King's University Chapel

1. Construction time : 1446 - 1515
2. Location : Cambridge, England

Part of the worldwide popularity of Cambridge King's University Chapel comes from the choir, and the annual Christmas song service is broadcast around the world, but the main reason thousands of guests Visiting the Chapel every year is admiring a great architecture. This is a striking illustration of the British Vertical Vertical Architecture , a distinctive Gothic style later with the most majestic expression of a fan-shaped roof, a unique form of structure in British architecture at this stage. . The architecture creates a large area to fit the glass as in the case of the stained glass Chapel in Europe brought to life. Finally, the Chapel is home to a huge amount of furniture, screens and altars, described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "the most quintessential of the Renaissance era in England" .

The view looks east from the middle of the chapel toward the choir,
shows the fan-shaped dome and the center of the wooden screen in the middle.

History

Henry VI (1421-1471) built the University of St Nicholas (his patron saint) in 1441, in 1443 renamed the "Congregation of the Holy Mary and St Nicholas of the King ". The building is a school (now the old school in the university), forming a courtyard in the north of the present Chapel. According to Henry's will in 1488 envisioning a much larger scheme, having a large yard located south of the Chapel, with the size he decided exactly. He also suggested that the characteristics of the building should be more restrictive than showy. It was not until the 19th century that the new University was completed in three directions - the East was completed by William Wilkins with a famous transparent screen, adapted from the Chapel to make a strong impression.

Therefore, the Chapel forms part of the inner courtyard, like the chapels at Oxford. As a chapel and not a church, and has the function of being recognized as the King's Chapel, like the St Stephen's Chapel in the original vertical structure of Westminster, the diagram of the King's Chapel is a tall rectangular box, though larger and more simple in space than any other chapel in England before and after that time. The two-side chapels shrink, they are being restrained by the two pillars of the two sides, so it does not affect the main space.

Scene seen from outside the Chapel from the Southwest direction for
see the architectural context of the Chapel.

Three construction stages can be deduced: Phase 1 from 1446 to 1461, under the direction of the median Reginald Ely, ends when Henry VI is deposed. Only erected in about 15 years before starting phase 2 from 1476 to 1485, ending the reign of Richard III. Stage 3 begins in 1508, Henry VII's last year to 1515. The dome-shaped roof began to build in 1512 and most of the most sophisticated sculptures made by Thomas Stockton in this third period, under Henry VIII's reign - the rose on the crown, the iron grid and the lily flower symbolized the king's patronage. As Francis Woodman observes, what begins as "a deeply religious and religious awareness" is seen as perfect as "a brilliant art and propaganda for the dynasty", left with the call of the founder.

Actual data:

1. Length: 88m
2. Width: 12.7m
3. Height: 24.4m
4. Window: 25 years to complete

Huge dome-shaped curved roof

The wooden roof of the Chapel is one of the most beautiful and largest wooden roofs in the late Middle Ages in England. The roof has a magnificent fan-shaped curved roof, built into phase 3. Chart of 2 compartments is often found on the roof of a fan-shaped roof, looking downwards as if from above. This special arched roof shape is very complex, and is only available in British architecture during this period. Column-forming components, completed in phase 1, imply a different dome-shaped roof (lierne), perhaps Reginald Ely's unique intention. As a result, after 1508 the "diagonal" slopes from the wall supports branched into five flanks of each 1/4 fan-shaped dome. There is still controversy about the fan-shaped dome author, although it is believed that John Wastell, the maestro from 1508, John a Lee, Henry Smith, William Vertue and Henry Redman, are all masons of court, university tours at various construction stages.

There are countless examples of fan-shaped curved roofs in the UK, often past relatively small chapels associated with the original churches. But at Sherborne Abbey, redesigned from 1475, the chapel and 7.9m wide and 4 other buildings, have a width of 8m or more: Henry VII Chapel in Westminster, Bath Abbey, the so-called New Building in Peterborough Cathedral and King's University , where it spans 12.7m wide.

As in later Gothic works, decorative ribs are applied to the surface of the arched roof, but the thin shell in the fan-shaped roof is different from the other in principle. For example, a pointed dome consists of 4 parts that only bend in a single direction, and the structural feature can only be calculated when studying a typical section. The fan-shaped dome is curved in two dimensions, which means analyzing the structure of the roof, as well as the more complicated roof. Professor Jacques Heyman used thin-shell theory to demonstrate the structural effect of shape. In the first estimate, the horizontal force in each compartment in the King's Chapel is approximately 16 tons. But the cone-shaped hollow part of each dome-shaped part of the roof is filled with rubble bricks, to stabilize the dome, reduce the horizontal force at each of the wall supports about 10 tons.

John Watson also designed the cross-shaped crossover of the Cathedral of Canterbury. His style recognizes that certain clarity: a fan-shaped roof in Westminster, almost built on time, is rich but distracting . Wastell's dome-shaped curved roof in King's Chapel is effective in texture and shape, and is easily understood by dividing the slopes in each compartment. The construction quality must also be very high - "make sure this is the most thoughtfully mapped arch, the most precise trim and construction with the highest quality in the UK" and this construction standard continues in the works. Stockton's wall decorations: rose, iron mesh and crown almost completely carved.

Stained glass

The east window details, showing Pontius Pilate washing his hands.Stained glass at King's University Chapel is among the most beautiful chapels in Europe. Stained glass at King's University Chapel is the most complete set of church windows preserved from Henry VIII's time, and even this design and construction contract still exists. Barnard Flower seems to sign a subcontract with a number of other workmen, but there is some debate about the responsibility of overall design of the window. No matter who it is, it is the Dutch Adrrian van den Houte or Dierick (most likely by this person) - they must be familiar with wood carvings and sculptures, since then deduce that most designs. Expressive symbolic structure, intersecting from panel to panel, with the task of tiling and depicting intense emotions. The main theme is the life of Lord Jésus, depicted by the view from the life of the Virgin Mary, much of the geometric description so that the corresponding samples are taken from whales, the suffering and resurrection of the Lord. The architectural details described are elements of the Renaissance rather than Gothic, and often refer to the patronage of the Tudor dynasty, especially in the splendid east window. At a more abstract level, the color combination is significant, the window can be evaluated as a pure pattern.

Room

A vase or "pulpitim" installed between 1530 and 1535, carrying an upper part and continuing east to form the back of the choir. There must be a lot of construction people, in the King's Unnamed University Chapel Building Report, the same style as the French or Dutch classic rather than Italian style, but although It is sophisticatedly decorated but looks "own style" like the works at Fontainebleau. The circular arches repeatedly, broken down the architectural decoration at the bottom of the column, the column body, the structure above the pillar cap, and the hierarchy of components closely ensure the classic ritual meaning, but inside are winged angels, stylized birds and stylized plants woven in wall columns, cascades and concave corners between the ceiling and the wall.

The letters HR and AR are intertwined and the arms are divided into four parts by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn , the Queen's ruler from November 14, 1532 to May 9, 1536, which is the clearest evidence. about chronology. The sophisticated badge is behind the choir, St Goerge and dragon figure with the characters above and below extremely rich. In his own way, the frontier reaches a level that can match the masterpiece built during this late Gothic period.

In the 1960s, after a number of debates, such as in Adoration of the Magi of Rubens, for example, was installed beneath the East window and at the end of the Chapel was rearranged. So now the Chapel has a 17th-century Dutch masterpiece to dialogue with the Gothic natural stone building, unusual stained glass and Renaissance wood screens.