1. HEIGHT AND LIGHT The Great Cathedrals of the Middle Ages

2. The Romanesque Era The Lead-Up to the Gothic Age

3. Aerial view of the Abbey of Conques Built 1050-1100

4. . . . . to see relics like this one Pilgrims traveled to churches

5. Reliquary of Sainte Foy

8. Nave of the church of Sainte Foy

9. The Last Judgment was a typical subject matter for portals in the Romanesque era

10. The Age of the Great Cathedrals Chartres Cathedral Thirteenth Century

11. Chartres Cathedral Cathedrals towered over cities of the Middle Ages

12. The plan of Romanesque and Gothic churches often resembles that of a cross. The basic parts are nave, transept and apse. Chartres’ Plan, Its Basic Layout:

13. The Flying Buttress: A Great Innovation of The Gothic Cathedral The flying buttress allowed the stone walls of a cathedral to be eliminated and replaced by stained glass windows that let in “ lux nova,” what Abbot Suger called “new light.” Flying buttresses absorb the pressure of the weight of a cathedral’s masonry

14. Chartres’ nave: a worshiper would feel insignificant in this building that reminded him that God has ultimate power (and the way to reach God, of course, was through the church)

16. Churches were illuminated by beautiful stained glass windows

17. One of the most famous stained glass windows from Chartres: Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verrière The Church was dedicated to Mary. It is said to even have a relic that belonged to her: part of her mantle

19. The jamb figures below were created a generation after the ones on the left. How have the sculptures changed over the course of the Gothic period? Jamb figures looked like they were part of a column

21. The two towers of the west front of Chartres are of different periods. Can you tell which one is earlier and which one is later?

22. The Canterbury Cathedral, exterior choir and ambulatory, interior nave and choir, and tomb

23. WHAT EFFECT DID ALL THIS CATHEDRAL BUILDING HAVE ON THE JEWS? NOT SUCH A ROSY PICTURE:

24. The Strasbourg Cathedral, Strasbourg, France Built 1190-1439

25. Left: Ecclesia Portal Right: Synagoga Portal

26. Again, but in glass: Ecclesia and Synagoga Stained glass in the Elizabeth Church, Marburg, Germany

27. LEFT: Anti-Semitism - Pope Gregory orders the Talmud to be burned A.D. 1239 after a disputation. Panel - Pedro Berruguete, 15th century. Note the non-heretical book floating above the fire RIGHT: In this 14th Century Catalan wall-painting a Jew is shown wearing the customary yellow circle which all Jews were forced by law to wear sewn on their outdoor clothing.