Scholasticism in Religious Architecture

Matt Pearson professor Ansell Humanities 201 5 solemn 2013 scholasticism in Religious Architecture heavenly architecture is not, a free cunning, developed from live aurassings and sentiment, that it is an art strictly tied by and developed from the laws of geometry (Schneider). This is a governing article of belief rotter the architecture and dye-glass images in Chartres duomo the building wasnt unspoiled built without a plan or the art didnt Just happen, it is a systematic creation utilize geometry (Crossly 232). Scholasticism is the important contri saveor to the theatrical role of geometry to organize how the Cathedral was built.Briefly described, scholasticism is winning events, concepts, or miracles, that we do-nothingt understand, and organizing a integrated tune to provide an definition. In the Chartres Cathedral, the architecture and art not except display dedicated religious events and scenes from the Bible, and in any case unsanctified events, suc h as every(prenominal)day chores ilk farming or cleaning. in that location is clear a union exhausting to be made here betwixt things of this earththe likes of creation science, philosophy, basis and things that go beyond the profane world faith, theology, revelation.This is where scholasticism is open, serve it organizes events and understanding to find God in the secular and sacred. In Chartres Cathedral, the building as a whole is meant to snap us from the corruption of this world and into the presence of God, which embodies light. There is large(p) exposit in apiece stained-glass windowpane, specific every(a)y in the ex shapeness of the geometry and in like manner in the Biblical stories they portray, which again horizontal surface us to God, and also show how scholasticism has processed shape the organized design behind many things in the Cathedral. Scholasticism is a term drilld to designate some(prenominal) a method and a system.It is use to theology a s well as to philosophy (Turner). Historic entirelyy, it came from early saviorian institutions. They would bring forth soul as the head of the school that would act as the philosopher or theologian to help carry out the method of dialectic teaching to the students. This is done in an hear to put understanding and reason to mysteries like science and faith or reason and revelation, and how these conflicting pairs potty exist together. non just right away can these opposites exist, but they mustiness harmonize together to form great understanding (Turner). SST. Thomasdoubting Thomas was one of the greatest Scholastics of his time. He was monumental in bridging the gap between theology and philosophy by his abstract thought that God is the author of all truth, and it is unworkable to think that He would teach in the natural order anything that contradicts what He teaches in the supernatural order (Turner). A structure, as grand as the Chartres Cathedral, introduces an inte resting enigma for religious and secular views, because the architects however practically directed towards the glory of God, still turned mans eyes elsewhere and diverted elsewhere he wealth he could have put to better purpose (Affair 55).This meaner that the architects were trying to turn passels hearts and minds to God, but, in an attempt to do so, they were expending vast amounts of resources on secular architecture. They wanted to build a place that would mentally take you from this world and into Gods world. This concept is easily seen as people enter the doors of the Cathedral and see all the light that is coming in done with(predicate) the stained-glass windows at all times of the day. These windows sincerely illuminate the building and allow the participants to feel God or light.The Cathedral also was a place for people to nock t heritor religious pilgrimages and would aid them in their search for God. Many of the stained-glass windows show events of Chrisms minis try, but for the interest of exploring scholasticism and its relation to Chartres Cathedral, we argon passage to focus on Just deuce windows The Tree of Jesse and the go up Window. The Tree of Jesse shows Chrisms majestic genealogy rising up from Jesse, who lies at the tooshie of the window, to savior, who sits enthroned at the summit (Preach 42). The window is a column of squares made up of small rectangles.In each square is figure and a continuation of the tree stemming from Jesses frame, which gibes the continued simple eye from Jesse to the Nazarene and how delivery boy is born an heir to the king because of the unbroken chain. At Chrisms feet sits bloody shame, and approximately both of them are seven doves, which represent the seven defend ways of the Holy Spirit, the gift of wiseness The gift of understanding The gift of propose The gift of fortitude The gift of knowledge The gift of fear of the Lord The gift of Reverence (doubting Thomas).Having Christ, blo ody shame, and the doves all together at the top also represents something else, the double temperament of Christ, human through His lineage, divine through His union with the Holy Spirit (Preach 44). The miracle of Chrisms cede cant be beg offed through science, because of Mary and the upright Conception, but some understanding is given up to Chrisms lineage through the structure of the window. It shows Christ is connected to macrocosm a poof through Mary, or God, and through Jesse, who was an terrestrial king. The organized structure shows the use of scholasticism, because of its carry on for organization to explain grand events.A main contributor to scholasticism is SST. Thomas Aquinas and his text Sum Theological. One tilt he presented was The Life of God and Whether all things in God are life sentence? (Aquinas). He takes all the dissents he can find to the examination he has asked. He will then make a response or an explanation to every objection to explain the i nitial question being asked. This is a very structured procedure, but it is seen in The Tree of Jesse window, because it addresses the concern, is Christ really God and is He an earthly and heavenly king.It then takes each objection and finds a response Christ is an earthly king because of his genealogic connection to Jesse, ND Christ is a heavenly king, because of his miraculous or immaculate conception by the Holy Ghost, through his pure(a) mother, Mary. The locomote Window is actually in deuce places in Chartres Cathedral on the mho and north walls. The Rose on the mho transept has Christ at the warmheartedness, surrounded by apostles. Below the Rose Window are v lancet windows, which have, from left to right, Isaiah, Daniel, arrant(a) Mary holding Christ as an infant, Ezekiel, Jeremiah (Affair 90).This is to surround Mary with the four great prophets (Preach 89). On their shoulders sit the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke, which symbolizes their role in proclai ming Chrisms birth and divinity. The Rose itself symbolized beauty and perfection, which represents Mary as a fair virgin and also Christ as the only perfect human. The Rose symbolization is only strengthened by the presence of these stained glass windows that surround the rose. To give an example, in one of the medallion windows that surround the center of the rose, Mary, is exalted as Queen of enlightenment He is seated on a throne and holds a scepter (Preach 93). The Rose on the north transept has SST. Anne holding Mary at the center. This is a unique image, because now it isnt Christ who is the infant, but it is Mary and she is in the arms of her mother Anne, the person who establishes the genealogical link with the Old Testament (Preach 93). This shows us the importance of Mary in all of Christianity. Below the Rose are five more lancet windows, like on the south side, except these stained-glass windows have diametric images, which are, from left to right, Milkweed, David, SS T.Anne holding Mary as an infant, Solomon, and Aaron (Affair 91). Anne is surrounded by the most famed of the ancient kings which show how important Anne is and the prophesier that came from her (Preach 93). All of this detail and organization in both Rose Windows shows scholastic thought, because, as mentioned before, Chrisms birth and conception is an unexplainable miracle, but guiding our train of thought with these images helps to explain the miracle. There is one more detail in the Rose that really cements scholasticism in the Cathedral, it is the process to create the Rose.First, a process is carried out to find 12 evenly spaced spaces around a wad. Second, a school principal with twelve points is skeletal in the middle, every line being exactly the name length. At the tooth root of each point, close to the center, twelve impact circles are made. Another star with twelve points is then drawn inside the larger star, once again each line being the same length. A circle is made around the inner star and in the center of this circle is where Christ is placed in one window and Anne and Mary are placed in the other window.The precision that is used reflects the scholastic procedure Thomas Aquinas uses. big(p) care and concern are taken to create the desired result and to give an explanation too miracle. Thomas Aquinas used this teeth in piece to explain the miracle of God and the Rose Windows use this method in imagery and biblical symbolism to explain the miracle of Christ and Mary. Thus, we can see that Chartres Cathedral has Biblical symbolism in the stained-glass windows and scholasticism is used in spite of appearance these windows as the organization.Chartres Cathedral is built in great geometricalal precision to take peoples thoughts from this world into Gods world (Crossly 233). Through the geometric precision, scholasticism is very present. Scholasticism is found in the Stem of Jesse by the organizational structure used to present the e xplanation of Chrisms divine birth. This is a miracle that cant simply be explained, but the Stem of Jesse window systematically takes us from Jesse to Mary and then to Christ to explain the miracle.Scholasticism is also found in the Rose Windows in the precise geometric construction and also in the images that are shown. The conception of Christ is a miracle, but the different images show how it can be explained. In all of these Biblical events and miracles, scholasticism creates an organized way to understanding them. working Cited Aquinas, Thomas. Sum Theological. Kevin Knight, 2008. New Advent. Web. 6 August 2013. Crossly, Paul. Rhetoric Beyond Words. Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 2010.