Yesterday I did absolutely nothing of interest. I went to class, the grocery store, dinner, and talked with others. Today I had a field trip! We went to Ely Cathedral which is about a ten-fifteen minute train ride away. It is a gorgeous part Romanesque, part Gothic cathedral. It is the inspiration for today's title because originally it was just a slightly large Anglo-Saxon church but after William the Conqueror conquered the monk who was in charge of rebuilding it "had delusions of grandeur". Ely was and still is a small middle of nowhere town (sound familiar?) and this church was being build with what is still one of the largest (3rd maybe) naves in Western Europe. It did not even become a cathedral until after it was finished and they made a new diocese.
The structure itself has had some problems, the original crossing tower (the center tower) collapsed and they had to rebuild both the tower and a little bit of the surrounding parts. The north west tower also collapsed more recently and was never rebuilt. Additionally the guy who designed the museum I went to the other day, the Fitzwilliam Museum, he was inspecting the crossing tower to see if it needed repairs when he fell to his death there. Not one of the safest buildings. (Though Thomas Becket and Oscar Romero could tell you something about safety in churches.)
It was really great to see this church because it was a perfect representation of everything that we have been learning in Gothic Architecture. While it started off as a Romanesque, the East End (the front) was finished and renovated in Early and Middle Gothic styles - and then some of the later additions were done in Late Gothic style. (Though since King's College Chapel is probably the best example of Late Gothic anywhere, the later additions were brushed over.) We got to compare the different styles and point out the features that changed over time. For example, Middle Gothic is also known as Decorated Gothic, and so looking from Early to Middle it was easy to see how things become more intricate and there was just more there.
Because this was a field trip I broke my no photos during class rule and I hope you enjoy what I ended up taking.
Ely Cathedral
Looking up in the Crossing Tower
Looking towards the West (back) of the cathedral from the Choir in the East (front).
Looking at a neo-Gothic panel behind the main altar
The West façade (back end) of the Cathedral - note the missing North tower
The East End stained glass window
The Lady Chapel (chapel devoted to the Blessed Mother, the largest in the entire world perhaps) and the outer front (East) of the cathedral
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