World History Name__________________

Mr. Henderson Class__________________

Internet Project on Gothic Cathedrals

Directions: Log on to the internet and go to the class website at www.historyhaven.com Then click on the “World History” link on the left. Then, from the right hand column, click on Project on Gothic Architecture. When going through this project, make sure you let all the pictures load and read all the text. Answer the questions on this piece of paper. The information in the project will come in the same order as they are asked on this paper. When you have read a page completely and found the answers to all the questions that can be found on that page, go to the next page. If you think you missed something, don’t worry; there’s an option to go through it all again at the end of the project. Good luck!

Questions:

Until modern times, most buildings were made from what material? ______________

In architecture, the direction of the building’s weight distribution is called its _________ of __________.

The greatest weakness of stone buildings was their _____________.

What was the result of this weakness on the appearance of buildings back then? ________________________________________________________________________

What was a second problem that plagued stone buildings? ________________________.

Because the walls had to hold the weight of the roof, churches back then had little or no ________________. This style of architecture was called _________________.

Why did Abbey Suger think that it was only fitting that a church built for Saint Denis should have large windows? ____________________________________________.

What change to the church’s weight distribution had to be made to include windows? ______________________________________________________.

What new structural element did Suger invent to accomplish this change?_____________

This new type of architecture, called _______________, actually did what with the skeleton of the building? __________________________________________________.

In what ways did Suger’s new church differ from Romanesque churches? ___________________________________________________________

(At this point, you should be beginning the Virtual Tour of a Gothic Cathedral)

What does the location of the cathedral in a town tell us about the role of religion in people’s lives back then?_______________________________________________

What does the floor plan of the Gothic Cathedral symbolize? __________________.

Why was the altar placed in the east? ______________________________________

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Why do you think windows were only located next to supporting buttresses?

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Why did worshipers in Gothic Cathedrals feel blessed because of the light coming in through the windows? __________________________________________________

How did the height of Gothic Cathedrals tend to make people focus on God rather than things of the world? ______________________________________________________

In you own words, how did Abbé Suger describe the experience of being inside a Gothic Cathedral?

Something to think about: To answer the following questions you must use what we learned in class about towns along with what you just learned about Gothic Cathedrals. You’re going to have to think!

Why do you think Gothic Cathedrals in towns would make serfs even more anxious to leave manor life and join a town?

What does the experience Suger was trying to create inside the Cathedral tell us about what life must have been like outside the Cathedral?

Gothic Cathedrals were very expensive to build. Who or what do you think had the power to tax the people in towns?

Write down the TIME here ___________.

Write down the COUNTER number here ___________.