How France Built A Study in the Twelfth By ELIZABETH BOYLE O'REILLY Honorary Member of the Société Française d'Archéologie Illustrated With Drawings By A. PAUL DE LESLIE ΛΟΙΣ HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS A 30643 FOGG MUSEUM LIBRARY 2235 066 HOW FRANCE BUILT HER CATHEDRALS Copyright, 1921, by Harper & Brothers C-V CHAP. Gontents PAGE I. II. WHAT IS GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE? ABBOT SUGER AND ST. DENIS-EN-FRANCE III. PRIMARY GOTHIC CATHEDRALS Cathedral of Noyon, first built of Gothic cathedrals (c. 1150)-Noyon's Cathedral of Senlis, second of the Gothic cathedrals, begun about 1153— 1 16 43 74 CHAP. Cathedral tower, the "pride of the Valois land"-Transept's façades of the best Flamboyant Gothic art-What the World War did to Cathedral of Sens, begun about 1160-Sens' ancient see, governed by Cathedral of Laon, begun about 1160-Fallacy of the "town-hall" Cathedral of Soissons almost a ruin-Desolation of Soissons in World War-Soissons' southern arm of transept ends in a hemicycle (c. 1180) -Is the most exquisite thing in France-The crusading bishop- Some important Primary Gothic churches: Abbatial of St. Remi at Notre Dame, begun in 1163-Its exterior unsurpassed, the west façade a classic Scholastic training of its bishop-builders-Summa of the supreme scholastic, Aquinas, like a Gothic cathedral-Thirty thousand students then in Paris University-Bishop Maurice de Sully (1160-96) built Notre Dame-Bishop Eudes de Sully made the portals of the west façade-Bishop Pierre de Nemours died a crusader, before Damietta, 1219-Bishop Guillaume d'Auvergne finished the north tower (1228-49)-All the prelates building Paris Cathedral good and able men-Their sincerity lives in its stones- First architect unknown-Jean and Pierre de Chelles made the transept and apse chapels-Sculpture of Notre Dame masterly— Sainte-Chapelle built by St. Louis, 1246 to 1248-St. Julien-le- Pauvre a contemporary of Notre Dame's choir (c. 1180)-Same noble sculptured capitals-Three Benedictine abbey churches of Paris show early trials of Gothic vaulting-St. Germain-des-Prés, St. Martin-des-Champs, St. Pierre-de-Montmartre St. Louis and his friend, Joinville-Louis IX illuminated his kingdom with fair churches-On his first crusade spent five years in the East, 1248 to |