The unfinished … Cathedral of Beauvais

2019 By justmovingaround in History, Sacred Grounds Tags: Architecture, Cathedrals, Churches and Religious Heritage, France, Gothic, Romanesque

At first glance, the Cathedral of Beauvais looks like any other monumental Gothic church in northern France. But as you walk around, something feels off — there’s no nave, no bell towers, and the structure ends almost as abruptly as it begins. What happened?

It looks very impressive when you approach it, especially if seen from the historical streets at its Northside. It is dominating the perspective. From far away, you can clearly see the enormous Gothic apse. And you cannot wait till you see how its whole structure is looking like.

You see the exterior of the apse with pinnacles and flying buttresses. On approach, you notice metal bars seemingly strengthening the massive structure. Getting closer, you see the impressive stained glass windows. The very decorative details of the Southern entrance are a real eye-catcher. It is not the severe early Gothic style, like in the case of the apse. The quick conclusion is that the builders started with the apse and the choir in early Medieval ages, adding later, probably during the Renaissance period, the opposite South- and Northside entrances. Nothing unusual, the construction of Medieval cathedrals was often spread over many years, even hundreds of years.

You get closer and closer, walking around the cathedral’s massive structure …

But something is clearly missing … You try to get the whole picture and ask yourself the only question on your mind …

Where are the main entrance and the bell towers? Where is the nave?

Out of curiosity, you make the round and …

… instead at the main entrance to a huge Gothic cathedral, you find yourself at an entrance to a seemingly well-preserved piece of Romanesque architecture – a church dated probably at the Carolingian time.

About the CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE

So, let us sort out the facts.

THE GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Churches build in past ages, mainly of Romanesque and Gothic style, had been constructed with the apse (the back part of the church, where the choir and altar are located) directed to the East. The main entrance was to the West. Hence the central nave was spreading from the West to the East. The apse of a French Gothic church had been of a round shape with a series of small chapels in its back (crown of the chapels called in French ‘chevet’).

The churches were built to reflect a cross shape. The central nave and the apse were crossed by the transept. The transept was spreading from the North to the South. In many French churches, the transept was short, not reaching far beyond the nave. The dome (if any) or a spire was built over the crossing of the nave and the apse with the transept. The nave was usually twice as long as the apse. The bell towers had been constructed on the Westside at the main entrance. The sun while rising was seen through the Eastern windows shining over the altar and the choir (within the apse), rounded the church from the South, and in the late afternoon while setting down was shining through stained glass windows placed over the main entrance on the Westside.

THE CATHEDRAL OF BEAUVAIS

The Cathedral of Beauvais consists of solely the choir with an apse and the transept. The nave seems to be cut-off. The existing Cathedral is altogether around 73 m long, with the choir of 47 m length. The transept is about 59 m long. The height is 67 m, with the vaulting of the choir reaching 48 m. If the rule of the nave being twice as long, as the choir was kept, the central nave should have been more than 90 m long, hence longer than the whole existing length of the present-day Cathedral…

With the Roman construction still kept, at least the part of it, at the Westside of the cathedral, we may quickly get to the conclusion the promoters and the builders did not make it. Yes, they did not.

THE STORY BEHIND

The original Romanesque-style Basilica was build in Carolingian times in the second half of the Xth century. The decision to rebuild it into a Gothic cathedral was made in 1225. As the roof of the Basilica was of wood, it often caught fire. A fire-resistant stone construction seemed to be safer. The Basilica was cut off at its Eastern side to make a place for the new structure. The cutting off was carried out in three phases taking out the whole transept and altogether six bays of the nave. The remains of the Romanesque building were reconstructed in the XIX century, with some ancient Gallic elements taken from other parts of the city.

In the XIII century, the Romanesque Basilica was named the Basse-Oeuvre church to distinguish it from the newly built Gothic cathedral called Nouvel-Oeuvre.

With the choir and the apse (including seven apsidal chapels) constructed, the Gothic Cathedral was open for prayer in 1272. The original design of the choir was changed by a bishop, who wanted the cathedral to be the highest vaulted cathedral in the world. An extra 5 m of height over the choir was added. Twelve years after the construction was completed, part of the choir collapsed. Later on, additional pillars had been added to strengthen the structure, the technical design of vaulting was revised, but the revised height of the vault was kept.

The Hundert Years War and the siege of Beauvais by Charles the Bold halted the construction works for over 150 years. The war struggle caused only minor damage, so the works could have been continued on the transept. As much time passed by from the original Gothic concept (the XVI century just began), the transept was built in late Gothic flamboyant style (more decorative than early Gothic) as well as Renaissance style emerging that time. The works on the transept were completed in 1548.

It was time to build the naves. But the ambitions of the promoters were on something more spectacular. A decision was made to make the Beauvais Cathedral the biggest in the world. Six years later, an impressive spire of more than 150 m height was ready. Yes. The Beauvais Catherdal was indeed the highest in the world … for the whole four years. The spire had simply collapsed, destroying some parts of the transept. The spire was not rebuilt. The reconstruction of the transept consumed much of the funds envisaged for the nave. The nave and the bell towers were ultimately never built.

The cathedral was later devastated by a Calvinist sect during the reformation period >>> and subsequently heavily damaged during the bombings of WWII. Today you can freely visit the cathedral. While inside, you will notice some additional wooden and metal supports installed to provide for the structural stability.

The Beauvais cathedral is by far not the only one in Europe that was never completed. But in its case, it was not only a lack of funds, and war struggle that not allowed to finish the work. The promoters had sufficient funds. But at least twice the original design was changed in its core structure in line with the growing ambitions. By far, these were not only alterations in the architectural style. The changes made the core structure simply not resistant against additional burden. Parts of the cathedral collapsed twice.

If built to the end, the Beauvais cathedral would probably be among the biggest and the most impressive cathedrals in the world.

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More on revolutionary France: La Convention Nationale

2019 By justmovingaround in FRANCE, History Tags: France, History Guides by Country

Not recalling much from history lessons in school, I find that while traveling and sightseeing, I often rediscover facts that were imparted to us during our childhood. On a recent occasion, I posted about the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar. While delving into information about challenges faced during its implementation, I learned that during the French Revolution, revolutionaries sought to create their own calendar as a deliberate departure from anything associated with the Catholic Church. The radical body advocating for this alternative calendar was the National Convention, a governing body ultimately dissolved for being too radical and too revolutionary.

The National Convention (La Convention Nationale >>>) was a pivotal political body that played a central role during the first years of the French Revolution. It was established in September 1792, following the abolition of the monarchy and the declaration of the French Republic. The National Convention in revolutionary France served as the primary legislative and executive assembly from 1792 to 1795.

Symbolic picture of the National Convention in the Pantheon of Paris.

Here is the short story of National Convention in revolutionary France:

Formation and Abolition of the Monarchy:

The National Convention was established in the aftermath of the August 10, 1792 insurrection in Paris, which led to the fall of the monarchy.
On September 21, 1792, the National Convention officially declared the First French Republic, marking the end of the Bourbon monarchy.

Radicalization of the Revolution:

The Convention was marked by a radical phase of the French Revolution, often referred to as the Reign of Terror (1793-1794) characterized by extreme political violence, mass executions and other radical measures.
This period saw the rise of radical political factions, including the Jacobins advocating for a democratic republic led by figures like Maximilien Robespierre.

Committee of Public Safety:

The Convention established the Committee of Public Safety, a powerful executive committee, in April 1793. It was responsible for safeguarding the revolution through measures including the Reign of Terror, which aimed to eliminate perceived threats to the Republic.
Maximilien Robespierre became one of the most influential figures associated with the Committee. He was the key architect of the Reign of Terror.

Repression and Revolutionary Tribunal:

The Convention initiated measures to suppress counter-revolutionary activities and perceived enemies of the Republic.
The Revolutionary Tribunal, established in March 1793, conducted trials that often resulted in the execution of individuals deemed threats to the Revolution.

Execution of Louis XVI:

One of the significant decisions made by the National Convention was the trial and execution of King Louis XVI in January 1793. This event marked a turning point in the Revolution.

Republican Calendar:

The Convention initiated cultural changes, including the adoption of the Republican Calendar, replacing the traditional Gregorian calendar.
The Republican Calendar embraced the decimal system, with each month (with original new names) consisting of three ten-day weeks, making a total of 30 days. This resulted in a 10-day week instead of the traditional 7-day week.

War and External Threats:

The Convention faced external threats from monarchies that opposed the revolutionary ideals. This led to the establishment of the Committee of Public Safety and the implementation of the levee en masse, the compulsory enlistment of citizens into the military.

End of the Radical Phase:

The radical phase of the Convention came to an end with the fall of Robespierre and other leading Jacobins in July 1794 (Thermidorian Reaction named after the month of Thermidor in the French Republican calendar).
Robespierre and his associates, including Louis Antoine de Saint-Just and Georges Couthon, were arrested by forces loyal to the National Convention. The arrest was orchestrated by political opponents who were alarmed by the radicalism and the widespread use of the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
The Convention then entered a more moderate phase, and the Committee of Public Safety’s powers were reduced.

Constitution of 1795:

The Convention drafted the Constitution of 1795, establishing the Directory as a new form of government.
The National Convention held its last session on October 26, 1795, marking the end of its existence. It was replaced by the Directory.
In 1799, General Napoleon Bonaparte staged a coup d’état, overthrowing the Directory and establishing the Consulate, which marked the beginning of Napoleon’s rise to power.

The National Convention played a crucial role in shaping the course of the French Revolution, overseeing radical changes, internal and external conflicts, and the establishment of the First French Republic. It left a lasting impact on the political and cultural landscape of France in the late 18th century.

Notre Dame fire. A devastating moment to see

2019 By justmovingaround in History Tags: Cathedrals, France, Paris

While inside, you might have thought it was eternal. And it is. But on Monday night it was a devastating moment to watch it burn. I heard the bad news of the Notre Dame fire around eight or nine in the evening. The spire was already collapsed and the fire quite extensive.

Today we live in the world, where news travels fast. The Notre Dame fire was of that importance that basically all major TV stations around Europe and in the US (I cannot say anything about the other continents) were broadcasting live pictures till very late night hours. Changing channels you were able to observe the rescue efforts. They were extensive and made a modern way.

Another communique was, much of the treasures had been carried out of the building. They had been deposited in a safe place.

First I was thinking, how it was possible in the modern world that a fire like that appeared at all. I was sitting paralyzed in front of the TV set wondering whether I would be able to see the interior yet again in my lifetime. But later in the night and in the morning I was glad to see how professionally the rescue was carried out.

As I started to follow, the Notre Dame fire rescue efforts, the flames were already in the North belfry. The news was, it might collapse as well. Temperature changes might have caused changes in the stone and in the binding material. Unbelievable. But shortly after a communique – the fire in the belfry was contained. Soon after, you could have seen red and white lights pointing into its interior. One of the broadcasting stations made a close-up. At that moment, I realized, there were firefighters inside, who scanned the belfry with a night vision device, probably equipped with a temperature detector as well. The other doused indicated spots with a stream of water to cool the stone construction slowly down. You could also have seen firefighters on ladders quite close to the top of the cathedral dousing its interior with water at several points.

The next morning, the firefighters published first photos and films of the interior. It was quite a relief. If candles were still burning in the back of the cathedral and many candles around the altar seemed to be untouched, it was clear the temperatures down inside were not as high as expected. Robots doused streams of water on the hot debris on the floor. The action was to contain the fire but also to cool the air down. If candles were intact, the stained glass windows were probably intact as well as paintings that were not possible to be removed under fire. Most of the damage would be because of the roof debris that had fallen down and of water used in action.

It seems still impossible to avoid fires in the very old buildings today. Yet the modern equipment and technology allow containing fires in a way that would be impossible even ten or twenty years ago.

The reconstruction will also not last for years as it used to be in the past. If you travel to Europe, visit the cathedrals, often you are told how difficult it was to rebuild a cathedral after a fire or warfare. Today, at least in the case of Notre Dame funding seems not to be a problem. Already hundreds of millions of Euros had been raised or declared. The main stone structure of the cathedral will be scanned and put into the mathematical models. Computers will do the math. This will not be trial and error as it used to be done in the past. To reconstruct the roof for sure modern materials will be used as we know already the oak beams replacement is not possible. Oakwood is rare, takes much time to grow, and the grown-up trees are mostly under protection. The reconstruction of the ceiling will arise some problems, for it will have to be reconstructed using the original technology. I wonder only what technique and materials will be used to rebuild the spire. Will it be the exact reflection of the old one or will it get some modern architectural touch? The bottleneck will be the expert labor. Specialists able to reconstruct pieces of art will probably have to come from all over Europe or even other continents. They will have to remove the damage caused by fire and water, as well as mechanical damage. Many working hours will be needed to remove smoke black from the stone facade outside and inside the cathedral. The laser technique will be used. It is precise but takes many but many working hours.

I have my doubts, whether the five-year timeline will be kept as the French President declares. Still, I think less than ten years will be needed to do the work. The Notre Dame will be rebuilt, and the interior reconstructed as it used to be many times before. It is hoped that most of us will be able to visit it yet again in the lifetime.

But today and for years to come, hopefully only a couple of years, this is just memories.