Intended by medieval builders to be the greatest of the High Gothic cathedrals, Saint-Pierre Beauvais has achieved notoriety among historians because it was indeed the tallest structure of its kind and because it collapsed. This book relates the extraordinary story of the cathedral which, despite the collapses of its 150-foot high choir in 1284 and its crossing tower in 1573, has managed to withstand a series of natural and political catastrophes that have ravaged the surrounding town throughout the past seven hundred years. By analyzing both archaeological evidence and historical documents, Stephen Murray examines separately the various phases of construction from the eleventh to the sixteenth century to determine the essential architectural quality of each phase and its relationship with the historical context. The author discusses, for example, how the use of a five-aisled pyramidal basilica reveals the pretensions of the founding bishop, Miles of Nanteuil, whose exclusive allegiance to the Church aroused bitter opposition from the French king Louis IX and segments of the bourgeoisie. In employing a new understanding of the process of design and construction, Murray shows that the Beauvais cathedral was the product not of one single sublime vision but of the conflict arising from several distinct artistic perspectives that may have led to the creation of a basically flawed overall structure.

The Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius declared firmitas, utilitas, and venustas-firmness, commodity, and delight- to be the three essential attributes of architecture. These qualities are brilliantly explored in this book, which uniquely comprises both a detailed survey of Western architecture, including Pre-Columbian America, and an introduction to architecture from the Middle East, India, Russia, China, and Japan. The text encourages readers to examine closely the pragmatic, innovative, and aesthetic attributes of buildings, and to imagine how these would have been praised or criticized by contemporary observers. Artistic, economic, environmental, political, social, and technological contexts are discussed so as to determine the extent to which buildings met the needs of clients, society at large, and future generations.

The cathedral of Saint-Pierre in Beauvais, France, is most famous as a failure--its choir vaults came crashing down in 1284--and only secondarily for its soaring beauty. This lavishly illustrated and elegantly written book represents the first serious look at the stunning collection of Gothic stained glass windows that has always dominated the experience of those who enter Beauvais Cathedral. Chapter by chapter, Michael Cothren traces the glazing through four successive campaigns that bridged the century between the 1240s and the 1340s. The reader is transported back in history, gaining fascinating insight into what the glazing of Beauvais actually would have looked like as well as what it would have communicated to those who frequented the cathedral. Contrary to the widespread assumption that these windows are heavily restored, Cothren shows that they are in fact surprisingly well preserved, especially in light of the cathedral's infamous history of architectural disaster. More importantly, Cothren goes far to dismantle a long-held misconception about medieval painted windows, and indeed monumental medieval pictorial art in general: the notion that it was conceived and produced as a substitute text for ignorant, illiterate folks, providing for them a "Bible of the Poor." Indeed, Cothren shows us that stained glass windows, rich with shaded meanings, functioned more like sermon than scripture. As an ensemble, they created a radiant interpretive backdrop that explicated and situated the performance of the Mass in this giant liturgical theater.

The great cathedrals and churches of the medieval West continue to awe. How were they built, and why do they remain standing? What did their builders know about what they were doing? These questions have given rise to considerable controversy, which is fully reflected in the papers selected here. The first section of the book is concerned with the medieval builders and their design methods; the second focuses on engineering issues in the context of the infamous collapse of the choir at Beauvais in 1284. The following papers extend the analysis into the 15th century, looking for example at Brunelleschi’s dome for Florence Cathedral, and deal with the often neglected structures of roofs, towers and spires.