Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. Vol. 2. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Studies - Endre Abkarovits: Teaching the Englishness of English Gothic cathedral architecture

1350 was, although the English do not know it, the most forward, the most important, and the most inspired in Europe." (Pevsner: 128) Unfortunately not all aspects of English Gothic arts can be studied today. During the Reformation most of the wall- and panel paintings of England were destroyed, similarly, much (and perhaps the best) of the sculpture. For various reasons, the cathedrals were spared, while the similarly valuable buildings of the monastic orders were also destroyed. Today only the ruins of the formerly wonderful abbeys of the Cistercians can be marvelled at. In the later centuries of the Gothic age the architecture of the parish churches also showed high standards. The reason why I find the discussion of cathedral architecture important is, however, not only its artistic quality. The cathedral was not simply a building in the Middle Ages, not just an important sacral centre, but it was what Harvey describes in this way: 'The cathedral of the Middle Ages reigns supreme as the chief of all art forms; the cathedral was not a church alone, it was the greatest of art galleries, the noblest of lecture halls, sublimest of opera houses. The best of sculpture, of painting, of music and of verse were not too good for its service.' (Harvey: 9) Edwards writes about cathedrals: 'In England no buildings are more important as architecture or as embodiments of history, and not many buildings contain so much beauty.' (Edwards: 6) As we can see today in many English towns, though not on as large a scale as in the Middle Ages, cathedrals are regaining their roles not only as religious, but also as cultural centres of their town. So, we should not consider cathedrals simply as remains of architecture, but both as the religious centre of a town, which was normally planned to house its whole population standing, and as a site which provided space for a lot of activities, ranging from everyday legal and trade transactions to cultural events like theatre (passion plays) and musical performances and sites of the most important milestones of human life like birth, marriage, death (baptism, wedding, funeral ceremonies). For the average visitor of cathedrals, who has not studied art history, all Gothic churches may look alike. There are however striking differences between the Gothic architecture of the different countries, such as England, France, Spain, Germany or Italy. My aim in the following parts is to sum up, as much as the limits of this paper permit, those characteristics which, as the main title of this chapter indicates, provide the Englishness of English cathedral architecture, which make it distinct from the Gothic of other countries. This can be best observed when it is contrasted to the Gothic of France, the birthplace of this style. 48