Notre Dame de la Grande

Notre Dame de la Grande is a Roman Catholic church in Poitiers. The plan of the building is in accordance with typical plans of churches of romanesque architecture of the region. It had a central nave with aisles, but no transept due to the fact that the buildings were to the north and the principal street passes to the south. The barrel vault has a slightly flattened silhouette, while the aisles were covered by a groin vault. This silhouette was removed with a gothic remodeling. During the 12th century a bell tower in the front of the church was removed and the church was increased in size. It now has a celebrated facade. Private vaults were built during the 15th and 16th centuries by the middle class of the town who were merchants since the middle ages. They were built in flamboyant gothic style.

On the interior of the building there are many unusual detailings all over the church. The columns have patterns on them that don’t really have a uniform order to them. There were romanesque frescos that did not manage to survive other than the ones in the apse vault and above the choir. The capitols on the columns are all detailed with thick foliage, however there is just one column that tells a narrative of Jesus ascending to the heavens with angels. There are paintings at the top of the arches of the twelve apostles seated. Historians think the facade was made to resemble these paintings in the way the apostles are situated.

The west front of Notre Dame de la Grande has one of the best romanesque facades in France. It is lined with sculptures from top to bottom. There are three tiers of sculpture on the top middle, and bottom. The top depicts an oval medallion with a statue of Christ in Glory standing on the sun and moon, surrounded by symbols of the four evangelists. The middle tier depicts the twelve apostles spreading the word of God and local bishop saints on either end. Eight of the twelve apostles are seated and the other four are not. Finally the bottom tier tells the story of Christ according to a fifth century sermon known as The Drama of the Prophets.

There is a legend in the church’s history that goes as follows: in 1202 the English attacked the town of Poitiers and asked for the town keys and in exchange they would provide the city with money. The mayor handed over the keys, but later tried to retrieve them from the captain’s quarters. He found that they key wasn’t there. The captain found out and went to the church for a miracle only to find that a statue of the virgin Mary was holding the keys. This legend hasn’t actually been confirmed with any historical evidence, however, so it’s legitimacy is questionable at best.

In 1996 the church was cleaned and restored, and is now the bright white color that it is. Damage from salt from local markets made its way up to the walls, causing it to discolor. The church is now a popular site in the town of Poitiers, France.

"Sacred Destinations." Notre-Dame-La-Grande - Poitiers, France. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.
Tcherikover, Anat. High Romanesque Sculpture in the Duchy of Aquitaine, C. 1090-1140. Oxford: Clarendon, 1997. Print.

The Palazzo Caprini

The Palazzo Caprini was the home of the artist Raphael. Raphael was a famed artist of the time and was very well known for his works. The designer of this building was Donato Bramante. Donato Bramante was an incredibly well known architect of his time. He was able to bring the ancient Roman style of architecture to the High Renaissance. This building became a model for many more palaces of the 16th century. According to Vasari, Bramante had designed the architectural background seen in Raphael’s School of Athens; and so Raphael painted him in as Euclid.

He lived in this building until his death even though he was planning a bigger palazzo for himself to live in. The building underwent a total renovation and became part of a much larger palazzo. Unfortunately, the building does not stand in its original form today. It is destroyed and is no longer possible to see.

"Donato Bramante." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Patrick, James. Renaissance and Reformation. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2007. Print.

Church of the Gesu

The Church of the Gesu is located in the Piazza de Gesu in Rome. This church was actually conceived by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits Society of Jesus. Saint Ignatius was said to have been born of noble origins and become a soldier. During a battle he was hit in the knee with a cannonball and was left crippled. He then devoted his entire life and being to serving Jesus Christ; thus the order of the Jesuits was formed. The Church of Gesu is said to have the first truly baroque facade and helped bring the baroque style into architecture. It has a Latin cross plan with a single aisle, side chapels, and a dome over the crossing of the naive and the transepts.

Michelangelo was actually willing to design the building for free, but was rejected. Instead Cardinal Alessandro farnese funded it and the architects who ended up working on the church were Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta. The building was built according to Vignola’s design, and as later taken over by the Jesuit architect Giovanni de Rosis after his death. The revision of Vignola's façade design by della Porta has offered architectural historians opportunities for a close comparison between Vignola's balanced composition in three superimposed planes and Della Porta's dynamically fused tension bound by its strong vertical elements, contrasts that have sharpened architectural historians' perceptions for the last century (Whitman 1970:108)

This church set the precedent for future Jesuit churches leading all the way up to the twentieth century. The ideas for the new design of the church came mostly from the Council of Trent, where it was established a new set of “rules” for architecture in Italy to follow. It called for the simplification of all of the architecture in general.

The interior of the church is even more grand than the outside. The detailing is much more elaborate. On the inside there are many focal points with equally interesting stories. The object that is most prevalent is the largest fresco painting on the ceiling of the naive of the church. The Triumph of the Name of Jesus was completed by Giovanni Battista Gaulli. The first chapel is the Cappella di Sant'Andrea, named after the church that previously occupied the site. In it there were paintings dedicated to Saint Andrew. The paintings were all done by Agostino Ciampelli. The second is the Cappella della Passione with paintings depicting the Passion and six canvases on pilasters. The third chapel, Cappella degli Angeli, has paintings on its ceiling depicting The Coronation of the Virgin.The Saint Francis Xavier Chapel is larger and depicts Francis Xavier being welcome into heaven by angels on a stucco mural.

The Church of the Gesu is one of the most important pieces of history and heritage for the Jesuit order. This church is the foundation to what the Society of Jesus is all about.

"Gesu." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Whitman, Nathan T. Roman Tradition and the Aedicular Façade. N.p.: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 1970. Print.

New College, Oxford

New College was founded by William of Wykeham during the year 1379. The site for the college was acquired from multiple sources ranging from the city of Oxford, to other colleges around it. The college possessed many building other than its own, a testament to William of Wykeham’s experience in administration as the Bishop of Winchester and the High Chancellor of England. During the reign of Edward III, Bishop Wykeham was responsible for the supervision of royal building works. His reputation quickly rose and led to him being in charge of many royal manors. His work with New College was done so well King Henry VI modeled his own colleges after his.

At the time of its founding, New College was the largest of the existing Oxford buildings, being larger than all the others combined. The building was a shining example of the perpendicular style of English gothic architecture. It developed out of the decorated style of the 13th and 14th centuries and lasted until the 16th century. The style was fully developed in the works of master masons Henry Yevele and William Wynford, who actually worked on New College himself.

There are four main components to the college: the hall, the chapel, the city wall, and the gardens.The hall is where the dining room is situated. Throughout the years there have been multiple renovations to this section of the building, with the most recent being completed in 2015. The chapel is more significant; its stained glass windows have works from portraitist Sir Joshua Reynolds, and even works by El Greco. The organ in the chapel is quite grand, being built by the firm of Grant, Degens, and Bradbeer in 1969. The bell tower contains one of the oldest rings of ten bells, which are rung by the Oxford Society of Change Ringers. The City wall is the oldest structure, being that it was originally on site to begin with. At the time of its construction, William Wykeham promised to maintain the city wall and never change it from where it stands. The gardens are said to be modeled after the Palace of Versailles.

The College today continues to be a stand out building in the Oxford set of buildings. It is one of the most visited buildings of all the Oxford buildings.On of the gardens of the college was actually even used in the very popular Harry Potter movies.

Buxton, John, and Penry Williams. New College, Oxford, 1379-1979. Oxford: Warden and Fellows of New College, Oxford, 1979. Print.

Smith, Alic Halford. New College, Oxford, and Its Buildings. London: Oxford UP, 1952. Print.

"About New College | New College." About New College | New College. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

The Alhambra

One of the greatest structures built in the history of architecture is the Alhambra. It is an Arab palace and fortress. It was at first a Roman fortress that was left untouched for time. It wasn’t until the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Amir found and renovated the site during the mid-13th century that it became what it is today. After the Christian Reconquista in 1492, it became the royal court of Ferdinand and Isabella, which is also where they endorsed Christopher Columbus for his expeditions. The Alhambra is also incredibly large in size, housing multiple different structures that are also quite large themselves.

            The Alhambra was called “a pearl set in emeralds” because of the way the building looked in comparison with the surrounding forests. Different additions to the site were made throughout time by different Moorish rulers, but what was kept the same was the idea of “paradise on Earth” when taking into consideration the design of the buildings. The outside,however, was left plain for the most part.

            There are multiple main structures forming the Alhambra as a whole. These are the Royal Complex, the Court of Myrtles, the Hall of Ambassadors, the Court of Lions, the Hall of the Abencerrajes, and the Generalife.

There are three main parts to the Royal Complex: the Mexuar, the Serallo, and the Harem. The Mexuar is where all of the business and administrational areas are located. The ceilings and floors are made of dark wood as opposed to the white plaster walls. The Serallo was built later on during the reign of Yusuf I. This area contains the Court of Myrtles. This area is highly decorated. The final area is the Harem, which is also highly decorated. The Court of Myrtles housed a pool which helped to cool the palace as well as being a symbol of power. The court is 42m by 22m and has the pool in the centre. The pool is lined with myrtles and has goldfish in it. There are also galleries on the north and south sides of the court. The Hall of Ambassadors is the largest room in the Alhambra. In this room the throne of the sultan is placed opposite the entrance. The Court of Lions is another courtyard and houses the Fountain of Lions as well. The court is surrounded by a low gallery that is supported by 124 white marble columns.

The Alhambra is an example of what the Arabs left behind with their conquest of Europe. The things they built with their knowledge and skill are mirrored by the prosperity they brought to countries like Spain that were also conquered by the moors.

Works Cited

@alhambradegrana. "Historical Introduction - Historical Introduction." Alhambra De Granada. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Irwin, Robert. The Alhambra. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2004. Print. 

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is an interesting building located in Ravenna, Italy. It was built around 430 AD most likely by Galla Placidia herself. It is one of the oldest monuments in Ravenna. Its intended use is still a mystery to most; but what is accepted is that it was an oratory instead of a mausoleum. There are also three sarcophagi which are believed to hold the bodies of Galla’s brother or son, and husband.

            Galla Placidia was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I. She became the ruler of the western Roman world as the regent for her son who had not yet reached maturity. Galla died on the year 450 in Rome and was most likely not buried in the mausoleum she ordered to build. SHe was most likely buried in the Rotunda of St. Petronilla in Rome.
The most significant part of the mausoleum is the interior. The floor plan is laid out in a crucifix form with a central dome. The outside of the dome is covered by a square tower that rises above the gabled lateral wings. Byzantine mosaics cover the interior on the vault, lunettes, and cupola from top to bottom. The themes in the iconography represent the triumph of eternal life over death. There are two famous mosaics on the inside as well as mosaics of Christian and apocalyptic symbols. On the central bay there are images of four pairs of apostles including Saint paul and Saint Peter. On the lunette on the north side there is a mosaic of Christ tending to his flock while carrying an imperial staff. The Good Shepherd mosaic depicting Christ with his flock shows him as a more regal character instead of the Christ that holds the sheep and is one with the flock. This shows a style of Christian artwork that is different than most of the later artwork.

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is truly a marvel to see. With its highly and pristinely decorated interior it stands out from other small cruciform mausoleums as one of the best.

Works Cited

Mackie, Gillian Vallance. Early Christian Chapels in the West: Decoration, Function and Patronage. Toronto: U of Toronto, 2003. Print.

"Sacred Destinations." Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.