Reverberations in Architecture are all about expressions of faith and culture. The term “Dark Ages” is a misnomer when it comes to the architecture of the time, it was actually quite extravagate and beautiful, it also extremely influential. Religion and celebration of faith are two key elements of architecture in this unit. The three major religions—Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam are on the rise, which in turn concludes that empire and architecture are on the rise.
The early churches are transforming during this unit, it evolved to have a cross shape, with a circle in the middle, creating a sacred space. The Hagia Sophia is a great example of a church; it is located in Istanbul, Turkey. Light danced around the building, making the mosaics sparkle. In Gothic Architecture, mosaics, light, and windows are three important elements. They show icons of the church and tell stories for those who cannot read, letting everyone worship in these churches. A quote by Thomas Fuller ties up Gothic Architecture beautifully, “Light, God’s eldest daughter, is a principle beauty in a building.” These churches were about letting the eye dance around while catching the universe inside the church to create a sacred space.
Buildings were not only used to tell stories, but also to create maps, used to create a mental image of the world and the universe, which is what religion is—a view of the universe from a certain perspective. Gothic cathedrals stretched vertically, pointing upwards towards the heavens. They were made of glass to reflect and draw in the light from the heavens. Ste. Madeline in France is a great example of a Gothic cathedral. It was a pilgrim church, with much visual language so that even the uneducated could learn the stories.
Breaking the rules and shifting links is also important in this unit. As exploration becomes popular, different architectural styles come to the surface and we see a shift or breaking of the rules. The Chateau de Chambord breaks the rules in an obvious way. It combines gothic and renaissance styles in one building. The top is crazy and ridiculous, while the bottom represents the renaissance quietly.
As a quest for change, rule breakage, and faith, sweep throughout Europe and influence the Architecture of the time, we cannot for get about Versailles. The king wants to be the most important person, showing his power and wealth; therefore he shows his control of the landscape through this building. It was all about material and power, he was “the sun king.”
To sum up this unit—a nautical shell ties it all together. As time goes by the shell gets a little bit bigger, as the styles of architecture changes. We start with the dark ages and the Gothic cathedrals where music and mosaics are important. Then we go along to other churches that are more spread out and create maps. Then we go to the breaking of the rules and exploration to find the most modern thing of its time. Then, for the king and the people who wanted to be like the king, wealth and materials were important. It is important to realize that as each building came about, they were trying to be the most modern building out there.
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