Gothic Vaults Research Articles

The Geometric System of the Nave Vault of the Church on the Hill of Sighişoara

The Geometric System of the Nave Vault of the Church on the Hill of Sighişoara. The literature on the methods of late Gothic net vault constructions mainly accentuates ideas, which presume that the initial conditions of the design are orderly. However, in the case of buildings of multiple building periods, this is rarely the case. In the present article, we present the point cloud-based geometric analysis of the net vault system of the Church on the Hill of Sighişoara. Our results highlight that contrary to the generally accepted theories, the construction of a net vault is not necessarily initiated with the plan of the rib system, and that the underlying principle organising the whole system’s geometry is not always the plan pattern. Our case study also exemplifies how the Gothic principles of unity and division still blend with the ideas of separation and addition, even in a late Gothic hall church with direct connections to the guild of Landshut. Keywords: masonry ribbed net vault; late Gothic vault construction; geometric analysis; Church on the Hill of Sighişoara; Gothic construction principles

A multi-model structural analysis of the vaults of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral after the 2019 fire and a proposal for a hybrid model merging continuum and discrete approaches

After the Notre-Dame de Paris (NDP) Cathedral fire, a structural analysis was undertaken to provide decision support for architects in charge of diagnosis and repair operations. Due to the potential impact of the results on the renovation project, calculations on the vaults and walls of the monument were compared to increase their reliability. This article presents the 3 modelling strategies implemented: 2 discrete block-to-block 3D approaches (DEM and FEM) and 1 continuum 3D approach (FEM). The assumptions common to the 3 approaches are presented. They mainly concern the geometrical model, the thermal actions and a diagnosis methodology called the working point method, previously used by the authors on other Gothic vaults. Comparisons of the results with each other and with on-site deflection measurements should lead to validation of the calculation strategies. The analysis will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the computational approaches and propose research perspectives. Future developments concern the determination of models of homogenized thermomechanical behaviour of masonry and the development of a new hybrid calculation tool taking advantage of the continuum and discontinuum approaches detailed in this article.

Reconstruction of the Vault in the Tower of St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk in Light of Research on the Geometry of Vaults

ABSTRACT The paper presents the reconstruction of the vault in the tower of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gdańsk. The issue was discussed in the context of research on the geometry of Gothic vaults. The research problem was to determine the spatial structure of the vault on the basis of small remnants and in the absence of unambiguous documentation. Historical and bibliographic sources as well as the technical documentation were analyzed. On this basis, several models of virtual vaults with various geometries were developed. Theoretical models were compared with the remnants of the vault (presented in the form of laser scanning documentation) to find the best solution. This allowed to confirm the validity of the approach based on strict reference to traces as opposed to prioritising idealised theoretical models. Moreover, the research on the geometry of Gothic vaults presented in this paper shows the necessity of continuous studies in this field, which may be used in conservation works.

Baldassarre Fontana (1661-1733): some Notes and Considerations about Roman Languages in the Polish and Moravian Building Sites

This article analyzes the relationship between stucco decoration and architecture through the investigation of the languages used by Baldassarre Fontana, cousin of the more famous Carlo. The study of the stucco decoration and some architectures created by Baldassarre in Moravia and Poland will allow to underline the innovative elements in the languages used by the architect and plasterer of Chiasso, compared with roman examples including the altar of Santa Maria in Traspontina designed by Carlo Fontana or the chapel of Santa Cecilia in San Carlo ai Catinari and some works by Bernini. In Fontana’s work, the intention is to overturn the relationships between architecture and sculpture, in order to find the greatest possible separation between sculpture and architecture. Instead, in other yards, experimentation is already directed towards the rococo. The paper will consider some cases including the decoration of the church of Saint Anne in Krakow dated 1695-1704 and the low undercut plastic decoration made on the gothic vaults of the Zydowski palace, also in Krakow. The examples of the Wawrzyniec Wodzicki palace or the funerary monuments built in Poland and Moravia are also interesting. The article also presents an analysis of the stucco technique used by Baldassarre Fontana and a comparison with the construction site practices used in the Roman area.

Tas-de-charge – An Essential Part of Gothic Vault

Gothic architecture can be viewed from several perspectives, including stylistic aspects, architectural theory, and structural analysis.As Gothic architecture is a skeletal construction, it is essential to achieve an equilibrium with the multiple loads and forces. Medieval master masons' architectural knowledge was firmly based on empirical learning, which stimulated the dynamic development of structural innovations.This paper emphasises and describes a particular type of vault springer, one of the most complicated and sensitive parts of Gothic construction. Known as tas-de-charge, it became especially characteristic of high Gothic architecture. According to its principle, the springer's lower courses contain the merged vault nerves and are carved from one single stone block in each course. The beds of these courses are not radial as those of the average voussoirs, but horizontal. Without the concept of tas-de-charge, the development of late Gothic vaults could not be imaginable. This particular solution made possible the creation of elegantly narrow imposts supporting the vault ribs, the double arch and the formerets. So far, tas-de-charge has not been a focus of interest in the historiography of Hungarian medieval architecture; however, it appears that it was commonly applied in our late Romanesque and early Gothic monuments.

Geometric and static analysis of the historical truss of the medieval truss Church of St. Martin in Dolní Újezd

The late-Romanesque St. Martin´s Church in Dolní Újezd was probably built in the mid-13th century. The nave has a wooden joist ceiling whose beams serve as tie beams too. The Gothic vaults above the presbytery date from ´30s of the 15th century. The truss of the church is dendro-dated to 1420 - 1421. Some members of a truss structure are dendro-dated to 1823 - 1824, when the repair was undertaken. The examined truss is a rafter-collar tie structure with collar beams and pedestal struts. It has a characteristic shape and may be typologically classified as a structure of the earlier period. This type of a truss structure was typically built in this region and represents one of the features occurring in the particular social and culture circles at the time. Consequently, a numerical model of the roof structure was created in order to perform a static analysis of the roof structure in accordance with present standards. With regard to the structural analysis results, it can be said that the original design of the structure based on geometrical and proportional principles satisfy the reliability conditions defined by current European standards for structural design.

De las bóvedas nervadas al cañón con lunetos. Las iglesias de bóveda baída en el ámbito valenciano

<p>Los cambios arquitectónicos realizados desde el lenguaje gótico al clásico a partir de la irrupción del renacimiento, supuso la adopción de nuevos parámetros espaciales y compositivos que necesitaron del soporte de nuevos sistemas constructivos y geométricos. Es significativo el proceso evolutivo experimentado en los abovedamientos de las iglesias de la Corona de Aragón durante el recorrido que conduce desde las bóvedas nervadas propias del gótico hasta las bóvedas de cañón con lunetos barrocas. En el ámbito valenciano, y como un modelo intermedio entre los extremos del proceso, se realizaron unas pocas iglesias cubiertas con una sucesión de bóvedas baídas claramente adscribibles al lenguaje clásico. La solución geométrica de estas bóvedas basada en la esfera resultará clave.</p><span>En el texto se analizan cinco iglesias construidas con este sistema, y se muestran las soluciones adoptadas por los artífices para resolver cobertura de los diferentes templos con una geometría inédita hasta el momento.</span>

THE USAGE OF TLS AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY DURING THE RESTORATION PROCESS OF SPANISH NATIONAL MONUMENT

Abstract. This article presents the multidisciplinary methodology employed in the restoration of a sixteenth century renaissance building with gothic vaults. The use of precise instrumental techniques like TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) or photogrammetry are proposed to obtain the geometry of the building before, during and after the intervention. Obtaining the point clouds of the Refectory of the Santo Domingo de Orihuela School in their different restoration stages allows monitoring the vaults, studying their structural behaviour and deformations with the comparison of their original state, unloaded state and the new loading after the execution works.A work methodology that is proposed in this article could be applied to any restoration work of patrimonial architecture. The original deformations have been verified and quantified and the final state of the intervention has been documented with respect to the original state.

Architekturzeichnung und ihre Rolle beim ­Entwurf komplexer Werksteinkonstruktionen in Spätmittelalter und Früher Neuzeit

Abstract Although the affinity of medieval architectural drawings to the graphic procedures of setting-out has been extensively discussed, the role of scale drawings in the design practice of the late Middle-Ages and the Early Modern period is still subject of debate. This regards also the drawings of complex late Gothic rib vaults. An opportunity for better understanding their precise use and function within the design and planning of complex stone structures is given by a case study on the vault in St. Catherine’s chapel in Strasbourg Cathedral, where an original drawing of the plan can be compared with the existing structure as it was actually built. The vault with looping ribs was completed in 1547. The comparative study of the drawing and the building is based on the previous research on the procedures of stone-planning in late Gothic vaults, and comprises also building archaeology, surveys, and geometric analyses of the vault.

L'epilogo del progetto di Sigifredo vescovo: il decoro dipinto in S. Antonino a Piacenza

This paper aims to investigate the collegiate church of S. Antonino at Piacenza and its painted decoration, now reduced to some frames between the Gothic vaults and the roof. The early-Christian ma...

Reverse engineering marvelous machines: The design of Late Gothic vaults from concept to stone planning and the prehistory of stereotomy

In Late Gothic rib vaults, we admire the complex stone structures with intricate meshes of ribs interlacing in different levels, in some cases even composed of looping ribs soaring along spatial curves. On the base of case studies where detailed surveys, geometric analyses, investigations through reverse engineering, and experiments in full scale in collaboration with the workshop of Strasbourg Cathedral were carried out, we propose a complete picture of the design process from the overall concept to its implementation in the design of the single stone elements. The profound understanding of the design process in Late Gothic vaults gives a new insight to Late Medieval and Early Modern design practice for stone structures. In particular, we are able to propose a new interpretation of the early treatises of Stereotomy and the “prehistory” of the classical procedures in stone-cutting.

PERSPEKTYWY OCHRONY ŚWIATOWEGO DZIEDZICTWA W POLSCE – CZYLI TENTATIVE LIST I PROPOZYCJE MOŻLIWYCH DO ZGŁOSZENIA KANDYDATUR NA LISTĘ ŚWIATOWEGO DZIEDZICTWA

The article discusses Polish suggestions of new inscriptions into the UNESCO World Heritage List. The waiting items mentioned in the Tentative List were presented. Currently the Polish version of the List numbers 5 items. They are: Gdańsk, Town of Memory and Freedom (2005), The Augustów Canal (2006), The Dunajec River Gorge in the Pieniny Mountains (2006), Extension to the Joint World Heritage Property “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (Slovak Republic and Ukraine) and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany (Germany)” (2015), “Krzemionki”, prehistoric flint mines (2016). Other offered suggestions were also presented: The Jewish Cemetery in Łodz, the Ponds in Milicz – medieval fishponds in central Europe, Nowa Huta, the paper mill – Duszniki Zdrój, the Elbląg Canal, Nikiszowiec as a factory-related housing complex, the cultural landscape of Żuławy area, wooden mosques in the Podlasie Region – Bohoniki and Kruszyniany, the Valley of Palaces and Gardens – the Jeleniogórska Valley, Żyrardów, Warsaw Water Filters and Księży Młyn in Łodz as industrial heritage, the Citadel in Warsaw, and the Słowiński National Park as natural heritage. Among new suggestions the following were indicated: the collegiate church in Pułtusk as an example of Renaissance solutions of linear perspective applied in architecture, the project of a Gothic vault in the church in Szydłowiec as a unique example of the Gothic construction workmanship, and modern wooden churches (e.g. the church in Boguszyce).

Pseudo-Static Response of Masonry Cross Vaults to Imposed Shear Displacements at the Springings

The static and dynamic performances of historical masonry churches are closely related to the behaviour of each substructure, as well as to the mechanical properties of the constituent materials. Information on damage location and extent, collected after recent violent Italian earthquakes, highlighted that masonry vaults are among the most vulnerable elements. The investigation of their dynamic behaviour under earthquake excitation (stress and deformation states) is a fundamental issue for effective structural interventions. During an earthquake ground motion, cross vaults are basically subjected to two phenomena: (i) the "shaking"/dynamic response of the vault system itself, vibrating above the lateral walls and piers, and (ii) the response of the vault to imposed displacements at its springings, accommodating the significant movements of the lateral walls and piers. Within this context, this paper aims at improving the knowledge of the structural behaviour of cross vaults under static shear deformation at the springings, by means of an experimental test representative of a Gothic cross vault from the aisle of the Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh (UK). The experimental test was performed on a 1:4 scaled specimen built with timber and lime mortar. The shear displacement was applied by moving two abutments until failure. The deformation of the vault was recorded in space with a Total Station. The results of the tests are reported in this paper in terms of crack pattern evolution, vertical displacements of the transverse ridge, identifying the shear displacement levels corresponding to significant damages in the vault.

The Germ of the Prinzipalbogen Concept in Bartel Ranisch

The Prinzipalbogen concept, as it has been described in nineteenth century technical literature, seems to be a fundamental tool in the design of Gothic vaults in the Central European area. We will analyze Bartel Ranisch’s contribution to this concept by his text Beschreibung aller Kirchengebaude der Stadt Dantzig (1695), focused on the description of the geometrical procedure employed in the design of the arches of Gothic vaults with means of a common arch that he calls Haupt-Bogen or Quadrant. We have developed a complete study of Ranisch’s descriptions of all vaults, what, despite the frequent references to this text, especially by German authors during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, had never been carried out before. In this paper we will show some conclusions about the geometrical procedures described by Ranisch and its interpretation during construction history.

Late Gothic Asymmetrical Diamond Vaults in Spain

There are seven known cases in Spain of a particular type of late Gothic vault that also exists in at least 28 Central European buildings. They are tierceron vaults with diamond-shaped liernes and partially missing diagonal ribs. The design of this type of vault is not simple; thus, its dissemination seems to require a conscious copy of the model. Because the methods of designing the rib network were different in Spain and Central Europe and were only exchanged among masons, a volumetric and constructive analysis of these vaults that identifies their design techniques could support or question the existence of a technical knowledge transfer. After reviewing the existing examples in built heritage and written sources, this work analyzes the seven Spanish cases and studies the geometrical construction of their particular form, supported by accurate data on the vaults collected via topographic techniques.

Analysis of proportional conception of the historical truss Church of St. Martin in Dolní Újezd

The late-Romanesque St. Martin’s Church in Dolni Ujezd was probably built in the mid-13th century. The nave has a wooden joist ceiling whose beams serve as tie beams too. The Gothic vaults above the presbytery date from ’30s of the 15th century. The truss of the church is dendro-dated to 1420 – 1421. Some members of a truss structure are dendro-dated to 1823 – 1824, when the repair was undertaken. The examined truss is a rafter-collar tie structure with collar beams and pedestal struts. It has a characteristic shape and may be typologically classified as a structure of the earlier period. This type of a truss structure was typically built in this region and represents one of the features occurring in the particular social and culture circles at the time.

The Dynamic Behavior of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi Using Simplified Analytical Models

ABSTRACTThe Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi endured stronger earthquakes for centuries before 1997 earthquake, which generated the collapse of the two vaults. Experts blame as possible reasons of collapse the damage cumulated from previous earthquakes and/or the retrofitting made to the structure over its lifetime. This article presents the history of the retrofit interventions of the Basilica through the centuries, focusing mainly on the roof, which has been subjected to three major restorations through its life. It is shown using simple analytical models that the cumulative effects of the changes made to the roof of the Basilica affected the structure’s dynamic behavior in a negative manner, increasing the seismic loads on the existing structural members. In particular, the numerical results show that the 1958 roof intervention has stiffened the structure, redistributing the seismic loads on the façade and the transept. This overload might explain the collapse of the two Gothic vaults during 1997 earthquake.

Assessment of the construction process of the Cathedral of Tortosa

The development of new measurement techniques is changing the process of documentation and assessment of built heritage. An accurate planimetric basis is essential for the constructive evaluation of a building. This paper presents the methodology used in the geometric assessment of Gothic vaults in the Cathedral of Tortosa (Spain). The use of a Terrestrial Laser Scanner allows the assessment of the vaulting to a level of detail that has never been possible to achieve previously. The accurate identification of geometric deviations in the masonry can be combined with the information from primary sources, revealing new information about the construction process of the apse.

Review: Renaissance Gothic: Architecture and the Arts in Northern Europe, 1470–1540, by Ethan Matt Kavaler

Ethan Matt Kavaler Renaissance Gothic: Architecture and the Arts in Northern Europe, 1470–1540 New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2012, 344 pp., 80 color and 210 b/w illus. $75, ISBN 9780300167924 Ethan Matt Kavaler’s beautifully produced new book makes an extraordinary contribution to the growing discourse on “Late Gothic” artistic production in the last decades of the fifteenth and first decades of the sixteenth century. The very title chosen by the author—a “provocative oxymoron” (22)—complicates old notions of Gothic as a style that “develops” continuously over three centuries, entering into a period of “decline” before being swept aside by the Renaissance. The unruly and provocative material Kavaler deals with in this book is hard to cram into a traditional structure of chapter headings, and it has to be said that the introduction is disturbingly multifarious in its content. Yet the author’s argument is, for the most part, well served by the thematic organization into five chapters—“Ornament and Aesthetics,” “Flamboyant Forms,” “Microarchitecture,” “Natural Forms,” and, finally, “Deconstruction and Hybridity”—a sequence that conveniently allows the author to reserve his most original thinking for the later parts of the book. The introduction provides an overview of problems of taste and historiography: older historians of Gothic often professed a real dislike for this mode, which they considered to be “overcharged” with ornament of a kind that had broken loose from its old role of expressing architectural behavior. A few carefully chosen juxtapositions make the point: the “rational” forms of Saint-Maclou of Rouen (ca. 1440), in which slender filleted piers run smoothly into arches and ribs, is contrasted with the “jungle of overlapping shafts” (11) in the church at Brou, built some seventy-five years later for Margaret of Austria. Similarly juxtaposed, we see an austere geometric window (ca. 1300) from the nave of the minster at Freiburg im Breisgau with a window from the sixteenth-century choir where “designs have become fully emancipated from the mundane task of supporting the glass” (12). The coexistence of elements of …

Close Range Photogrammetry and Constructive Characterization of Masonry Gothic Vaults

The representation of the plan of the roof in heritage buildings often raises the problem of direct measurement, since the points are not accessible. We currently have a wide range of indirect measurement techniques that solve this problem, and enable data to be captured on a massive scale with high levels of accuracy. The article discusses the use of Close Range Photogrammetry for the constructive analysis of gothic vaults in Tortosa Cathedral. The methodology and results of the campaign are explained below, which used technological resources that are available to any professional. The computerized processing of the 3D model generated makes possible to identify and analyze the geometric anomalies in the masonry vaults. Thereby it is obtained an unparalleled basis that enables us to undertake a detailed study of the vaulting, which was previously impossible. The geometrical deviation patterns can be related with the historical data available about the construction process of the gothic apse, fulfilling the lack of information from direct sources of some periods.