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#baptism #cathedral #clovis #coronation #france #francja #french #gothic #katedra #medieval #reims #średniowiecze #13thcentury
Published: 2016-08-21 15:32:27 +0000 UTC; Views: 2692; Favourites: 157; Downloads: 51
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Description
This is the side view of Notre-Dame de Reims (Our Lady of Reims, France) – the coronation cathedral of the kingdom of France. With its multiple levels of flying buttresses, portals, tracery and thousands of sculptures, this monumental cathedral represents the epitome of medieval Europe.
The cathedral was built in the early 13th C. According to contemporaries, it was a beautiful epoch. After more than 200 years of steady population growth and technological advancement, Europe was at the peak of its prosperity. Never before, not even in the age of the ancient Roman Empire, was Europe as populous and wealthy – new cities and monasteries were established from Portugal in the West to Estonia in the East. New, mechanical manufactures powered by water allowed industrial production of goods that reached consumers from all working classes. Literacy was on the rise and many villages, even in distant Poland, established their own courts with rural archives. Art, including theater and troubadour poetry, flourished. Nearly all of the monumental cathedrals in France were built at that time.
However, the optimism and achievements of the 13th C. were soon challenged. In the 14th C., the Black Death swept across Europe killing nearly half of its population. As people were dying, France continued to engage in the Hundred Years’ War that devastated its countryside for decades. The age of great cathedrals – at least in Western Europe, was over. It took hundreds of years for Europe to recover – only in the 17th and 18th C. European population reached the same level as in the 13th C. Thus, to me at least, the monumental cathedrals such as Reims serve as symbols of the golden century of medieval Europe, the time of prosperity that was not to repeat itself for many years....
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Comments: 53
A testimony of human genius and how it can withstand the most tragic times...
Thanks a lot for sharing !
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As always - it should be me thanking you for paying attention to this image 
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Oh wow what a magnificent building it is too. Thanks for he info as well.
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It should be me thanking you for taking the time to view this, read and comment - I am always especially glad when someone reads the (a bit longish, I agree) description under the photo - thank you very much - I really appreciate your comment!
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my God!! (pardon the pun) Jaw dropping in its majestic scale and complexity. Friggen' WOW!!
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An apt title and interesting background information.
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Sorry for taking so long to respond and, as always, thank you for visiting! I am always particularly glad when someone cares to read the description - thank you again!
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Always a pleasure!
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Truly beautiful, monumental. The title is genious concerning the information You gave us!
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Thank you for yet another comment! Answering them is a real pleasure
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Thank you for the comment - it is a treasure to have you as one of my viewers
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You are always so very welcome. As I have said, so my apologies for sounding repetitive, your photos and information is first class and I look forward to seeing and reading more of your work and to hearing more about your project
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Thank you. How fortunate that so much of France was spared the devastation of the last war. Poland, I know, was not. Great tragedy.
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It should be me thank you for taking the time to comment
About Reims - it was fortunate during WW II but earlier, in WW I large parts of the cathedral and palace were destroyed - a lot of the building's fabric that can be seen today, including the roof and many vaults, is reconstruction. Here are some photos: www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/2014…
Anyway, thank you very much once again for the comment (and sorry for taking so long to reply). It is always a pleasure to here from you!
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Wow, impressive photo! As always I enjoyed reading the description too. It is very grand! How old is the building on the left? If it is 18th century that would be a neat juxtaposition representing the two eras of prosperity you discussed.
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Thank you for commenting
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That's interesting! In my travels in Germany I have also found that destruction from the war is mentioned more often than in the UK, though I think it gets addressed a bit more in the big cities. When I was a tour guide of the cathedral in Münster for example, we had photos up in the front of the church showing what the church looked like before and after, and we got lots of specific questions about which parts had been restored. In Münster it's a very seamless restoration so you can't usually tell without being told which parts are original and which parts aren't, except that instead of restoring its prewar baroque style, they opted for as close to the Romanesque style as possible.
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Lovely photo of a beautiful building and great example of outstanding architecture.
Thank you for providing the very interesting and informative history.
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It should be me thanking you Lori for taking the time to view this and comment - as always, I am very glad to see that you visit my gallery sometimes - thank you very much - Reims is indeed beautiful - I am usually interested in the history and art of the frontier, somewhat peripheral regions but sometimes it is good to visit the core areas were masterpieces and models are crafted... Thank you again!
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It is good to hear from you again! I am very glad you like it, thank you very much for taking the time to comment! I appreciate it!
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ah! i know this one
beautiful photo and thanks for your comment
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Thank you very much for the comment David! I was hoping this might catch you attention
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thank you too, because same we know the place, your comments give us always a new vision of the thing.
A pleasure
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There is indeed a beauty and magnificence in cathedrals of the 13th-15th century that cannot be recaptured anymore. I have always been interested in the history of the black death and even though it was a devastating disease, it is interesting to note how many changes it brought into being.
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Thank you very much for taking the time to view this and comment - I appreciate it! Like you, I am interested in the Black Death though mostly from the perspective of pre-modern health care and medieval hospitals / orphanages etc..... It is good to hear that you appreciate the beauty of medieval cathedrals - as long as people care about them - there is a chance they will be well taken care of... thank you again!
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I agree that aspect is very interesting such as how the black death forced reassesment of all aspects of medicine, one wherein practical medicine received more attention, study, and status.
I aspire to become a restorer and depending on which field I want to specialise in, I hope I can restore the interior a cathedral one day.
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Ah, this architecture, Always a beauty in every angle you look at it
The Black Death was a devastating plague whose effect still lingers in the back of our mind. I have read somewhere that Black Death caused a lot of unexpected social mobility, where peasants or artisans could suddenly get rich from inheritance left by their deceased relative due to the plague. Since skilled labors became rarer, the cost of labors becomes expensive and that didn't sit well with the nobles. The other interesting part was that, it was during this time as well that most of the clergy men died due to the plague, since monastery and religious men were more likely the first to be involved in dealing with the victims. The death of the experienced and knowledgeable clergymen left a vacuum which were then replaced by inexperienced clergies and priest with lesser knowledge, which, as one historian argue, contributed in the corruption within the catholic church which already saw some conflicts due to internal and external conflicts
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i am flattered you took the time to visit my galley gin - thank you very much! I really appreciate it! It is interesting to read about the 'side effects' (so to speak) of the Black Death - I was not aware of some of the points you mention, particularly the fragment about the vacuum within the Catholic church. It seems to correlate with some of the material I read about the crisis of monasticism and the Catholic Church more general in the 15th C. (that is just one-two generations after the Black Death). If you remember the reference to the text you mention please let me know. Thank you very much once again for taking the time to view and comment, reading it was a pleasure to me!
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No problem friend! I have to admit I forgot where I read the actual essay, but there's one article that is close to the statement (link ). I think he point out the book where he cited the references. Black death caused a lot of devastation, including the clergy class but I have yet to find detailed readings which covers the effect on the middle east, as the plague contributed to several depopulation and permanent change within the eastern society, mostly along Syrian region (eastern Mediterranean coast).
I'm not sure if the effect was as profound to the medieval Muslim society than as it was with the European Christendom...
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Wygląda bardzo majestatycznie, może mam bujną wyobraźnię bo podsuwa mi widok jaki mogla prezentować w stanie świeżo po zbudowaniu, ale odwiedzenie takiego miejsca musiało stanowić ciekawe doznanie.
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Hej, dzięki za komentarz! Ciekawe, też zastanawiałem się jak wyglądała zaraz po ukończeniu - albo chociaż pod koniec budowy - kiedy tyl już stoi a przód jeszcze budują - wyobrażam sobie, że musiała znacznie mocniej dominować nad miastem. Tak, że było ją widać z każdej części miasta, trochę jak średniowieczny wieżowiec.... a wiesz, że samo miasto Reims nie jest zbyt piękne? Bardzo mocno zbombardowne w czasie I wojny światowej (katedra też w dużej części została wtedy uszkodzona i część sklepień się zawaliło, przez co nie ma zbyt wielu ładnych uliczek - raczej szerokie, XX wieczne bulwary wszędzie - nie za wiele średniowiecznej atmosfery. Katedra w każdym razie niesamowita, dzięki, że chciało Ci się obejrzeć - bardzo mi miło! Chciałem już zamknąć to konto i fakt że jeszcze ktoś komentuje sprawił, że postanowiłem zostac - dzięki!
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Ja jak to ja zawsze dam Ci komentarz w odpowiednim momencie
Pociesz się, że nie widziałeś rewitalizowanego zamku w Ciechanowie. Okropieństwo. A taki w sumie już poza tematem kiedyś zawsze słuchałem jaka Praga jest piękna, a osobiście tam będąc miałem wręcz przeciwne wrażenie. Owszem katedra mi się podobała, kamienny most też, ale tłumy żebraków na ulicach, poniżający ich publicznie ludzie. Ulice brudne, żadnego klimatu w mieście.
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The Black Death was a human tragedy on an almost inconceivable scale and an economic disaster. Yet it's interesting to speculate on how far the evolution of democracy and popular representation would have gone without it. The halving of the labour force gave more power to the labourers who survived. We see evidence of the aristocracy trying to fight back against that trend, e.g., the Statute of Labourers in 1351. Would the Peasants' Revolt have taken place in 1381 without the Black Death? How did its repercussions affect society in the next few centuries? It's the sort of question that makes counter-factual history so fascinating to me.
That aside, a beautiful picture
How's Thessa, by the way?
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Hi Jeremy, it is great to hear from you! First of all, thank you very much for the insightful comment - I really appreciate it! It is an interesting point about the less obvious outcomes of the Black Death. I read a theory according to which peasant rebellions were caused by increasing competition between landed aristocracy and city communes. The argument goes that as merchants were becoming wealthier, nobles had to compete by increasing taxes and taking all the profits from their lands for themselves - thus, the situation of peasants worsened which eventually lead to revolts - to be honest I do not find it particularly convincing - I certainly agree that the Black Death was a significant factor in this. Interesting.
Also, thank you for asking about Thessa! She is doing great! We are going for long walks in the largest park in Warsaw and we took her to visit some medieval castles and churches in Masovia (for example Czersk and Liw). Thessa absolutely loves farm animals, whenever she sees a cow or a sheep she is always extremely happy and runs around like crazy - of course, we make sure that this is safe for her and the cow will not kick her for example. One day, when we were visiting a 13th C. rural church in Błonie, there was a circus next to it (a temporary one, established in a large tent, the type of circus that travels between villages) and there were some camels grazing nearby, when Thessa saw them she was very surprised that such animals exist
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Events rarely have one cause, and you can see how the nobles are worrying about the merchant classes getting above themselves, for example in the adoption of sumptuary laws at around this time. It seems possible as a contributory factor.
That said, I think the timing is suggestive, certainly in England. Black Death, 1348. Statute of Labourers, 1351. Peasants' Revolt, 1381. Too large an interval to be direct cause and effect, but plausibly caused by social pressures building up over several decades. The old joke about the Peasants Revolt is that the Peasants had *always* been revolting, but now they were rebelling, but there's a serious aspect to that joke. The peasants get assertive after the Black Death causes labour shortages, not during the medieval Golden Age.
Are you sure Thessa isn't thinking, "A four legged herbivore! Lunch!"
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Thank you Kris - I am very glad you like it! I am sure you would make a number of much better shots of Reims - I can easily imagine the portals or the rose window of Reims as part of your gallery, of course edited to much the style.... Anyway, thank you again! It is good to hear from you!
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Sorry for the late reply, would indeed love to shoot these awesome buildings you visit, keep posting
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I am glad you think so, thank you very much for the comment! The news are full of worrying information from Turkey these days - I hope you are doing ok!
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Cathedrals like these remind me how much practical devotion to God mattered. Perhaps we tend to focus too much on theory and words and too little on showing God our love. I find these buildings both an inspiration and a challenge. Your mention of plague renewed my thankfulness of all that medicine now offers us. Thanks so much for doing me good!
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Thank you for the comment Andrew - I am very glad to see that you decided to view my work despite the fact that I was not active for so long - as always, I especially appreciate comments from you because they are thoughtful and show that you read the description! I like how you put 'inspiration' and 'challenge' together - this captures how I feel about them as well! It is difficult to imagine the carnage of the Black Death, whole cities being depopulated in Iberia, Italy, Britain, the Balkans and Greece - everywhere.... As for modern medicine, you are absolutely right, when I was born I needed a full blood transfer to survive - it was not particularly complicated but if I was born 70 years earlier, I would simply die after few days.... Anyway thank you very much once again - it is a pleasure to be back on DA!
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It's great to see your photography again! What a lovely cathedral indeed. Thanks for your description in the artist's comment box: you've clearly explained why or how this cathedral is so detailed, due to the 200 years of steady growth and advancement. It reflects how Europe was clearly changing rapidly at the time and how people were optimistic about their achievements.
I knew the Black Death had been insane and killed a lot of people, but wow, now that you've mentioned that only in the 17th and 18th C. did the population reach the same level as in the 13th, that really hits it home...
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