Las catedrales góticas son considerados los mayores monumentos de la Cristiandad, testigos silenciosos de la devoción y el ingenio humano a lo largo de los siglos. Estas impresionantes estructuras, caracterizadas por sus altos arcos, bóvedas de ojiva y majestuosos vitrales, han cautivado a millones de visitantes con su belleza y misterio. Entre los pioneros de esta arquitectura se encuentra Guillermo de Sans, quien, nacido en 1130 en un gremio de constructores y artesanos, se convirtió en maestro de obra de la emblemática abadía de Saint-Denis, considerada la primera obra maestra del estilo gótico.
Las catedrales góticas no solo son lugares de culto, sino también verdaderas obras de arte que reflejan la espiritualidad de una época y el avance de las técnicas de construcción. Desde la famosa catedral de Notre-Dame en París hasta la imponente catedral de Chartres, cada edificación cuenta una historia única, uniendo la fe con la creatividad humana. A medida que exploramos estos monumentos, descubrimos su significado histórico y cultural, así como las innovaciones arquitectónicas que permitieron su construcción.
Hoy en día, las catedrales góticas siguen siendo un destino turístico fascinante, atrayendo a historiadores, arquitectos y viajeros de todo el mundo. La magia de estos lugares perdura, invitando a todos a maravillarse con su esplendor. La arquitectura gótica no solo transformó el paisaje religioso, sino que también dejó una huella imborrable en la historia de la humanidad.
**Hashtags:** #CatedralesGóticas, #ArquitecturaGótica, #HistoriaDeLaCristiandad
**Keywords:** catedrales góticas, Guillermo de Sans, abadía de Saint-Denis, arquitectura gótica, monumentos de la Cristiandad, historia de las catedrales, técnicas de construcción, arte religioso, turismo histórico, espiritualidad gótica.
Las catedrales góticas no solo son lugares de culto, sino también verdaderas obras de arte que reflejan la espiritualidad de una época y el avance de las técnicas de construcción. Desde la famosa catedral de Notre-Dame en París hasta la imponente catedral de Chartres, cada edificación cuenta una historia única, uniendo la fe con la creatividad humana. A medida que exploramos estos monumentos, descubrimos su significado histórico y cultural, así como las innovaciones arquitectónicas que permitieron su construcción.
Hoy en día, las catedrales góticas siguen siendo un destino turístico fascinante, atrayendo a historiadores, arquitectos y viajeros de todo el mundo. La magia de estos lugares perdura, invitando a todos a maravillarse con su esplendor. La arquitectura gótica no solo transformó el paisaje religioso, sino que también dejó una huella imborrable en la historia de la humanidad.
**Hashtags:** #CatedralesGóticas, #ArquitecturaGótica, #HistoriaDeLaCristiandad
**Keywords:** catedrales góticas, Guillermo de Sans, abadía de Saint-Denis, arquitectura gótica, monumentos de la Cristiandad, historia de las catedrales, técnicas de construcción, arte religioso, turismo histórico, espiritualidad gótica.
Categoría
😹
DiversiónTranscripción
00:00The Gothic cathedrals are the greatest monuments of Christianity.
00:06They are creations of a distant past.
00:09Magical places that have been captivating humanity for centuries.
00:13What is the secret?
00:22Buildings that rise to the sky,
00:24for which several generations of people would move mountains.
00:28Literally, only with the strength of his arms.
00:32Little Guillermo would start an extraordinary career in his trade
00:37and would be the creator of the first Gothic cathedral,
00:40thanks to which he would become the most famous architect of his time.
00:46Guillermo's projection is reflected in the most important constructions of the time.
00:50He was the one who introduced Gothic in England.
00:53His ambition makes him challenge the limits of what is possible.
00:58And the impossible.
01:05Tens of thousands of people work tirelessly to raise this new architectural style.
01:10A group of men who dedicate all their knowledge and energy,
01:13sacrificing their health and even their lives,
01:16to make their dream come true.
01:18Build heaven on earth.
01:22In the French city of Sartre, a miracle occurs and a magical color is born.
01:26One of the great secrets of Gothic.
01:32The master of the largest construction project in Europe is a man with a firm goal.
01:37To erect the largest church in the world,
01:40despite the fact that there are hidden forces at stake.
01:43This is the story of the giants of Gothic.
01:51We do not know anything about his childhood.
01:53Even his date of birth, which is calculated around 1130,
01:57is nothing more than an approximation.
01:59There is no doubt that Guillermo de Sans
02:02did not belong to a poor family,
02:04but most likely he was the son of a craftsman,
02:06builder or respected bricklayer.
02:15It could have grown precisely in the place
02:18in which the history of architecture was going to take the next giant step.
02:22In Saint-Denis, north of Paris.
02:30This is where Guillermo, surrounded by artisans and artists
02:33who participated in an extraordinary project,
02:36met the man who would be the first
02:38to make his dream of heaven on earth come true.
02:42The abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Denis, Suillet.
02:47Suillet was regent of France for a few years
02:49and one of the most influential clerics in the country.
02:52A man with many ideas and the means to make them come true.
02:56He would be the pioneer of a new architectural style.
03:00Gothic.
03:09Saint-Denis, 1137.
03:11It is a market day and the whole town goes from one side to the other
03:14mixing with foreigners, pilgrims and soldiers
03:17who return from the Crusades from Jerusalem,
03:20where the knights of the West are fighting
03:22to recover the tomb of Jesus Christ.
03:26There are also numerous artisans and pawns
03:28who come from all corners of France
03:30in response to the call of the abbot Suillet
03:32who wants to build a new church for the Benedictine abbey.
03:36Merchandise from the Far East.
03:38Exotic and unique prints and colors.
03:41Tales of travelers who visited fabulous places.
03:44Strange creatures and a continuous summer.
03:47That was the world of Guillermo.
03:51Near Paris is the largest city on the continent.
03:54Guillermo, son of an aristocrat,
03:56was born in the city of Saint-Denis.
03:59He was born in the city of Saint-Denis
04:01and lived in the city of Saint-Denis.
04:04Guillermo, son of an accomplished craftsman,
04:06is surrounded by men who, here in Saint-Denis,
04:09are about to erect an extraordinary building.
04:12Something never seen before.
04:15And perhaps because of this agitation,
04:17Guillermo had to face a facet of life
04:20that he had not known before.
04:22Hunger, misery and poverty of the time of the Crusades.
04:30Years before, in the autumn of 1095,
04:33Pope Urban II had called all cardinals
04:36and representatives of his church
04:38to meet in Clermont, France.
04:41More than 180 cardinals, bishops and abbots
04:44from all over the West come to his call.
04:48Representatives of the Eastern Catholic Churches
04:51also arrive from distant Byzantium.
04:55Urban takes advantage of the meeting
04:57to propose that a Christian crusade be initiated in Jerusalem
05:00to recover the tomb of Jesus,
05:02the greatest sacred symbol of Christianity
05:04that had fallen into the hands of the Saracens.
05:15The Pope was used to getting everything he proposed,
05:19and this time it was not going to be an exception.
05:28His call extends like the gunpowder.
05:30Other synods are organized in Tours and Rouen
05:32and a gigantic war machine is launched
05:35to the orders of French and Norman nobles.
05:45The Pope offers the Crusaders the remission of their sins.
05:50With the motto that they followed the will of God,
05:52those who participated in the campaigns of the Holy Land
05:55were promised eternal glory in heaven.
05:59Tens of thousands of men join the march to the East.
06:14In June 1099, the army of the Crusaders arrives in Jerusalem.
06:18It is said that the walls of the city are indestructible,
06:21but succumb to the attack of the huge catapults.
06:24The Saracens are not a rival
06:26to the European soldiers and their armors.
06:28The winners establish the Crusader states in the Holy Land
06:32that would last for about 200 years.
06:35And despite all the armed conflicts,
06:38in these Latin states of the East
06:40there will be an intense cultural exchange
06:42between Christians, Muslims and Jews,
06:44both in the field of science,
06:46especially in the field of mathematics and medicine,
06:49as in the field of literature.
06:52The Muslims had already made the Christians
06:55translate classical philosophy into Arabic.
06:58And at that time, the Christians made the Arabs
07:01translate Greek philosophy,
07:03especially Aristotle, into Latin,
07:05which gave them a completely new perspective
07:08and a completely new foundation for science.
07:13That was the most radical change.
07:16Pierre is an orphan child.
07:19There are thousands of Crusaders
07:21who never return from the Holy Land
07:23and many people die in the thirties.
07:25The streets of towns and cities are full of orphans,
07:28children who are left alone in the world.
07:34But for the little ones, like Guillermo and Pierre,
07:37the differences in class hardly count
07:39when there are more important things at stake,
07:41such as a better education,
07:43like a piece of cake.
07:53Before everything changed,
07:55the churches were like this, Romanesque.
07:59Castles of God, colossal and imposing,
08:02but in shabby shapes.
08:05The double church of Svar-Reindorf, near Cologne,
08:08is one of the most important churches in the world.
08:12In its frescoes are narrated stories of the Bible.
08:15A house of God of great solidity and very close,
08:18since it is built on a human scale.
08:20And like the Castles of the Knights,
08:22the Romanesque churches were painted in vivid colors.
08:30The Romanesque built thick walls.
08:32The Romanesque built thick walls.
08:34The Romanesque built thick walls.
08:36The Romanesque built thick walls.
08:38The Romanesque built thick walls.
08:40The Romanesque is characterized by its thick walls,
08:43strong enough to support a cannon vault.
08:46But then the Gothic came and said,
08:49let's do a structural job.
08:51Let's look at the direction in which the push lines move,
08:55and we are going to absorb them with an architectural structure,
08:58with the arbotantes and the arches,
09:01so that we do not need the walls.
09:05It is not about getting rid of the walls by whim,
09:08or to do something architecturally risky,
09:11but to adopt a new perspective,
09:13and open yourself to the idea of a new Jerusalem.
09:19In the Apocalypse of St. John, or Book of Revelation,
09:22a city with crystal streets and gold descends from heaven.
09:26It has twelve doors and an altar in the center.
09:30It is the heavenly city.
09:32And in the Middle Ages, that was the end of life,
09:36the other life, the life after death.
09:41And we can reproduce it on earth,
09:44recreate the new Jerusalem before reaching it.
09:52I am the light of the world,
09:54says Jesus in the New Testament.
09:57For him, the light is synonymous with the presence of God.
10:01The abbot not only provides funding
10:03for the new church of the Abbey of St. Denis,
10:06but also intervenes decisively in its planning.
10:15The noble work shines, writes his Jeh, on the church.
10:19But that this work that shines with nobility illuminates the minds,
10:23so that following true lights, they reach the true light,
10:26where Christ is the true door.
10:32The light floods the room, without obstacles,
10:35up to the altar, the center of the liturgy.
10:38The windows exceed the dimensions known so far,
10:42thanks to the new structural principle.
10:46What supports the weight of the ceiling are no longer the walls,
10:49but a system of pillars and struts strategically placed,
10:53known as vaults.
10:55A structure that is sustained by itself
10:58and does not need the thick walls of the Romanesque,
11:01and leaves a lot of space to accommodate large windows.
11:09The glass walls, the pointed arches,
11:12the vaults of ojiva,
11:14the fastidious pillars and the counterforts were already known.
11:17But in the choir of St. Denis,
11:19all these techniques came together
11:21as if musical instruments,
11:23interpreting a concert,
11:25to produce something totally new,
11:28Gothic architecture.
11:32Once, while admiring the ornaments of the house of God,
11:36the colorful beauty of the stones,
11:39I was distracted by mundane concerns.
11:42I thought I was in a place beyond the earth,
11:45rising to a higher sphere.
11:49These are the words of the Suje himself.
11:53As the sun rises,
11:55the light becomes brighter
11:57and the colors are more intense.
12:00Gothic architects were aware of this,
12:03and that is why they used the glass walls.
12:06The colored crystals are dyed crystals,
12:09and by passing the light through them,
12:12a miracle occurs.
12:15The same that will occur at the end of time,
12:18when the magnificent power and glory of God
12:21shine throughout the world.
12:24Even my corrupt body and in decomposition,
12:27will shine with golden reflections of divine glory.
12:33The whole world will shine for the glory of God.
12:37That is why we are building a symbol of what will come.
12:42That is the idea of Gothic.
12:45Of the master of works of Saint Denis,
12:48we do not know the name,
12:50but we do know that he was much more than an architect.
12:55He was the supervisor of the work,
12:57the engineer of structures
12:59and the inventor of some construction machines.
13:02A universal genius.
13:06And that is not learned in a couple of years.
13:10It is something to which you have to dedicate half your life.
13:13Probably being in contact with the work
13:15from the most tender childhood,
13:17thanks to his father,
13:18as will happen with Guillermo.
13:25In the 12th century,
13:26there is no consolidated construction technology.
13:31Each building has its own needs
13:33that must be addressed on the go.
13:36The construction of the church of the abbey of Saint Denis has just begun.
13:40They still have to test the port crane,
13:43a newly designed engineer and without security systems.
13:46The good operation of the machinery, which weighs tons,
13:49only depends on the experience and expertise of those who design it
13:52and the care and attention of the men who handle it.
13:56THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CATHEDRAL
14:08The construction of a cathedral involves literally moving mountains.
14:13It is necessary to travel great distances
14:15carrying hundreds of thousands of blocks of stone.
14:19Each weighs more than 100 kilos
14:20and more than two men are needed to lift them.
14:22Pilgrims are recruited to do the work in the service of the Lord.
14:27Collaborating in the construction of the church
14:29involves the reduction of punishment for sins,
14:31of the time that one will spend in the flames of purgatory.
14:39The children are always present in the bustle of the work.
14:43To Pierre, the quarry offers him the possibility of getting some food
14:46and maybe even some coins.
14:48It is better than begging or stealing
14:50and being under the constant threat of being caught with their hands in the dough.
14:54To build a cathedral, more labor is required
14:56than to lift any other type of building of the time.
15:00Alone in the quarry of Saint-Denis,
15:02there are more than 250 people working,
15:04most of them day laborers without any preparation,
15:07the poorest of the poor.
15:09And among them there are also women and children.
15:12They all depend on the cathedral to make a living.
15:16The construction of a Gothic cathedral
15:18is a great investment for the economy of the region.
15:22It creates employment and promotes technical advances.
15:26More than 50 quarries work at the orders of the master of the work,
15:30carving and polishing the stone blocks,
15:32before and after the construction of the cathedral.
15:36The construction of a Gothic cathedral
15:38is a great investment for the economy of the region.
15:41More than 50 quarries work at the orders of the master of the work,
15:44carving and polishing the stone blocks,
15:46before and after the construction of the cathedral.
15:52Quarries are paid for every block they carve.
16:01And in the middle of all this activity, two children.
16:05Lost in their own world,
16:07between the pronounced vertical walls,
16:09the huge rocks and the gigantic transport cranes,
16:12in a place extremely dangerous for them.
16:18But in reality, that apparent disorder is organized with precision.
16:22The master of the work and the head of the quarries
16:25know where each stone will go.
16:27The blocks are marked to know where to place them later.
16:39Pierre and Guillermo are the smallest pieces
16:42of this gigantic gear,
16:44in which workers strive to the maximum
16:46and often risk their lives.
16:53The pyramids, which we still do not know how they were built,
16:57had the purpose of keeping alive the pharaoh who was buried in them.
17:04Humanity has reached unimaginable heights
17:07trying to make fun of death.
17:09To the north of Germany, there are megalithic tombs
17:12with stones 3, 5 or 10 meters long and 2 meters thick,
17:16creating formations of 100 meters in length.
17:20We are not able to understand how they did it,
17:23but they did it to try to overcome death.
17:27And New Jerusalem is the refuge,
17:30the place where we will survive.
17:32That is the engine that drives the construction of these churches.
17:37That is what the pharaoh is behind.
17:52Paying with the same currency is the principle
17:55that prevails in the Middle Ages to impose a punishment.
17:58The law of eye for eye, tooth for tooth,
18:01but also to reward an action.
18:03Pierre saves Guillermo's life
18:05and gives him the opportunity to rise socially.
18:08From now on, the child without a home
18:10will be the inseparable companion of Guillermo.
18:20Life expectancy then was below 30 years.
18:25It is a world of young people.
18:27Those who live longer have the possibility to go down in history
18:30if they rule for long periods, like Charlemagne.
18:34Since most people die young,
18:36children are immediately incorporated to work.
18:39There was a time when it was thought
18:41that children were treated as adults,
18:43but that is not the case.
18:46We have found many toys of the time.
18:49Wooden horses, windmills,
18:51sleighs and children's games.
18:53They were aware of childhood,
18:55which ended around 7 years old.
18:57From that moment, children were incorporated
18:59to the work processes.
19:01Durero worked in the workshop from the age of 7.
19:03I lived in a rural area
19:05where it was normal for children to work.
19:07When my father was working,
19:09I was in charge of bringing the hammer and things like that
19:12so that he did not waste time on that.
19:14We did that kind of thing.
19:19A short childhood in a short life.
19:23But Guillermo and Pierre are privileged.
19:26By being part of the construction of the cathedral,
19:28they belong to an elite with a lot of future.
19:31Under the tutelage of Guillermo's father,
19:33the head of the canteros and the master of the work,
19:36they are also destined to become canteros.
19:43At the age of 12, they enter solemnly
19:45in the guild of construction
19:47with the idea that they become officials
19:49of one of the most respected jobs of the time.
19:53They have already acquired a lot of knowledge
19:55and are starting another stage.
19:59Now they belong to the collective
20:01that works the wonders of the construction of cathedrals.
20:05We do not know what exactly happened
20:07the day of their incorporation to the guild
20:09or the rite they passed.
20:11But like all that kind of rites,
20:13it would be secret, solemn
20:15and that would probably make them
20:17a little afraid of the boys.
20:20From then on in their minds
20:22two things would be recorded.
20:24That day and the law of silence of the guild
20:27with people other than him.
20:37The idea that there were associations
20:39closed guilds is correct
20:41and wrong at the same time.
20:45It is true that in the Middle Ages
20:47there were organizations of the different trades.
20:50A baker could not explain to someone
20:52who did not belong to the guild how to make bread.
20:56Likewise, a singer could not teach
20:59someone outside the trade to work the stone.
21:04It was about protecting the trade.
21:07And all trades had associations,
21:10even on a supraregional scale.
21:13But among its members
21:15it was a very open community.
21:18At that time, Sendeniz is not a cathedral
21:20nor the seat of the bishopric,
21:22but only the church of the abbey of Sendeniz.
21:26But the abbot is the ecclesiastical figure
21:28with the greatest influence in the country.
21:30And that is reflected in his church.
21:33The people call him the father of the nation.
21:37Reorganizes state finances
21:39and promotes agriculture, trade and industry.
21:42During the participation of King Louis VII
21:44in the Second Crusade,
21:46he assumed the regency of the country
21:48and Sendeniz became the symbol
21:50of a reinforced monarchy in France.
21:56Suye died in 1151,
21:58unable to see finished
22:00the most beautiful of his works.
22:03Sendeniz is something like the church
22:05of the Holy Grail for the French monarchy.
22:10The kings of France have been buried
22:12in their crypts and in their churches.
22:15And the monastery of Sendeniz
22:17is the largest in the country.
22:20The monastery is the largest
22:22in the country.
22:25It is the largest monastery
22:27in the world.
22:29The kings of France have been buried
22:31in their crypts and chapels
22:33since the 7th century.
22:43But it would be useless to look for
22:45the tomb of the man who built
22:47the last home of several generations
22:49of monarchs.
22:51During the French Revolution,
22:53a furious crowd destroyed the royal tombs
22:55and scattered the mortal remains
22:57among which were those
22:59of Suye himself.
23:01Luis XVI and Maria Antonieta.
23:03Behind where his effigies rise
23:05was where the tomb of the great Abad was erected.
23:09With the construction of the church of his abode
23:11an architectural revolution began
23:13which was an extraordinary triumphal advance.
23:27During the next three generations
23:29around Paris began the construction
23:31of more than twenty large churches.
23:33It is a golden age,
23:35without wars or plagues
23:37and with good harvests.
23:39In France there are more than 15 million inhabitants
23:41and tens of thousands of them
23:43work on the jewels of Gothic architecture.
23:47An army of tireless and anonymous workers.
23:49Almost none will go down in history.
23:53From the year 1000
23:55the population doubles.
23:57There are enough people to start
23:59the construction of new cities.
24:01Agricultural techniques improve
24:03and increase the harvests.
24:05As there are excesses of food,
24:07not all the population has to work
24:09for their subsistence,
24:11so they can dedicate themselves to other tasks.
24:13Schools are established
24:15to which children can attend
24:17and in which there are people
24:19who teach.
24:21Artists can earn a living
24:23from their subsistence.
24:25This division of labor
24:27favors development.
24:35Time passes.
24:37It's been 15 years since Piaz and Guillermo
24:39met.
24:41Circumstances have made friends
24:43grow up in equal conditions.
24:45They have dedicated these 15 years
24:47to learn everything that the craftsmen
24:49of Saint-Denis have transmitted to them.
24:51Guillermo and his friend Piaz
24:53have become experienced craftsmen,
24:55officers of facts and rights.
24:57Now they are young people
24:59with initiative who,
25:01like the rest of the generations of craftsmen,
25:03undertake several trips.
25:13There is no historical data
25:15about the trips that Guillermo was able to make,
25:17but it was something very common at the time.
25:19In winter,
25:21the construction of Saint-Denis
25:23had to stop, like all.
25:25The mortar freezes
25:27and the joints of the walls crack,
25:29so during autumn and winter
25:31the officers of works
25:33are dedicated to travel.
25:35They travel well-dressed,
25:37usually in large groups.
25:39In the Middle Ages,
25:41traveling was not a pleasure,
25:43but an extenuating torture.
25:45The group goes to Saints,
25:47building the first Gothic cathedral.
25:49The title of cathedral
25:51is only granted to the churches
25:53of the bishops.
25:55Saint-Denis is just an abbey,
25:57but Saints is the seat of a bishop.
25:59The city is
26:01130 kilometers away.
26:03Currently,
26:05two hours by car.
26:07800 years ago,
26:09four days on foot.
26:11Saint-Esteban de Saints
26:13was the seat of the bishop of
26:15Henri Sanglier,
26:17a good friend of his
26:19who shared his enthusiasm
26:21for the new architectural style.
26:23Sanglier was one of the
26:25princes of the church
26:27with greater power and wealth.
26:37On the contrary,
26:39we do not know the name
26:41of the master of work of Saints.
26:43It would not be a young man,
26:45since a project as ambitious
26:47as this requires a man with experience.
26:49Being a master of work
26:51is a position of great responsibility.
26:53Work is done as long as it takes.
26:55In the work,
26:57the days are long
26:59and the nights are short.
27:01For Guillermo Ypier,
27:03the master of work of Saints
27:05is the most suitable person
27:07to become an architect.
27:11Go from knowing a trade
27:13to being in charge of several.
27:19The man who directs
27:21the construction of Saints,
27:23supervising the work of more than 500 men,
27:25is delighted to meet
27:27the two new craftsmen
27:29who will release him from work
27:31and could become his successors.
27:33It is a crucial meeting
27:35for both young people.
27:49The construction of a cathedral
27:51does not consist
27:53simply in placing one stone on another.
27:55The most important thing
27:57for a future master of work
27:59is to know how to calculate
28:01the forces exerted by the different components.
28:03In those days,
28:05there was no knowledge
28:07of structural engineering
28:09or mathematical formulas.
28:11The only thing these pioneers
28:13of Gothic could do
28:15was from trial and error
28:17and the previous knowledge
28:19of an experienced master of work.
28:21The measure of all things
28:23is the general plan
28:25of the building on a scale.
28:27A general architectural description.
28:29Regardless of how complex
28:31the project is,
28:33the plan is relatively simple.
28:35It has been engraved in clay
28:37and then cooked
28:39so that all craftsmen
28:41consult it.
28:43It shows the location,
28:45position, quantity, dimensions
28:47and, above all,
28:49the proportion of all elements.
28:57Gothic cathedrals
28:59are not complex structures.
29:01The pillars, the vaults
29:03and the stone pillars
29:05are a structure that stands alone.
29:07The stability of that skeleton
29:09is the biggest challenge
29:11for the builders.
29:13Unlike the buildings of the Romanesque,
29:15those of the Gothic
29:17are characterized by filigree
29:19and lightness,
29:21with pillars that support
29:23an enormous force.
29:25If they were not well directed,
29:27they would look like the legs
29:29of a table with too much weight on top.
29:31So you have to divert them
29:33by means of the boulders
29:35and counterforts
29:37that have their own foundations
29:39throughout the whole construction.
29:41Its function is to collect the pressure.
29:43They are fundamental structural elements,
29:45not a mere ornament.
29:47If cracks appear,
29:49the boulders must be reinforced.
29:51These stone bridges,
29:53full of filigree,
29:55are typical of French Gothic cathedrals.
30:01Almost all elements of the building
30:03support the pushes.
30:05Any error or miscalculation
30:07would have catastrophic results.
30:09It is the summer of 1156 in Sainte-Anne.
30:11Jeanne, the wife of Pierre,
30:13makes her early morning visit to the work.
30:15In the construction work,
30:17the most experienced artisans
30:19in the region work.
30:21Blacksmiths, carpenters,
30:23stoneworkers, carpenters,
30:25sculptors.
30:27To these more than 100,000
30:29workers,
30:31the work is carried out
30:33in a very simple way.
30:35The work is carried out
30:37in a very simple way.
30:39To these more than 150 expert workers,
30:41hundreds of people come together
30:43who collaborate as a non-specialized
30:45hand of work.
30:53During the last four years,
30:55Guillermo has earned the trust
30:57of the master of work,
30:59who is already one year old
31:01and has become his right hand,
31:03with Pierre as head of the quarries.
31:05The main occupation of both
31:07is the structural integrity of the building.
31:09Its ambition is to build
31:11increasingly tall and slender structures,
31:13to make the pillars
31:15and pillars as thin
31:17as possible.
31:19But where is the limit?
31:21These pioneers do not have
31:23previous knowledge with which to work.
31:25They are based on intuitions.
31:27Probably most of those
31:29who worked on the work
31:31thought that the structure
31:33was too high.
31:35In a city of about 10,000
31:37inhabitants like Sanz,
31:39it is not easy to find
31:41enough experienced
31:43hand of work capable
31:45of doing the necessary work.
31:47In addition to the artisans,
31:49you need a hand of work
31:51of 300 men, women and children
31:53to be trained.
31:57As the daughter of a craftsman,
31:59Jeanne is familiarized
32:01with many of the trades
32:03of construction.
32:05She knows how to mix the mortar,
32:07a job that often occupies
32:09women because there are not
32:11enough men and any help
32:13is appreciated.
32:15The number of people
32:17who gather in the work
32:19is equivalent to the population
32:21of a large medieval city
32:23and all share the interest
32:25to make the dream of
32:27their bishop come true.
32:29Even the youngest
32:31collaborate in this great company.
32:43Never before in the history
32:45of the city had so many people
32:47and so much building material
32:49been concentrated in one place.
32:51Just to build the scaffolding
32:53of the choir of the cathedral
32:55a whole forest has to be cut.
33:03Guillermo is the driver
33:05and the brain of the construction.
33:07The responsibility of the project
33:09is all his.
33:11So far no serious accident
33:13has occurred in the work
33:15and Guillermo does everything
33:17possible to keep it that way.
33:19The scaffolding
33:21that they have just raised
33:23is slightly thinner than expected.
33:25Will it bear the lateral pushes?
33:43Until the 19th century
33:45no structural calculations
33:47were made,
33:49so at that time
33:51they learned about the march.
33:53As it is natural,
33:55they wanted the buildings
33:57to be higher and more slender,
33:59so with each construction
34:01they defied the limits to the maximum
34:03until something went wrong.
34:05Now we only know
34:07the buildings that remained standing.
34:09Obviously we can not see
34:11those that collapsed.
34:13There were masters of work
34:15who did what was possible
34:17and taught others
34:19how far you could get
34:21or when you had to try another way.
34:23They used the method
34:25of trial and error.
34:27A boulder has collapsed.
34:29The tons of stone
34:31that have fallen from a height
34:33of almost 20 meters
34:35have destroyed the scaffolding.
34:37A avalanche of wood and stone
34:39wrapped in a cloud of dust has been triggered.
34:45Pierre and one of the workers
34:47are injured.
34:49Pierre has broken a leg,
34:51but there have been no serious injuries.
34:53Guillermo has made a mistake
34:55that could have had
34:57fatal consequences.
35:05I have access
35:07to many documents
35:09about the construction processes
35:11in the medieval era
35:13and I have never found
35:15any story
35:17in which someone's death is narrated.
35:19The workers were too valuable
35:21and the masters of work
35:23appreciated a lot
35:25the fact of having them.
35:27They could not afford
35:29to fall off the scaffolding.
35:31So the working conditions
35:33were the best
35:35they could offer.
35:37There was a case
35:39in which a singer was injured
35:41and they paid a woman
35:43to attend him.
35:45So we know
35:47that there were accidents,
35:49but not too often.
35:57Guillermo does not have
35:59any previous model
36:01on which to base his work.
36:03The Gothic architectural style
36:05is too recent for that.
36:07What he creates in Sans is unique,
36:09it could be considered
36:11that Sans is his first Gothic opera.
36:13It is an innovative design,
36:15pioneering,
36:17the result of teamwork,
36:19deep debates,
36:21assumptions founded
36:23and experiments
36:25with satisfactory results.
36:29The knowledge of the first
36:31masters of the work
36:33spreads as the craftsmen
36:35travel to other places.
36:37Guillermo himself brings
36:39his ideas to Canterbury,
36:41in England,
36:43and develops them even more.
36:45Other masters of the work
36:47are spreading the concept
36:49even further,
36:51until the ideas that
36:53originated in the French city
36:55of Sans have a decisive influence
36:57on the design of the cathedral
36:59of Our Lady of Lausanne
37:01in the distant lands of Switzerland.
37:03The choir, which was built
37:05on the site of the cathedral,
37:07is the most important
37:09in the history of the city.
37:13What is amazing
37:15and worthy of admiration
37:17is that this generation
37:19of masters of the work
37:21of the High Middle Ages
37:23spread internationally
37:25and was tremendously interconnected.
37:29In the span of a few years
37:31a technique or a form
37:33that would have developed
37:35in the heart of France
37:37was already known in the east
37:39of the German Empire.
37:41So, far from being
37:43a closed community,
37:45that of the canteros in particular
37:47was moving very fluidly
37:49throughout Europe.
37:51This was due to how
37:53the work was organized
37:55in the construction sites,
37:57in which the knowledge
37:59was quickly disseminated
38:01and passed on.
38:07It is undoubtable
38:09that Guillermo himself
38:11also moves from one work
38:13to another, expanding
38:15his knowledge and experience.
38:17There are several Gothic churches
38:19in the region called
38:21Isle de France,
38:23which encompasses
38:25several departments
38:27around Paris.
38:29The future masters of the work
38:31move from one construction
38:33to another, learning new
38:35techniques and methods of work
38:37or in search of better wages.
38:39The movement of the workforce
38:41drives progress.
38:43The workers share
38:45their knowledge and experiences,
38:47comment on the setbacks
38:49they have suffered
38:51and exchange ideas
38:53with other artisan experts.
38:55These trips of the officials
38:57and the workers
38:59are not the only ones
39:01who move.
39:03It is the time of the Crusades,
39:05the moment of greatest agitation
39:07of the Middle Ages,
39:09and the pilgrims
39:11of the twelfth century
39:13also cross with them.
39:15Pilgrimage is the movement
39:17of masses of the medieval
39:19par excellence.
39:21The most important places
39:23of pilgrimage of the time
39:25are the tomb of St. Peter in Rome
39:27and the remains of the Apostle
39:29Santiago in Santiago de Compostela.
39:31From Poland to Santiago de Compostela,
39:33for example,
39:35there are 3,000 kilometers.
39:37Three months of travel
39:39on winding roads,
39:41crossing forests and enduring
39:43the inclemencies of time.
39:45Many die of exhaustion
39:47or illness during the journey
39:49or at the hands of the jumpers
39:51bet on the roads,
39:53which are a constant danger
39:55for travelers.
39:57In any case,
39:59pilgrims run the risk
40:01because they hold the hope
40:03to be miraculously cured
40:05or for fear of the storms of hell.
40:07In the time of the Gothic,
40:09everyone shared the same devotion
40:11and faith in God.
40:13If we think that
40:15in the cases of serious crimes,
40:17instead of condemning to death
40:19the culprits,
40:21the authorities of the cities
40:23sent them to pilgrimage,
40:25we can get the idea.
40:27Pilgrimages
40:29replaced executions.
40:31They were a second chance
40:33in life.
40:35Go to Santiago
40:37and bring the certificate of pilgrim
40:39to Cologne. It's easy to understand.
40:41There is a chronicle
40:43from around 1100
40:45that tells that a farmer
40:47got into a trance and had a vision
40:49of how someone killed
40:51a child in his village.
40:53But they did not sentence
40:55the murderer to death,
40:57but told him to go
40:59to Santiago de Compostela.
41:01And that's what he did.
41:03It is understandable.
41:05He did it to save his life.
41:11To venerate the saints
41:13the most precious materials are used.
41:15Precious stones, gold and silver.
41:17The links of the chain
41:19with which San Pedro was tied
41:21are one of the many relics
41:23that pilgrims come to see,
41:25and even the remains of the saints.
41:27The reliquary of the martyr
41:29San Gregorio de Spoleto
41:31is a bust of real size
41:33that contains part of his bones.
41:41Relics are the most valuable
41:43objects of the time.
41:45Wars are started in his name
41:47and robberies and murders are committed.
41:51In the Middle Ages,
41:53it was considered that whoever
41:55approached the relics
41:57was also closer to God.
42:01When one touches the tomb
42:03of a martyr,
42:05he is touching the soul of the saint
42:07in heaven, which is obviously
42:09in the presence of God.
42:11The tomb of the martyr
42:13If one studies the Baroque,
42:15or visits the Bavarian churches,
42:17he will see that heaven is shown
42:19before his eyes, God the Father
42:21at the top, Jesus on the cross,
42:23Mary under him, and finally
42:25the local patron saint.
42:27When you touch the tomb,
42:29you are in contact with the soul of the saint
42:31who will intercede for you before God.
42:33That is the veneration
42:35of the relics.
42:43Colonia, 1164
42:45Reinaldo de Dassel,
42:47Imperial Chancellor of Italy
42:49and Archbishop of Colonia,
42:51who was more of a soldier
42:53than a man of the Church,
42:55is willing to give to the city
42:57with the most precious good
42:59of its history, the remains
43:01mortals of the Magi.
43:03They are a sign of gratitude
43:05of Emperor Federico Barbaroja
43:07to the city for his loyalty.
43:09These mortal remains
43:11are one of the most important relics
43:13of the time,
43:15a treasure of invaluable value,
43:17since according to the accounts
43:19of the birth of Jesus,
43:21the Magi were the first to go
43:23to worship the newborn.
43:25For centuries they will take
43:27millions of pilgrims to Colonia,
43:29and 100 years later
43:31a cathedral will be built
43:33expressly to welcome them.
43:35But there is still a lot left for that.
43:41Around the same time,
43:43Guillermo faces a difficult reunion.
43:47The old master of work of Sanz
43:49is no longer more than a shadow of what he was.
43:53It is not a historical moment,
43:55but something quite usual then.
43:57The master of work is one of the most prosperous citizens
43:59of the city,
44:01and the drop is the disease of the rich.
44:03United to the incessant work
44:05in cold places,
44:07bearing the wind and the passage of the seasons
44:09many masters of work die
44:11shortly after turning 50.
44:15From now on, Guillermo,
44:17or as he will finally be known
44:19Guillermo de Sanz,
44:21will be the undisputed master
44:23of the project of the cathedral.
44:29In 1168,
44:31after almost a quarter of a century
44:33of building work,
44:35the choir of the cathedral is completed,
44:37and Guillermo de Sanz becomes
44:39the first Gothic cathedral.
44:41Guillermo is the architect
44:43who has given it its definitive form.
44:45His fame as one of the pioneers
44:47of the Gothic style will extend
44:49far beyond the borders of France.
44:53The choir that we can see today
44:55is the result of the work of many generations
44:57of masters of work.
44:59To be able to observe the work of Guillermo de Sanz,
45:01we have to go to the north side of the cathedral.
45:07This is the old church of the cathedral,
45:09unaltered for almost 900 years,
45:11work of Guillermo.
45:19Currently, the interior of the cathedral
45:21is very different from how it was
45:23in the time of Guillermo.
45:25The ship and the transept are a journey
45:27for 300 years of history of architecture.
45:33Sanz, the first Gothic cathedral,
45:35combines all the stages
45:37of this architectural style.
45:39The choir shows the characteristics
45:41of the Proto-Gothic,
45:43the pillars of the Classic Gothic,
45:45and the transept and the ship
45:47of the Flaming Gothic.
45:49More than 10 generations of masters of work,
45:51artisans and workers,
45:53both men and women,
45:55gave shape to this cathedral.
45:59And this pioneering building
46:01has had a huge influence
46:03among which it should be noted
46:05one of the most spectacular
46:07and important in the world.
46:13The Cathedral of Canterbury,
46:15in the southeast of England.
46:17Guillermo has not passed the history
46:19of medieval masters of work
46:21for his work in Sanz.
46:23It was here that he planned
46:25and conceived everything,
46:27and his figure has survived
46:29throughout the centuries,
46:31Guillermo de Sanz
46:33is one of the few masters of work
46:35whose existence is documented
46:37in the annals of history.
46:43Now it is surprising to us,
46:45but what is the reason
46:47that we do not know the names
46:49of most of the architects
46:51of the great cathedrals?
46:53We do not know
46:55who was the architect of Chartres,
46:57only that he came
46:59from the north of France,
47:01and that he was one
47:03of the many masters of work
47:05who were relevant
47:07in the work over the years
47:09that lasted the construction.
47:13It must be understood
47:15that in the thirteenth century
47:17there was no interest
47:19for notoriety,
47:21which is a modern concept in reality.
47:23At that time,
47:25the main goal
47:27was to fulfill the work
47:29that had been assigned to you
47:31in the name of the glory of God.
47:35Among the experienced craftsmen
47:37came one from Sanz
47:39named Guillermo.
47:41It was he who was chosen
47:43for the job,
47:45rejecting others
47:47due to his good reputation.
47:49These are the words
47:51of the chronicler of Guillermo's life,
47:53A fire had destroyed
47:55part of the Cathedral of Canterbury,
47:57and the Cabildo Cathedralicio
47:59invites Guillermo to England.
48:01The year 1175 runs.
48:03Faced with the impossibility
48:05of finding the right material
48:07in the south of England,
48:09Guillermo orders heavy blocks
48:11of stone to be brought
48:13from Caen in France
48:15to raise the monumental cathedral
48:17he intends to build.
48:19For a master of French work
48:21like Guillermo de Sanz,
48:23being chosen to build
48:25the first Gothic cathedral
48:27of England is a real challenge.
48:29In Canterbury,
48:31Guillermo acts as an engineer
48:33and inventor,
48:35since he himself designs
48:37all the machinery,
48:39such as the cranes and the cabristantes.
48:41The work advances at an unusual rate.
48:43In 1178,
48:45in just three years,
48:47the wall surrounding the choir
48:49is finished.
48:55The construction,
48:57led by the great French architect,
48:59seemed to have received
49:01a blessing from God.
49:03But the joy of the first triumphs
49:05was about to be overwhelmed.
49:11A scaffolding was built
49:13to raise the cruise,
49:15which joins the central ship.
49:17Guillermo has raised the wooden structure
49:19of a dizzying height
49:21dozens of times in recent months,
49:23something common in the work
49:25of the masters of the work.
49:27The walls of the choir
49:29have almost reached 30 meters high.
49:37Guillermo periodically checks
49:39the straightness of the walls
49:41with a plumbing.
49:43Given the speed with which
49:45the works advance,
49:47the work of the bricklayers
49:49and carpenters is precise.
49:51But a negligence
49:53can mean the perdition of Guillermo.
49:59It falls from a height
50:01of 30 meters.
50:03Will this be the end
50:05of the great architect
50:07and his ambitious project?
50:09We will see the story
50:11of the creation of a new generation
50:13of masters of the work.
50:15The testimony of a witness
50:17of the catastrophe.
50:19The tragedy of the destructive power
50:21of the flames against an unbreakable faith
50:23in the possibility of a miracle.
50:25The heroic materialization
50:27of a brilliant idea
50:29thanks to the determination
50:31and strength of the people.
50:37The Cathedral of Sard
50:39has a unique color
50:41whose secret only a man knows.
50:45The rediscovery of a formula
50:47that was believed to be lost.
50:53And the story of a young man
50:55who, after studying
50:57the European cathedrals,
50:59will design one of the most important churches
51:01of Christianity.
51:03Gerhard von Rille
51:05makes a fantasy come true.
51:07A building that rises to the sky
51:09and will house the most precious relics
51:11of the time.
51:19He and his work
51:21are another of the giants of Gothic.
51:37www.gothic.com
51:39www.gothic.com