Alexa Bringhurst

Period 8

Questions:
1. Who made the Gothic Cathedral and where was the name derived?
Abbot Suger made the Gothic Cathedral. He was proud of his creation but when critics see the cathedral
they scoff and name it after a group of barbarians called the goths. Since then the name has stuck.

2. Why was the cathedral's size so large and height so enormously high? What would a medieval
man's experience be in a cathedral?
Pointed arches allowed for tall walls and ceilings by directing the stress points of the stones down
towards the ground. People believed the taller and more grand the cathedral the closer they are to god.

3. What problem faces the Amiens and Beauvais Cathedral (specific facts please--cracks, etc.)
Amiens: The pointed arches of Amien are showing signs of stress. It has major cracking. Next to that arch
is a major support beam of the ceiling that weighs tons.

Beauvais: This cathedral has frail columns that support the ceiling.

4. What technology was used to keep a Gothic cathedral from collapsing? How did walls made of
glass support an enormous ceiling of stone?
They use a laser scanner to scan the entire cathedral to make an 3D model on the computer to show
stress, distance between columns, and simulate certain situations.

Columns held the weight of the ceiling not the walls of glass. All pressure and weight was directed
towards the columns.

5. What is the difference between a ribbed vault and a barrel vault?

A rib vault is made by two intersecting barrel vaults creating points. A barrel vault has a semicircular cross
section making it flat, not pointed.

6. What is a load-bearing wall?

A load-bearing wall is a wall that holds the weight of a building to reduce stress throughout the building
itself.

7. Name all of the innovations described in the video.

Some innovations were columns, vaults, and more recently braces to help reduce cracking in the
cathedrals.
8. What other reason does the video state could motivate Medieval man to make the incredible
dimensions of the cathedral (other than bragging rights)?
Dimensions were derived from divine numbers that were stated in the bible. They related to religious
numbers such as the height of heaven or measurements of the temple of Solomon.

9. Why were Ancient pagan philosophers, like Pythagoras, Plato, etc., revered to Medieval man
(the sculptures in the facade jams)? What's the relationship to Biblical measurements? Why is
144 significant?
People who attended Chartres Cathedral were some of the leading figures who led math and science to
Christian theology.

Beauty of the universe is based on divine measurements ( Perfect proportions and ideal numbers) set by
Jesus, who was said to be the finest mathematician.

144 cubits is the height of heaven.

10. What is the one thing most memorable to you about this video?
Builders of the cathedrals didn’t have the technology we do today. They cracked rocks open by hand and
got in a hamster wheel to lift materials up to the other floors. The cement that held the bricks together did
not dry fast. It said it can take thousands of years to dry. The weight and pressure of the heavy rocks is
what mostly kept buildings together. That amazes me.