Paste your essay in here…The Parthenon and Chartres Cathedral
The world is full of historic buildings that were built thousand of years ago. Buildings than not only show the creative minds of the architects but also symbolize something much greater. In the book “Art and Ideas. Tenth Edition” by Mary Warner Marien and William Fleming, the Chartres Cathedral and the Parthenon have shown to symbolize the faith and unity of an entire city. The Parthenon’s construction first began in 447 BCE. Designed by the architects Mnesicles, Ictinus, and Phidias, the Parthenon was a building dedicated to Athena, goddess of knowledge and protector of Acropolis, the city where the remains of the Parthenon still exist. The Parthenon was mainly a sanctuary place that gave shelter to the statue of Athena, it was also a place where , contests, presentations and games would take placed celebrating the goddess who the building was dedicated to. Similarly to the Parthenon, the Chartres Cathedral, located in Chartres, France, was dedicated mainly to the Virgin Mary. Construction first began in 1194. The people of the town donated materials and time to help build the Chartres Cathedral. The Chartres Cathedral served mainly as a religious center but in also was used to give aid to the poor and as a hospice for travelers. The Parthenon and the Chartres Cathedral have shown to have unique architecture structures that makes them one of a kind. Decorations such as sculptures have also shown to be an important part of these buildings. Over all, these buildings have shown to play a very important role in the lives of their people as well as in their faith.
The Parthenon a carefully designed monument. The Parthenon’s architecture structure was first meant to follow the Doric Order. The doric order is a ratio of 1:2 which according to the philosopher pythagoras, “the harmony of the universe was based on the perfect interval of the octave (1:2)”(Marien and Fleming 30). If such monument were to be dedicated to someone of high importance it is reasonable to say it would have to follow this order. Taking a closer look at the temple, it clearly shows that the Parthenon does not follow the Doric Order. It is said that “the proportion 9:4 occurs repeatedly” and has has been noticed throughout the length, width and height of the building(Marien 30). Ictinus, the master builder, wanted “to make the Parthenon organically coherent rather than merely mechanically regular” and in order to do so, he had “avoid the strict rules of the Doric Order”(Marien 30). Ignoring somes aspects of the Doric Order was what made the Parthenon a “work of art” rather than a cold abraction(Marien 30). Unlike the Parthenon, the Chartres Cathedral followed more of a Gothic style which focused more on structure and stability of the building while the Parthenon focused more on uniqueness. The technology of the Gothic architecture helps keep buildings, like the Chartres Cathedral, stable. Engineering the vaults was key for gothic architects. Technology like the flying buttress was an essential part of the construction of the cathedral, it s purpose was to “carry the thrust of vaulting into specific points over the aisles” which would get to the “outer buttresses” helping bring stability to the building(Marien 197). Engineering like this is what made Gothic builders achieve “constantly increasing heights” and “loftier vaults”(Marien 198).
Decorations of the Parthenon such as sculptures were important items that made the Parthenon a unique work of art. The statutes are categorized into three different groups: the High-Relief Metopes of Doric frieze, the Low-Relief Cella frieze, and the Free Standing Pediment figures. The Doric Frieze displayed more of a “welcome variety of figures” that included “legendary people that lived in the north of Greece” as well as mythical creatures like “centaurs”(Marien 35). In the Cella Frieze, sculptures were mainly about Athenians participating in the celebration of their goddess Athena. Unlike the friezes, the Free Standing Pediment focused more on Athena's birth as well as her “triumph over poseidon”(Marien 37). In the Chartres Cathedral, they had a similar way of categorizing the sculptures of the building. One of the ways the Chartres Cathedral organized the sculptures is by the person. The west facade of the cathedral is divided into three tympanums, the central tympanum is God surrounded by four “symbolic beast”(Marien 200). The one on the left represents “christ's days on earth” while the one on the right is the virgins portal, “depicting the savior's earthly life”(Marien 200). Categorized a little differently, the Chartres Cathedral and the parthenon have shown to strictly organize their work of art. Either by person or by timeline, both of these building have shown to have a strict way of organization which demonstrates how important sculptures are to these historic monuments.
The Parthenon served for so many purposes. The Parthenon would not only serve as a “shrine to Athena” but it would also serve as “the treasury of the Delian League”(Marien 30). On the east side of the Parthenon was where the larger room was located, it is described as “the house of Phidea’s magnificent gold-and-ivory statue of Athena”, and the west side of the Parthenon would be the treasury(Marien 30). This monument would also be a place where people would gather together to celebrate their goddess. The Panathenaea was a festivity that was celebrated every 4 years in honor of Athena. On this day, rituals. Parades, and games would take place. On the other hand, the Chartres Cathedral served more than just for festivities. The Chartres Cathedral was mainly a religious center but also served as a school. It was also used as “an almshouse to aid the poor” as well as a “hospice or lodging for travelers”(Marien 193). The Chartres Cathedral was a religious place that gave back to the town by helping whenever they could. However, the parthenon only served as a sanctuary place where art would be displayed but help or aid would not be offered.
Both the Parthenon and The Chartres Cathedral have demonstrated to be more than just buildings. Both these buildings served as a place of knowledge. Teaching future generations about architecture, art, and at the same time increasing the people’s faith, these buildings have done exactly that. The Parthenon, a monument dedicated to the goddess Athena, would be one astonishing work of art. Even details like architecture, organizations and sculptures would make this monument one of a kind. The Chartres Cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary would represent the hard work, unity and effort of an entire town. The people from both of these cities placed their faith on these buildings. Praising two different figures, both similar but different at the same time. Both representing knowledge, but both representing different religions. Even though the Chartres Cathedral and the Parthenon don't seem to be similar, they both have given faith and inspiration to the people to finally come up with such amazing creations. Probably two of the best accomplishments done by mankind. These are true works of art.