Cathedral
Publié le 22/02/2012
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A type of church building in Christianity.
It gets its name because it contains the
cathedra or "chair" of the bishop.
Bishops are religious leaders in Catholic,
Orthodox, and some forms of Protestant CHRISTIANITY.
They have charge of all the churches in a
certain area. In the Roman Catholic and Anglican
churches the area is known as a diocese. Other
branches of Christianity use other names.
A cathedral is a bishop's home church. It is
the most important church building in a region.
That importance is generally refl ected in the size
of the building. Cathedrals have tended to be monumental
structures.
Until the middle of the 18th century, the cathedral
was one of the most important architectural
structures in Europe. As a result, up to the mid-
1700s the history of European architecture was
largely a history of the changing styles of cathedrals.
After the mid-1700s, cathedrals continued
to be built. But developments like the Industrial,
American, and French revolutions made them less important. Architects turned their creative energies
to structures like government buildings—think
of the Capitol Building and the White House in
Washington, D.C.—train stations, theaters, museums,
and eventually airports, offi ce buildings, and
shopping centers.
Many of the earliest Christians were Greeks
and Romans who converted to Christianity. The
earliest cathedrals, however, were not converted
Greek and Roman temples. They were inspired by
law courts known as basilicas and certain kinds
of bath houses. These kinds of buildings allowed
Christians to assemble in large groups for worship
and BAPTISM. Unlike the law courts and bath
houses, Greek and Roman temples were not very
well-suited for such activities.
Later cathedrals in many different styles are
extremely impressive. Hagia Sophia in Constantinople
(sixth century)—now a mosque in Istanbul,
Turkey—is a supreme example of a Byzantine
cathedral. Its massive, central dome seems to
fl oat in the air above a lighted, unearthly space.
St. Peter's in Rome contains the chair or throne
of St. Peter himself, at least as designed by the
Renaissance artist Giovanni Bernini (1598–1680).
Built in an early baroque style, the richness of the church's decoration as well as the "arms' that surround
the plaza in front of it were meant to draw
people back into the Catholic Church after the
Protestant REFORMATION.
Many people consider Gothic cathedrals to
be the most sublime cathedrals of all. The Gothic
style began in the area around Paris, France, in
the mid-1100s. Gothic cathedrals are long, narrow,
and tall. On the inside tall columns support
the roof. On the outside a kind of support called
a fl ying buttress supports the roof and the walls.
Gothic cathedrals generally have arches that
come to a point at their doorways, windows, and
interior roofs. Earlier cathedrals had arches that
were round. Gothic cathedrals also have large
windows fi lled with stained glass. The cathedral
at Chartres, France, is especially renowned for its
stained glass.
Two extremely large church buildings in North
America refl ect the attitude that Gothic is the
supreme form of the cathedral. One is St. John the
Divine in New York City; the other is the National
Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Liens utiles
- Saint Basil's Cathedral - art.
- Byzantine Art and Architecture I INTRODUCTION Archangel Michael This depiction of the archangel Michael, in Saint Mark's Cathedral in Venice, Italy, is an example of ancient enamel art.
- Gothic Art and Architecture I INTRODUCTION Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, was begun in 1163 and completed for the most part in 1250.
- Latin American Architecture I INTRODUCTION Oldest Cathedral in the Western Hemisphere The oldest cathedral in the Western hemisphere is the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor, constructed between 1512 and 1541 in Santo Domingo, now the capitol of the Dominican Republic.
- Salisbury Cathedral