The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals: A Study of Medieval Vault Erection

by John Fitchen

John Fitchen systematically treats the process of erecting the great edifices of the Gothic era. He explains the building equipment and falsework needed, the actual operations undertaken, and the sequence of these operations as specifically as they can be deduced today. Since there are no contemporary accounts of the techniques used by medieval builders, Fitchen's study brilliantly pieces together clues from manuscript illuminations, from pictorial representations, and from the fabrics of the building themselves.

"Anyone who has caught the fascination of Gothic Churches (and once caught, has almost necessarily got it in the blood) will find this book enthralling. . . . Clearly written and beautifully illustrated." —A. D. R. Caroe, Annual Review, Central Council for the Care of Churches

"Fitchen's study is a tribute to the extraordinary creative and engineering skills of successive generations of mediaeval builders. . . . This study enables us to appreciate more fully the technical expertise and improvements which enabled the creative spirit of the day to find such splendid embodiment." —James Lingwood, Oxford Art Journal

"Fitchen, in what can only be defined as an architectural detective story, fully explores the problems confronting the medieval vault erectors and uncovers their solution. . . . This is a book that no serious student of architecture will want to miss." — Progressive Architecture

Genres: Architecture, History, Nonfiction, Reference

364 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 1997

Reviews

[Benjamin Smedberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love technology histories, and this one is reasonable: it has great details and good diagrams. The book focuses pretty narrowly on the engineering of the cathedral structure (the vaults) and does not take any detours into the financing, quarrying, finish masonry which would also be interesting. I would recommend reading David MacAuley's Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction first, and, for great historical fiction, Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth.