In terms of a timeline of Medieval architecture, Romanesque style precedes Gothic style. It can be argued that Chartres Cathedral is a more modern, more advanced version of a church, and is very different from the Abbey Church of Saint Pierre, there are many similarities between the two buildings, both in terms of visuals, construction, and use of the space as a place of worship. By comparing the tympanums of both buildings and analysing each version of the scene of Christ in majesty, it is easy to see how art and sculpture were evolving in Europe during this time. Because both the Abbey Church of Saint Pierre and Chartres Cathedral were used as pilgrimage churches, many people were coming to experience what they had to offer, and therefore…show more content… The tympanum of Saint Pierre church is very flat, with no sense of depth, where as the tympanums of Chartres cathedral are done in a much higher relief, creating a greater sense of depth, and adding in shadows and light. Both images of Christ in Majesty show Christ with a mandorla and a halo, surrounded by the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and the elders of the apocalypse. There is a dramatic difference in the styles however. Because Saint Pierre church was created in a Romanesque style, Christ appears to be more rigid and non-naturalistic, and the depictions of the elders of the apocalypse all look very similar and are more diagrammatic, whereas Chartres cathedral was done in the Gothic style, and therefore the figures of Christ, as well as the elders appear to be more naturalistic and much more human in appearance . Because intellect and knowledge was important to those working in the Gothic style, the bands surrounding the tympanum have figures which represent the liberal arts. There are representations of Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialect, Geometry, Arithmetic, Astronomy and Music. This is something that is only seen in the Gothic style art, because Gothic artists and patrons valued intellect and wanted to commemorate it, where as the Romanesque patrons were focuses almost exclusively on biblical themes…show more content… Saint Pierre is almost entirely masonry, which was a common feature of Romanesque architecture. Although Chartres does use masonry as its skeleton, there is more of an emphasis on glass and its ability to add light to the space. The use of large stain glass rose windows and lancet windows allowed coloured light to flood into the space and dissolve the heavy masonry. The use of windows and light is a common feature in Gothic architecture, because of the development of flying buttresses, which allowed the space to be opened up and rise higher, where as in Romanesque architecture, walls had to be thicker and lower, in order to properly distribute the weight and force
