According to the Princeton Dictionary, the definition of the word “sacred” is to be “concerned with religion or religious purposes; ‘sacred texts’; ‘sacred rites’; ‘sacred music.’” Three parts of the sacred include:
1) Ritual: A group thing – needs some kind of organized element.
2) Liminality: One feels different.
3) Ultimacy: Directs one toward something ultimate.
Four monuments we will visit on the trip are: Mont St Michel, Sainte Chapelle, Notre-Dame de Paris and Chartres cathedral. The sacred as it was celebrated in architecture of these four monuments highlighted the popular religious culture of Catholicism. Though each church was built at different times throughout history, they all celebrate this theme. It could be argued that each of these structures embody all three elements to compose the sacred.
Legend has it that Mont St Michel was built around the year 708 when St. Michael the Archangel appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, and instructed him to build a church on the island. The site was used in the 6th and 7th centuries as a stronghold of Romano-British culture and power until it was sacked by the Franks and used as a monastic establishment in the 8th century. Italian architect, William de Volpiano designed the Romanesque church within the monastery in the 11th century, precariously setting the transept crossing at the top of the mount. In 933, the mount gained strategic location significance when William I, Duke of Normandy, claimed it to be in Normandy. This event is epically depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, which has already been discussed in Activity 1. During the Revolution, the abbey was closed and converted into a prison. Robert de Thorigny was an inspirational figure related to the mount, who reinforced the structure of the buildings and built the main façade of the church in the 12th century. Upon the annexation of Normandy in 1204, Philip Augustus, then current King of France, commissioned the construction of a new gothic style architectural set, which included the addition of the refectory and cloister (Hayes, Mont 1).
Likewise, Sainte Chapelle is a significant structure of Catholic ideology, often regarded as sacred. Constructed between 1242 and 1248 for King Louis IX and to house the supposed Crown of Thorns, its architectural style is gothic. Sporting buttresses that hold up the stone roof to display the wondrous stained glass depicting the entirety of Christian history, the church was completed within a mere five years. The lacy spire on top of the church is in the Neo-Gothic style, added in the 19th century. During the French Revolution, the stained glass windows were protected from vandalism when the chapel was converted into administrative offices, though the choir and rood screen were destroyed and the relics dispersed (Hayes, Sainte- 1).
Notre-Dame de Paris broke ground in 1163 and was officially completed two centuries in 1345 when the dedication Mass took place (Steves 85). In the French Gothic style, flying buttresses on the exterior support the roof by pushing back inward. The Neo-Gothic spire is a product of the 1860 reconstruction of the church (Steves 93). Significant historical events include the Roman conquer of the Parisii, building the Temple of Jupiter where Notre-Dame stands today in 52 B.C. After Rome fell, the Germanic Franks then took over and replaced the pagan temple with the Christian church St. Etienne in the 6th century (Steves 86). During the Revolution major damage occurred destroying the 28 statues from the Gallery of Kings and the complete destruction of all major portal statues. Only later in the 19th century were these sculptures restored.
Founding and inspirational figures include the German Franks (mentioned above) who claimed the site Christian after taking over from the pagan Romans, and Charlemagne who was the first proclaimed King of the Franks and whose statue resides next to the cathedral.
Lastly, Chartres is a gothic cathedral completed in the year 1260. One of its most praised features is the Rose Window. The cathedral survived a fire in the 1134 that destroyed most of the town, but fell victim itself on June 10, 1194 when lightning ignited a great fire that destroyed all but the west towers, the façade and the crypt of the cathedral. Notable figure, Bishop Fulbert established Chartres as one of the leading teaching schools in Europe. Following, great scholars such as Thierry of Chartres, William of Conches and Englishman John of Salisbury attended (Hayes, Chartres 1).
Works Cited:
Hayes, Holly. "Chartres Cathedral - Chartres, France." Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore Sacred Sites, Religious Sites, Sacred Places. 30 July 2010. Web. 19 Sept. 2010.
Hayes, Holly. "Mont St-Michel, France." Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore Sacred Sites, Religious Sites, Sacred Places. 1 Oct. 2009. Web. 19 Sept. 2010.
Hayes, Holly. "Sainte-Chapelle - Paris, France." Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations -Explore Sacred Sites, Religious Sites, Sacred Places. 8 Feb. 2010. Web. 19 Sept. 2010.
Steves, Rick, Steve Smith, and Gene Openshaw. Rick Steves' Paris 2010. Berkley, CA.: Avalon Travel, 2009. Print.
Phase 2:
Notre Dame. External flying buttress detail.
Chartres cathedral, Chartres, France.
Detail of Rose Window, Chartres.
Detail of one of the portals, Chartres.
Sainte Chapelle ticket stub, front
Sainte Chapelle ticket stub, back
Sainte Chapelle.
Sainte Chapelle stained glass detail.
Although I would not currently define myself to be a religious person at this point in my life, I do feel a certain sense of liminality when I enter an old church or cathedral. I think that the historical aspect has a lot to do with it for me. For instance, upon walking into Notre-Dame, I thought of all the years of dedication it took to build the church and imagined the local people sitting along the once straw floor of the nave with their families and animals, just for the sake of religious ceremony.
I think that something that is “sacred” is consecrated in some way. This does not have to be in the generally supposed religious sense of consecrated. The sacred is something that is deeply personal and held dear to a specific individual. Yes, a church such as the four above can hold a sacred significance for more than one person, a group of people at that. But the sacred must be special to the person individually and not just a general follow along with the crowd. It is much harder to believe in something completely abstract. When looking at Catholicism in regards to these structures, the deity is abstract. One has physical reminders through churches as a designated space for worship. These places were where mental energy and concentration are meant to be fully devoted to the deity, eliminating all possibilities for distraction. Fellow followers in the faith and present within the church are only meant to reinforce this belief.
The unique physicality of these structures expresses the bind of the sacred as a fundamental dimension of the human experience as it was during the period of Catholic dominance in Europe. For example, the stained glass of Sainte Chapelle was meant to represent heavenly light on earth. The depicted biblical scenes on the stained glass were meant to relay the stories of their faith to illiterate worshipers, while giving them a pictorial representation to reflect on. Chartres is art historically famous for its Rose Windows, which also functions as heavenly light. In addition to the windows, Chartres boasts a unique three-portal layout that depicts sculpted scenes from the Bible that greet those who enter the cathedral. The architectural French Gothic structure of Notre Dame with external flying buttresses allows for the walls to be elevated, achieving the effect that they are supported by nothing when seen from the interior, and almost floating within space. Mont St Michel can be seen as a “masterpiece of nature,” where the talents of human architectural development accorded with natural elements to create a haven for Just as the colored glass was meant to give a “heavenly effect,” this “higher” sense of building would bring the eye up, as one is closer to God.
Both the sites where Notre Dame and Mont St. Michel reside were usurped from pagan control. This can signify a symbolic justification of the religious Judeo-Christian faith that still occupies these sites today. With the same sentiment, Sainte Chapelle survived attempted vandalism and Chartres cathedral withstood two treacherous fires.
In regards to the three parts of the sacred noted in Phase 1, I am not sure that the first component of ritual is necessary. I think having the ritual component would make it easier to name something as “sacred” or not. Again, a church or cathedral is the best example. It is an organized, physical place for religion. Especially with churches with historical backing, people who are of a different religion or those who are not religious at all will adopt an attitude of respect and reverence with the knowledge that it is a “spiritual presence.”
Beyond this sense of the comfortable group presence through ritual, I propose that one can find something to be sacred without it. I believe that the sacred can represent not just places but other objects, people and even abstract ideas. Anything that is sacred commands a certain level of respect. One must be in-tune with oneself, taking a certain level of perceptiveness and discipline.
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