Kent Academic Repository Full text document (pdf) Citation for published version Weston, Lindy (2018) Gothic Architecture and the Liturgy in Construction. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. DOI Link to record in KAR https://kar.kent.ac.uk/67341/ Document Version UNSPECIFIED Copyright & reuse Content in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated all content is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of research The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record. Enquiries For any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: [email protected] If you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.html Gothic Architecture and the Liturgy in Construction Lindy Weston Ph.D. Architecture 98.132 words 231 pages University of Kent School of Architecture 2018 Abstract Medieval Christian action, which is sometimes venerational, provides the embodiment of Christian narrative within relics. Abbot Suger saw masonry stones as if they were relics, and there must therefore be a corresponding Christian veneration and collective Christian working, i.e. liturgy, specifically to do with construction. Though the articulation of this collective Christian action in construction has not been attempted because masons left no written record of their work, it is certain manual construction was seen as a spiritual process of edification. This liturgy in construction is here explored through the idea of sacred geometry , applied geometry, and stone masonry craftsmanship. The cosmological presuppositions accepted by the medieval mind allowed for religious answers to questions of building and construction in the medieval cathedral, but contemporary literature often provides an insufficient narrative of the role of religion for the daily tasks required in stone masonry. While past scholarship has asserted the cathedral was built by theologians, such notions are now seen as suspect. To what extent did religion influence these lay builders? Although it is certainly reasonable for thinkers of the 21st century to assume a secular and technological workforce, it remains somewhat of an oversight, given the weight of the religious and written tradition in medieval culture, to assume religion played no role in design and construction. The removal of key philosophical and theological notions, such as virtue, charity, the idea of uncreated being, and miracles from debates dealing with medieval architecture result in an insufficient and inauthentic account of the Gothic cathedral. To explore the question of religious building methods in the medieval cathedral, an interpretation of the cosmology of the period is here articulated, and the work of the mason is discussed within this cosmological approach. Despite the absence of written documents which might reveal the presuppositions and motivations of the masons, the task of stone masonry is undertaken experimentally within this thesis in order to demonstrate how cutting stone with hand tools fits within the medieval cosmology. Thus, the processes of medieval stone masonry and of organizing a workforce without construction documents, lent themselves to easy assimilation by the medieval mind. Contents 1.1 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... - 1 - 1.2 Introduction ................................................................................................................... - 3 - 1.2.1 Contemporary Habits of Thought and Ancient Knowledge ................................... - 4 - 1.2.2 Networked Computers and Manuscripts ............................................................. - 13 - 1.2.3 Standardization and Craftsmanship ..................................................................... - 22 - 1.2.4 Contemporary Problems in Gothic Architecture Scholarship .............................. - 27 - 1.2.5 Limits .................................................................................................................... - 32 - 2 Academic Scholarship and the Craft of Masonry ................................................................. - 35 - 2.1 A Unique Rendering of Liturgy ..................................................................................... - 37 - 2.2 Contemporary Scholars of Gothic Architecture: Simson ............................................ - 39 - 2.3 Contemporary Scholars of Gothic Architecture: Panofsky .......................................... - 40 - 2.4 Contemporary Scholars of Gothic Architecture: Frankl .............................................. - 43 - 2.5 Contemporary Scholars of Gothic Architecture: Mâle ................................................. - 45 - 2.6 Sacred Architecture in Contemporary Discussion: Lindsay Jones ............................... - 46 - 2.7 Contemporary Scholar of Religion: Eliade ................................................................... - 53 - 2.8 Establishing the Tradition of Masonry within a Religious Metaphysic ........................ - 56 - 2.9 The Problem of Sacredness in Contemporary Discussion ........................................... - 58 - 2.10 Conflict: From Divine Being of Medieval Cosmology to the Divine Will of Enlightenment Theology ................................................................................................................................... - 62 - 2.11 Resolution: Immanence and Transcendence ............................................................... - 63 - 2.12 René Guénon and his Importance for Contemporary Discussion ............................... - 66 - 3 Medieval (c. 500-1200) Christian Cosmology from Late Antiquity (c. 200-500) Precedent - 70 - 3.1 H A L ....................................................................................... - 74 - 3.2 God as Uncreated Being for Late Antiquity and Medieval Cosmology ........................ - 76 - 3.3 Interpretation of John: An Example of Uncreated Being within Christian cosmology - 80 - 3.4 Johannes Scotus Eriugena and His Text in Christian cosmology .................................. - 83 - 3.5 Maximus and the Importance of Laity and Labour in Christian Cosmology ................ - 86 - 3.6 The Geometry of Christian Cosmology ........................................................................ - 91 - 3.7 Tenth Century Geometrical Precedents ...................................................................... - 98 - 3.8 The Role of Human Craftsmanship in Medieval Christian Cosmology ...................... - 100 - 4 The Work of the Medieval Master Mason Described ........................................................ - 104 - 4.1 The Vocation of Masonry ........................................................................................... - 104 - 4.2 The Importance of Religious Rituals .......................................................................... - 106 - 4.3 Religious Ritual in the Absence of Written Instruction .............................................. - 107 - 4.4 The Intentions of the Medieval Master Masons ........................................................ - 108 - 4.5 The Argument Against Geometry as Subordinate to Theology ................................. - 110 - 4.6 Creating Geometry ..................................................................................................... - 112 - 4.7 The Absence of Construction Documents Before the Thirteenth Century ................ - 115 - 4.8 The Illiteracy of the Masons ....................................................................................... - 118 - 4.9 The Workers ............................................................................................................... - 120 - 4.10 The Medieval Mason and His Craft ............................................................................ - 122 - 4.11 Creation without Construction Documents ............................................................... - 125 - 4.12 Fabrication ................................................................................................................. - 126 - 4.13 Masonry Construction ............................................................................................... - 131 - 4.14 Tools of the Medieval Master Mason ........................................................................ - 136 - 4.15 An Authentic Example of Stone Masonry .................................................................. - 140 - 4.16 An Example of Rib Vault Design ................................................................................. - 150 - 5 Gothic Style ........................................................................................................................ - 170 - 5.1 Pointed Arch and Uncreated Being ............................................................................ - 170 - 5.2 Carolingian and Capetian Glosses before Authorised Translations ........................... - 172 - 5.3 The Miracles of Relics and Rib Vaults .......................................................................