Cathedrals

=Medieval Cathedrals By: Annemarie =  A cathedral ** ** is a principal church of a diocese, containing the Bishop's throne.

 ** Who: ** C athedral in Latin means "Bishop's house" So a cathedral was a Bishop's headquarters where he controlled all services. There were many people needed to build a cathedral, but the mason was in charge. The mason was a skilled and organized worker. **What**: Crownings, christenings, weddings, and funerals all took place in cathedrals. For funerals, the dead were sometimes buried inside the cathedral. These fancy churches also served as meeting places for Bishops, Lords, and Kings who had important announcements for the people.
 * Where: ** A cathedral was found in every town.
 * When: ** Cathedrals started in Europe during the Middle Ages. They sometimes took hundreds of years to build.
 * Why: ** Cathedrals were mostly built for religious purposes, but also to impress visitors, pilgrims, and high officials.





Largest cathedral in Europe/Milan, Italy/Built 1386-1448 1386-After the two adjoined basilicas (christian churches) burned down, the archbishop of the Milan Cathedral began designing it with a rayonnant Late Gothic style, having more French characteristics apposed to Italian. Picture from Matterhorn Travel []

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. One of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in Europe/Tallinn, Estonia/1882-1912 1242-Alexander Nevsky won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Piepus in Estonia, Russia. Picture from Iho-Ohi []

**Cathedral Hierarchy:**    Pope (head) Bishops (in charge of all services) Monks (gave spiritual help to visitors and cleaned the cathedral)

 **Architecture:** To start off, stone and wood were the two building materials of cathedrals. Oak was considered the best kind of wood and once the foundations were completed, stonework began on the cathedral. There are many important parts of a cathedral. When the bells were rung in the bell tower, it ment that the service was starting or it was serving as a clock. In order for the building to be sturdy, buttresses were built on each side of the cathedral. Buttresses were ramp-like and supported the main building. Yes, many windows in cathedrals were slightly tinted so not a lot of sunlight always shined through but clerestories were rows of windows used to let extra light inside. Many cathedrals consisted of a rose window. This stainglass window was round with a rose design located in the center symbolizing eternity.  **How do cathedrals IMPACT our world today?** There is a little bit of cultural diffusion occuring. Cathedrals are very unique and some stand out more than others. Ideas, tricks, styles, and architecture of cathedrals are all traded between countries who have or are planning to build a cathedral. Also many cathedrals attract attention and tourists. This greatly effects the areas that have cathedrals because they can earn more money from all the tourists, or they could end up with problems with too many people visiting the town. 1. lots of religious art was found in cathedrals such as statues, paintings, and mosaics. 2. A cathedral also included a kitchen, chapel, a garden, work rooms, and monastries where the monks lived. 3. Bishops recieved one diocese, district, to use for religious purposes. The poeple and sometimes the king gave funds to build cathedrals-they believed by building them it would lift their sins.
 * Interesting Facts:**

**Sites:** __Cathedrals.__ 1997. Kyrene. 24 April 2009< []> __Cathedral.__ 1992. Wikipedia. 24 April 2009 <[]> __Medieval Cathedrals.__ 1998. History for Kids. 24 April 2009<[]>  