Yes, it was indeed a power statement -- given the time (25ish years after the Conquest and Harrying) and location (Durham), the Normans wanted to show their power for sure.
Magnificent work as always! I learned so much. I see an unrealized opportunity in the empty space surrounding the Bishop's tomb. They should have finished the trefoils up to the sides. Maybe the alternating piers at Chartres got their inspiration here 🤔?
Yeah, that could have been nice on the tomb. Many of the workers at Durham likely went back to France -- so the scholars say -- so it could indeed be that they influenced places like Chartres and earlier French cathedrals.
Hi Ben, I so enjoy your posts. I somehow have a double subscription, so I am getting everything twice. You might want to delete one of them to keep your records accurate. Thanks, Peter
Thanks Peter. I apologize, but the double emails are due to cross-posting between my publications. Substack doesn't allow me to prevent duplicates for people subscribed to both. If deleting the occasional second email is annoying, you can unsubscribe from one.
I did wonder why you had ranked it so low until your reminder that you are ranking Gothic architecture and most of Durham is pre/proto-Gothic. Just ranking cathedrals, it would probably hit my top 5.
You can see the powerful Norman Architecture in the structure. A power statement! Love it
Yes, it was indeed a power statement -- given the time (25ish years after the Conquest and Harrying) and location (Durham), the Normans wanted to show their power for sure.
Magnificent work as always! I learned so much. I see an unrealized opportunity in the empty space surrounding the Bishop's tomb. They should have finished the trefoils up to the sides. Maybe the alternating piers at Chartres got their inspiration here 🤔?
Yeah, that could have been nice on the tomb. Many of the workers at Durham likely went back to France -- so the scholars say -- so it could indeed be that they influenced places like Chartres and earlier French cathedrals.
Hi Ben, I so enjoy your posts. I somehow have a double subscription, so I am getting everything twice. You might want to delete one of them to keep your records accurate. Thanks, Peter
Thanks Peter. I apologize, but the double emails are due to cross-posting between my publications. Substack doesn't allow me to prevent duplicates for people subscribed to both. If deleting the occasional second email is annoying, you can unsubscribe from one.
No, it doesn't bother me at all; I just didn't want to be causing you extra work, So we'll just leave it as is. Thanks for the explanation.
I did wonder why you had ranked it so low until your reminder that you are ranking Gothic architecture and most of Durham is pre/proto-Gothic. Just ranking cathedrals, it would probably hit my top 5.