blakereformation

[blakereformation]

The Beguinage in Bruges

I chose this location primarily due to how beautiful and unique this place is. Dedicated to the purpose of housing religious women who come to live in an area that provided support; You can see that nature was the primary focus for these Beguinages. The houses were made simplistic and clean. They feel welcoming but don’t draw attention away from the beautiful gardens and trees surrounding the beguinage. That is why I chose the Beguinage in Bruges.

The Beguinage in Bruges was important to reformation as it was a prime example of what the reformation was. It was a time that challenged the ideas and traditions people of the medieval times had considered to be set in stone. Before this time there were two options for a woman's life. She could either be a wife and a mother or a nun. By going against this tradition by providing an alternative they allowed women to live how they truly wanted to live.

I was surprised by the fact that although these women were devoting their lives to religion and being single, yet they were still part of society. I was also surprised by what seems like a drastic move to make in one’s life by moving to an area dedicated to the religious single women but no vows were required. This was something that women wanted to do and not something they had to do and that is what I felt most surprising.

Westminster Abbey

I chose Westminster Abbey for my blog because of its significance to the English and British Monarchs. Every British king or queen with a few exceptions have been coronated here as well as 18 of these monarchs have been buried here. I also choose it because it is a prime example of Gothic architecture with its full display of buttresses and flying buttresses that support the Gothic arch used throughout west Munster abbey.

It connects to the reformation because this was where King Henry VIII was coronated. This man had a big impact on the Renaissance as he was ruler of a power house country at the time, and started his own religion in retaliation of the Pope not bending to his demands. This was important as before the Renaissance kings had been under Popes in the Hierarchy of power. Now for the first time a king has decided that he is greater than a Pope and doesn’t need the Pope. He was also known for his several wives and all of them being unable to produce a male heir. He overthrew the hierarchy of the Middle Ages and pursued his own beliefs and all of that started with him getting coronated at Westminster Abbey.

One thing that surprised me is that there is a lady chapel that was an extension of Westminster Abbey in honor of the Virgin Mary. As someone not very knowledgeable on Catholic traditions it’s surprising to see anyone other than God and Jesus being shown and honored in a church. On top of this they have chapels dedicated to the Royal Air Force, Saint Edward the Confessor's chapel, St. Faiths Chapel, and many others. Overall it was surprising to know that all of these people had chapels in Westminster abbey dedicated to their memory.

Church of St. John

Basilica of St. Servatius

The Church of St. John, Maastricht is the red tower and the basilica of St. Servertus is the brown brick church. The reason for choosing these churches was their uniqueness in style that is emphasized by the two separate buildings being part of the same church. The church of Saint John appears as if it’s out of a fairy tail with its extremely unique color of red, it’s immense height, the golden clock, and the contrasting base that seems to follow a completely different style. The basilica of St. Severus is completely different however. Although appearing more similar to a traditional Catholic church the two towers and the cylindrical areas that come out make it distinct. The main thing is that these two things are so close together. Alone they would not seem nearly as special but together the combination of contrasting styles amplifies the ecstatic and is why I choose these churches for my project.

These churches connect to the reformation in what it represented. The Basilica of St. Servatius and chapel of St. John was a representation of Roman Catholicism and what came before the reformation. The leaders here would have experienced conflict as reformation spread and threatened the traditions and power the church leaders had. As people began to believe the teachings of other religions attendance for these churches and the power of the church leaders decreased.

What I found surprising about these religious buildings is how close they are to one another. This was my initial reaction as these religious buildings are a couple of feet from each other but it really shouldn’t be when you realize that the Church of Saint John was made to reduce the number of people pushing the maximum capacity of the basilica of Saint Servatius. This allowed these two churches to assume separate, specific functions. The church leaders were able to delegate the responsibilities of baptisms and parish church while the basilica of Saint Servatius could now be a collegiate and pilgrimage church. If you didn’t realize these churches were intended to cover the responsibilities of a Catholic church together and thought they were separate churches then it would be initially surprising however when you realize they are same church just with 2 separate buildings it makes sense.

Aix-la-Chapelle Cathedral

I chose Aix-la-Chapelle Cathedral because of its beauty and the lord behind the cathedral. The myth of the church leaders making a deal with the devil to give him a soul in exchange for the funds to finish the cathedral is interesting and has an even more interesting ending to it where the church leaders trick the devil by sending a wolf to have its soul sacrificed in place of Charlemagne’s. From this story lore continues as the devils finger is supposedly in the handle of the door. Such beauty and a story behind it is why I choose Aix-la-Chapelle Cathedral.

It connects to reformation heavily through its ties with Charlemagne. Charlemagne was the holy Roman emperor that was able to successfully centralize power in the Holy Roman Empire. The centralization of power is what allowed the Roman Empire to become one of the four Kingdoms coming out of the Middle Ages by forcing the extremely fragmented area to fight as one. Aix-la-Chapelle Cathedral has a myth tied to Charlemagne but it was also the cathedral of Aachen. Charlemagne decided that Aachen would be the capital of the empire and the most important residence. This was largely due to the hot springs present here that supposedly had healing capabilities. So overall it was a very important building in a very important city to the man that through his centralization of power in the Holy Roman Empire was able to bring the world out of the Middle Ages.

One thing I found surprising was the fact that the images all over the cathedral but specifically on the ceiling told the stories of the Bible. I was surprised by how well these images convey the stories they were trying to tell. They only covered the key points but with a little context you can clearly see what images are trying to say. The images are beautiful but they weren’t just for decoration. People at the time coming out of the Middle Ages couldn’t read, and so they relied on images to tell the stories. This is how the common people learned what the Bible said because they couldn’t read it themselves.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

I chose Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore because of the story behind its construction. It was the time of the Renaissance and people were discovering things rapidly so they built the Cathedral intended to have a dome at the top. The only issue is that the knowledge of how to build a dome had been lost. The people of Florence were so confident in their intelligence of their people that they believed by the time the cathedral finished the ability to build a dome would be rediscovered. They overestimated their abilities and so the roof was exposed to the sky for years until Filippo Brunelleschi finally rediscovered the dome and made it the biggest one in the world.

This connects to the reformation as it was a result of the mentality that surrounded the reformation. Ideas were springing up everywhere and their ambition for knowledge was leading to creations and works of art that hadn’t been seen since the Roman Empire. Such a massive cathedral was already ambitious with its unique design differentiating it from everything else, but creating this building with a dome was

What surprised me was the ambition and achievement behind the dome on top of this cathedral. It was the biggest dome in the world at the time but also the first built in Italy after the Middle Ages. It’s surprising because of how recently the knowledge to build the dome had been reintroduced. Instead of starting out small and working up, Brunchelli immediately built the dome for the cathedral in Florence, completing a long awaited cathedral and showing how well he truly understood the science behind making a dome.