21-23. Strasbourg Cathedral - 14 Sept 1900 | Glass Plates
These views of the Cathedral of our Lady of Strasbourg de Notre Dame are each deftly composed photographic studies of its renowned Gothic edifice.
Originally built with the symmetrically and rounded grace of Romanesque architecture, a series of fires in the 1100s led to its reconstruction in the increasingly popular Gothic style of the Middle-Ages.
Rose Window on the western façade
The Western façade pictured in glass plate 21 was built between 1277 and 1384. It is a masterpiece of detailed Gothic tracery and artistic design, with its multitude of divinely inspired sculptures and stained glass. As noted on the photographer’s list, the central feature of the western edifice, seen above the main door, is the elegant rose window.
The other photographs, capturing the north and south side respectively, similarly demonstrate the exquisite Gothic detail that covers every square metre of Strasbourg Cathedral.
Closest to Heaven
Although not pictured, the cathedral’s spire, completed in 1439, rises to a height of 142m. As the records show, it is a rare medieval survivor that in 1647 became the tallest structure in the world.
For nearly four-thousand years the Great Pyramid of Giza stood as the tallest work of human accomplishment, standing approximately 146.6m tall; time was the leveller, eroding it to just under 140m by the Middle-Ages, as well as developments in engineering that were fuelled by a religious desire in Europe to build spires that would be unparalleled in their efforts to reach for the heavens.
Before Strasbourg Cathedral became the record-holder, the spire of Lincoln Cathedral in England gained it in 1311 at 160m tall. Lincoln’s spire collapsed in a storm in 1549, which allowed the tower at St. Mary's Church in Stralsund, Germany to take the record at 151m. St. Mary’s would not hold it long before it was surpassed in 1569 by the spire of Beauvais Cathedral in France at 153m, which in turn collapsed four years later. This left St. Mary’s again as the tallest, but this was struck by lightning in 1647 and burnt down, leaving Strasbourg Cathedral’s spire at 142m to stand until 1874 as the tallest structure in the world
Therefore, when this photo was taken, Strasbourg’s spire had only been surpassed in height 26 years earlier by St. Nikolai in Hamburg, Germany at 147m.
Despite the spire being out of frame, the scale of the cathedral can nevertheless be perceived from the diminutive size of the people throughout all three photographs.
Photographic Architectural Studies
Throughout all the glass plates thus far, and quite a few to come, there is a sense of admiration for the great European works of architecture. This impression comes through in the choice of subject by the unknown photographer, with this trio, focusing on Strasbourg cathedral, capturing the majesty of the structure.
This grand tour of Europe must have held a lot of meaning for whoever took these photos, and although we don’t who they were, we can share their desire to experience these sights.
References
Parcours la Cathédrale Notre-Dame: Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (Strasbourg: Le département Animation du patrimoine, direction de la Culture, 2015) PDF <https://www.strasbourg.eu/documents/976405/1163507/0/0ec46b7e-0e74-3933-b14d-ba7584ae43c0>
‘The Cathedral of Notre-Dame’, Office de Tourisme de Strasbourg et sa Région <https://www.visitstrasbourg.fr/en/things-to-see-and-do/visiting/places-to-visit/historical-sites-and-monuments/f223007269_the-cathedral-of-notre-dame-strasbourg/>
1900 Glass Plates: This project explores a series of glass plates from the year 1900 with the eventual goal of travelling the same route as the photographer. It will be a varied journey that will stretch from simple blog posts examining each photo to videos and more. This project is in collaboration with photographer Aleksandar Nenad Zecevic, who’ll be restoring the photographs to bring out details dimmed by time. More to follow.
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