The Choir Screen in the Dominican Church of the Holy Trinity in Cracow: Form and Function (original) (raw)
Related papers
In August 2014, a large set of full-scale architectural tracings was found in the floor of the convent church of Saint Clare in Santiago de Compostela, inscribed in a granite base, beneath a wooden floorboard that was being renovated at that time. The ensemble is larger than any other set of architectural full-scale tracings from the Early Modern period found up to this time, and is clearly connected with the entrance building of the convent, constructed in 1719-24, including drawings for the most important elements in the building. Both the tracings and the entrance façade have been surveyed using topographic and photogrammetric techniques, in order to compare them, and measure the degree of precision of the execution of the façade. This paper describes the tracings, analysing in detail the ones for the coronation, the pediment and the niche of Saint Clare in the entrance façade and the rere-arch in the vestibule of the convent. The existence of different tracings for some elements, ranging from crude drafts to precise drawings, challenges a widespread assumption: it seems that the function of these tracings was not limited to the execution phase, and in some cases they served as design sketches for the project. Finally, the authors make some remarks about the research opportunities and conservation challenges posed by these material sources of construction history.
Heritage Science
Stone is a characteristic element in the construction of buildings and monuments in the Middle Ages in Spain. This is so mainly due to its durability and, in baptismal fonts, specifically, its symbolism: Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, he comes to save us and is the foundation of the life of the Christian and of the Universal Church. The application of virtual 3D reconstruction is essential in the conservation of this type of heritage, together with scientific techniques and methods, and the analysis of historical-graphic documentation. Focusing on these three aspects, the baptismal font of the church of Santiago Apóstol de Montilla will be taken as a reference. The baptismal font of the church of Santiago Apóstol in Montilla (Córdoba, Spain), whose exact origin is unknown, is one of the most important heritage assets. San Francisco Solano, known as the “Thaumaturge of the New World”, was baptised in it. For over four centuries, the temple has been the Main Church of the head of th...
Archeologia e Calcolatori, 2018
Digital technologies are transforming historical research in multiple ways. As the authors of this essay demonstrate, these research tools can bring to light new evidence hitherto unavailable. Because technologies require various types of expertise, however, digital projects usually entail teamwork and collaboration, as is represented in this multi-authored and multi-lingual essay that describes the creation of a model of the choir screen at Sta. Chiara in Naples.
J. Calvo-López et al. 2013. "The Tracing for the Sail Vault at the Murcia Cathedral Vestry: Surveying a 16th-Century Full-Scale Working Drawing". International Journal of Architectural Heritage, vol. 7, nº 3, p. 275-302
Full-scale tracings, drawn in plaster surfaces or engraved in stone walls and floors, were used frequently in Renaissance construction to control the execution of ashlar masonry. In many occasions, these tracings furnished the shape of the templates used in the dressing process, either in true size or orthogonal projection. A large example of these tracings appeared in 2009 in the vestry of Murcia Cathedral, when the sacristy drawers were disassembled to execute a conservation treatment against woodworm. At first sight, the tracing seemed to be related to the vault over the vestry, built in 1525 by Jacopo Torni l’Indaco, one of the first examples of ashlar sail vaults in Europe; a number of surveys confirmed that the tracing corresponds with the vault quite precisely. In this study, after an introductory section dealing with tracings and dressing techniques, the authors explain the measuring methods used in the surveys, describe the tracing, compare the tracing with the built vault, and discuss the relevance of the tracing, in order to advance knowledge of the evolution of European stonecutting.
International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 2019
Using digital measurement on the thirteenth century double church of St. Francis in Assisi (Italy) revealed a modulated design canon involving symbolic geometries and proportional arithmetic. The author identifies the simulacrum of the biblical temple of King Solomon and the integration of an exclusive sepulchral sphere geometry with several design components copied from both Christian mother churches: the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Old St. Peter's in Rome. St. Francis Church is the result of a double mission, translated in two different architectural languages: an Umbrian Romanesque Lower Church for devotion of the Saint's tomb, and an Early Gothic, French inspired, Upper Church for use by the Roman Pope and the Convent. The geometry and design canon are both instruments for communication and education addressed to the medieval community. This analysis aims to contribute to architectural design, construction history and digital measurement applications.
Essay written for University of York MA in Conservation Studies (Historic Buildings), 2017. In this essay, I will explore the changing approaches to the analysis and interpretation of ecclesiastical architecture, focusing on the new body of scholarship put forward by Giles and Graves that discusses how we interpret historical ideas of viewing space. I will argue that this approach goes further than traditional scholarship to facilitate an understanding of the function of ecclesiastical structures through those who used it. Furthermore, I will discuss how digital reconstruction can be used to advance these interpretations by providing a historical context in which scholars can experiment with ongoing theories. I will begin my essay with a short chronological overview of the historiography of ecclesiastical architecture before developing my argument for these modern methods through the examination of two in-depth case studies. Throughout this essay I will argue that the modern scholarship put forward by Giles and Graves can show us how the laity interacted with elements of the church and moves us forward in our understanding of the function of these ecclesiastical structures.