One of the most famous philosopher-theologians of his day, Abelard was born in 1079 in France. He was a tutor of theology in Paris, where he met and secretly married one of his pupils, Heloise, who was the niece of a canon in Paris. He was punished by castration for the marriage and went to live in a monastery while Heloise became a nun. Abelard was found guilty of heresy after a dispute with Bernard of Clairvaux.
Ambulatory:
An aisle which runs around the curved end of a church.
Archivolt:
The area of stone which surrounds the contour of an arch. In a church it is often decorated with carvings.
Belfry:
The room in the church tower for hanging bells.
Black Death:
An epidemic which devastated Europe and the Near East in the mid-13th century. It is believed to have come from Asia, transmitted by fleas on rats, traveling along the trade routes to Europe and the near East. It reached southern Europe in 1347, and France and England in 1348. It is estimated that up to 25 million people may have died in 20 years in Europe. In France one third of the population died, resulting in a shortage of labor for the next generation, and the governments of some countries using forced labor.
Carnutes:
A Celtic tribe living in northern France. It is thought that they made Chartres their sacred Druidic center, and that the name of the City of Chartres is derived from the name `Carnute.'
Celts:
A group of people who shared a common culture and language. They are sometimes referred to as Gauls because one of the largest areas they settled was in Gaul (modern France). They first settled in the Upper Danube region around the 13th century BC, and then spread into Gaul, North Italy, parts of Spain, and the British Isles. The Celtic dialects have survived in Wales, Brittany and Ireland.
Choir:
The name for the part of a church which is located near the main altar, usually at the east end.
Christendom:
The whole community of people who profess Christianity. The name was introduced in the Middle Ages to refer to those lands following the Christian Church. As the Eastern Christian Church moved further away from the Western Church, Christendom was increasingly used to refer to those lands loyal to Rome.
Crypt:
An underground room or vault beneath a church used as a burial place or to keep relics. In Chartres Cathedral, the Saint-Lubin Crypt, constructed in the ninth century, is buried deep beneath the choir. The second and much larger crypt, the Saint Fulbert Crypt, was built between 1020 and 1024. Its galleries extend beneath the aisles and the chevet of the present cathedral. This is one of the largest ancient crypts.
Facade:
Exterior face of the west end or transept end of a building, often decorated with sculpture.
Fleur de Lys:
A floral emblem consisting of three petals on a stem used as a royal symbol by the French kings from the time of Clovis. Legends about the origin of the fleur de lys say it was sent to Clovis (c. 466-511) from heaven and it symbolized purity. It was widely used by the French kings on coins, robes and shields.
Flying Buttress:
An arch or half-arch that transmits the thrust of a vault from the upper part of a wall to an outer support or buttress. They are usually set out in pairs, one on each side of the main vault being supported.
First Council of Orleans:
A meeting held by leaders of the early Christian Church to discuss matters of doctrine and clerical discipline. These meetings were generally held in Paris, Orleans or Rome and the proceedings were carefully recorded in Latin by clerical scribes. A large part of our knowledge of the early church comes from these accounts.
Franks:
Nomadic tribe of Germanic origin, known for their strength, who overthrew the Roman Empire in the fourth to sixth centuries AD. They then dominated Europe. The Franks first moved into Gaul in the middle of the fourth century AD, and under Clovis they overcame the Romans at the Battle of Soissons in AD486. The Frankish Kingdom was then founded under Clovis. His successors, the Merovingians, continued to rule the Kingdom of the Franks until AD751.
Huguenots:
Refers to French Protestants.
Iconography:
The symbolic and often religious meaning of objects, persons or events depicted in works of art.
John of Salisbury:
A theologian, secretary to Archbishop Theobald and Archbishop Thomas Becket of Canterbury as well as a philosopher, John of Salisbury was born in 1115. He was taught by Peter Abelard. He went into exile in France with Thomas a Becket in 1164, and was with Becket when the latter was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. John became Bishop of Chartres in 1176, after the rebuilding work of the mid-12th century, and before the great fire of 1194. He wrote philosophical works describing his ideal society, the most famous of which were the `Policraticus' and the `Matalogicon.'
Knights Templar:
A military religious order, whose full name was `The Poor Knights of Christ of the Temple of Solomon,' founded by Hugh de Payens in 1118. Originally they were a lay order formed to protect European pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem. In 1128 they became a religious order under the Benedictine rule. They attracted many noblemen who brought a lot of wealth to the order which enabled them to act as bankers in Europe. They were disliked by monarchs who saw them as a threat, particularly Philip IV of France, and they were eventually charged with heresy in 1307. The order was then disbanded, their wealth taken from them and several of the members including the Grand Master were burned at the stake.
Lancet:
A narrow window with a pointed arch which has no subdivision.
Martin Luther:
A German priest and theologian who held the chair of biblical theology at Wittenberg University in 1512. After expressing his dissatisfaction with corruption in the Catholic Church, he challenged it in 1517, precipitating the German Reformation. He broke from the Catholic Church in 1521 and set up the Lutheran Church which was the first of the new Protestant churches.
Master Mason:
Masonry is the art and craft of building in stone, clay or brick. A chief mason's job was similar to that of an architect today. He designed the building as well as oversaw its construction.
Nave:
The central part of the church, usually from the west door to the chancel and excluding the side aisles and transepts.
Ogival Vaulting:
Vaulting using pointed or Gothic arches.
Portal:
A church door. It was often large and surrounded by highly decorated carved columns and statues.
Reims Cathedral:
A 13th-century Gothic cathedral located in the northeast of France in the city of Reims. It was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and its full name is the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Reims. Clovis was baptized in Reims Cathedral when he was converted to Christianity. It then became usual for French kings to be consecrated there. The cathedral was badly damaged during World War II, but it was carefully restored and today is one of the most beautiful and important Gothic cathedrals in France, together with Notre Dame de Chartres and Notre Dame de Paris.
Rood Screen:
A screen separating the choir from the nave in a medieval church. They were often decorated with beautiful carvings.
Saracens:
The name given to the Moslem inhabitants of the lands of Palestine by the Western Christian Crusaders in medieval times.
Sainte Chapelle:
A beautiful church built by Louis IX in the Royal Palace at Paris between 1243 and 1246 to house relics brought back from the Crusades. It develops the Gothic idea of thin walls and lots of stained glass even further than in Chartres Cathedral and creates a wonderful glow of colored light radiating from the glass inside.
Sancta Camisia:
The famous relic of Chartres. It was a simple piece of cloth which was thought to be the robe worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Jesus. It was brought from the East to France as one of the relics bought from the profits of the Crusades. Relics such as this one could grow in importance over the years and would be bought and sold all around Europe over several centuries during the Middle Ages.
The Terror:
A term referring to a period of the French Revolution from 1793-4 during which many opponents of the Revolutionary Government were executed.
Transept:
The two `arms' of the church which are at right angles to the main axis of the building and form the shape of a cross.
Trumeau:
The stone post which stands in the center of a medieval church door. It is usually decorated with carvings.
Vault:
A curved roof of masonry, constructed using the principle of the arch.
