World Cultures: Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and the Great Mosque in Spain

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Introduction

Throughout the history, people have been faced with numerous questions about the universe, the creator, life after death and other fundamental questions that seem to have no definite answers. Consequently, people have turned to arguments that are not based on sight, but rather, on faith and belief.

Different societies exhibit their faith in the sacred realm of the spirit in various ways. Some associate it with gods and goddesses, and others with spirits of ancestors or nature and one God (Sayre 53). While some forms of faith have vanished with the passage of time, others have remained small and local.

Some forms of faith like Christianity and Islam have become significant religions that attract believers from all around the universe. Art has played a vital role in the relationship between human beings and the sacred realm.

It has allowed individuals and groups of individuals to envision, honor and communicate with their sacred realm (Sayre 53). This paper compares two works of architecture that were created to provide a setting to perform rituals of worship and prayer. These are the Sainte-Chapelle, or holy chapel located in Paris, and the Great Mosque at Córdoba, Spain.

The Saint-Chapelle

The holy chapel located in Spain is a spectacle that was commissioned in 1239 by the French king Louis IX. Its purpose was to hold a variety of vital set of relics that the king had obtained. These relics comprised pieces of the True Cross, the Crown of Thorns, and other instruments of Christ’s Passion.

The architects involved in its design created a high vertical space with walls that appeared like stained glass. The light passing through the glass wall forms a glittering effect that alters the interior into a radiant eerie space that creates an impression of the glory of heaven (Papanicolaou 57).

Sainte-Chapelle uses a series of high vertical buttresses that are linked horizontally by iron tie-rods that encircle the building, concealed in the masonry. They pass across the windows as part of the framework supporting the glass. Acquisition of the relics from the emperors of Constantinople was aimed at increasing the religious and political influence of both France and Paris.

The Sainte-Chapelle, which housed the relics, served as a representation of royalty by divine right. The relics were displayed and worshipped in the upper chapel while the lower chapel served as a place of worship for the palace staff. The structure used a basilica-type layout with an arc shaped apse, which served as the model for other Holy chapels (Papanicolaou 58).

The lower chapel comprises a statue of Virgin Mary, a thirteenth century fresco, and struts that connect the aisle columns to the lateral walls. The upper chapel comprises the windows, the statue of saint peter, the great shrine, and the western rose. In the statue of Peter, he is holding the keys to heaven. The twelve pillars represent the harmony of the apostles with the faces of Parisian sculptures of the mid thirteenth century (Wilson 126).

The great mosque at Córdoba

Construction of the great Islamic house of worship started in the eighth century. It formed the largest place of prayer and worship in Western Islam. The interior of the prayer hall has a huge horizontal space that comprises a series of columns and arches. The hall gets its light from the doorways that are situated around the perimeter of the hall.

The light reveals a set of shadows that make the scope and form of the interior difficult to comprehend. The vision is interrupted by irregular red and white sections, as well as, the additional shadows created by the light from oil lamps hanging at the front of the focal point of worship (Khoury 83).

The Cordoba mosque represents a process that links the past and the future as portrayed by al-Hakam al-Mustansir. The mosque is a representation of the Andalusian Umayyad architectural style with a little twist in its style. In addition to its beauty, the mosque marks an era that saw the merging of historical, cultural and mythical paradigms. The mosque formed the link between a dynastic identity and the new caliphal one. Consequently, the Cordoba mosque was rededicated as a monument of Umayyad victory (Khoury 85).

The great Mosque of Cordoba is celebrated for its harmony, balance, incredible use of light and decoration, and its general harmony and artistic sensitivity. The architectural design combines elements of the old, reused and original styles to create a system of arches supported by thin pilasters on marble columns. This and other elements are characteristic of the history of western Islamic architecture (Khoury 86).

Compare and contrast

The two architectural works were developed to create an environment and atmosphere that presented an ideal setting for rituals of prayer and worship. These rituals formed the connection between worldly and heavenly realms. While the Saint-Chapelle is a small, intimate space that was created as a private chapel for King Louis and his court, the Great Mosque at Córdoba in Spain is a massive structure that was developed to serve the needs of the society (Sayre 55).

The architects involved in the design of both the Sainte-Chapelle and the Great Mosque at Córdoba, attempted to build a place for worshipers and believers to converse with the sacred realm. The design of the Sainte-Chapelle was inspired by the development of a beaming vertical space with alterations brought about by colored light. The Great Mosque at Córdoba, on the other hand, was inspired by the creation of a large horizontal space that was characterized by columns, daylight and shadows (Wilson 126).

The architecture of the two buildings represents unique designs that use the elements of space and light to develop a sharp sense of obscurity and marvel. The brilliance of the structures is mainly attributed to their ability to represent their intended meaning.

While the sacred realm was not visible in human sight, the artists were given the responsibility of creating images and representations of gods and goddesses, as well as, angels and other spiritual beings. These representations were required of artists and architects throughout the ages, as seen in the two buildings, which were constructed several centuries apart each other (Wilson 126).

The two sacred buildings in Spain, and other religious images developed in history help to enhance the faith of believers by providing them with tangible forms to the abstract notions. Some representations hold more intricate and mysterious meaning, like in various cultures where the images serve as mediums for the transfer of sacred power.

Some cultures use the images to develop a sense of a dwelling place for a holy being, who can be summoned to the structure through ritual. In conclusion, it can be said that the Sainte-Chapelle and the Great Mosque at Córdoba are two religious structures that utilized different forms and style to develop a sacred realm for the intended individuals and communities (Sayre 57).

Works Cited

Khoury, Nuha. “The Meaning of the Great Mosque of Cordoba in the Tenth Century.” Muqarnas (1996): 13, 80-98. Print.

Papanicolaou, Linda Morey. “Stained glass from the cathedral of tours: The impact of the Sainte-chapelle in the 1240s.” Metropolitan Museum Journal, 15 (1981): 55-66. Print.

Sayre, Henry. A world of Art: themes of art. prentice hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2010. Print.

Wilson, Christopher. The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1990.

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