the strict early Gothic style (Illustrations 1, 2, 3). It was erected on the ruins of a church that had been razed to the ground the previous year and was, naturally, intended to surpass the magnificence of Chartres Cathedral (Illustrations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Eventually, the kings of France would be crowned and blessed here with pomp and splendour as Christian rulers. It was finally completed in the fourteenth century. A striking characteristic of the cathedral is its western façade, which is richly decorated with reliefs and an excellent example of Gothic sculpture. The two towers are each 81 m in height and were originally supposed to be topped with spires and reach a height of 120 m.

Notre-Dame Cathedral in Rouen

The cathedral type that was introduced in Paris gradually prevailed in the north and south of France. Naturally, in Normandy and in the Languedoc local elements were added, which were intrinsic to the people’s character and their building tradition. Built on the ruins of an earlier Romanesque church in the former capital of Normandy, from which hailed many famous people, the cathedral was started around 1145 under the overall control of several architects and master builders (Illustrations 1, 2). The measurements are impressive: The cathedral has an overall length of 144 m; its highest tower, the Tour Saint-Romain, reaches up an imposing 82 m; the Tour Beurre, or Butter Tower, is only insignificantly lower at 75 m, and the crossing tower reaches up a sizeable 51 m.

Sainte-Cécile Cathedral in Albi

From afar, the exterior of the particularly strange Albi Cathedral (Languedoc), which is located slightly above the city, resembles a fortress rather than a church, and is very reminiscent of the defensive constructions of the Romans. Begun in 1282, it was completed only at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Its interior and the decorative fashioning of the portals already demonstrate all characteristic peculiarities of the French Late Gothic. It is a typically southern French hall church. Its beginnings coincide with the end of the thirteenth century when the Inquisition ruled the area through murder and torture, which earned the cathedral its name “Cathedral of Hate”. The Gothic constructive principles were neglected in this building; the extravagance of the ornaments, particularly the fantastically excessive tracery resembling flickering torches, brought the late Gothic style in France the name style flamboyant.

The Coronation of the Virgin, central portal, northern transept, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Chartres, c. 1194-c. 1233.

The Palace of the Popes (Palais des papes) in Avignon

Of the seven popes who once lived and ruled in Avignon, only four (Clement V, Benedict XII, Clement VI and Urban V) strictly obeyed the rules of their orders. The rest (John XXII, Innocent VI and Gregory XI) lived a rather worldly life. Clement VI especially loved splendour and pomp and in 1348 managed to buy the town for 80,000 florins from the Countess of Provence and Queen of Naples, Jeanne des Baux, who was charged with murdering her husband. After the deal was concluded, the countess was absolved of all guilt. Until that point the Palace of the Popes had been identical to the old palace of the bishop, which towered like a fortress above the old town of Avignon. With the papal election of 1316, John XXII came to power and began to enlarge the premises. The palace was eventually completed under popes Benedict XII with the Palais Vieux and Clement VI with the Palais Nouveau. The latter had a strong predilection for resplendent clothes. Once completed, the entire premises commanded a territory of 15,000 square metres.