As part of my Bath conference we took a day-trip to Wells Cathedral. Apparently there is a really famous/old clock in the church and that excited all of the astronomers and thus was the main reason for our visit. Meh. I much more preferred the architecture. Although I have taught it extensively, this is actually the first time I have ever been inside a Gothic cathedral, mainly due to the fact that this style, in the true design sense, simply does not exist in Italy. Anyway, it was absolutely breathtaking and I am hungry to see more!
The exterior at sunset. As my friend Susannah has said of the facade, it's quite "squatty"...
Inside. The concept of Gothic architecture was to make the supporting elements as invisible as possible, therefore giving the impression that the building was supported by light (hence the popularity of stain-glass windows at the time) and more significantly by the divine.
Looking straight up in one of the aisles
Amazing capitals, if you can even call them that, in the choir
The ceiling above the choir
An amazing staircase, worn from centuries of use. If it looks familiar...
it's because they used this church to film a few interior scenes for the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I didn't know this until I saw the staircase, which I recognized from the film, and sure enough, after a little googling I read that Wells indeed was one of their locations. I love the internet!
No comments:
Post a Comment