Ste. Foy and St. Etienne: Comparing Religious Architecture

Comparing Ste. Foy, Conques, France (1050-1120 CE) to St. Etienne, also known as Bourges Cathedral, Bourges, France (1195-1250), it is obvious that the change in architectural style from Romanesque to Gothic was accompanied by a change in the religious feeling embodies by these buildings. (History) Ste. Foy is typically Romanesque with its massive walls and columns, barrel vaulted ceiling, and heavy sculptural program that all convey a somber mood. St. Etienne, on the other hand, is almost its exact opposite. The space inside this Gothic cathedral is full of dynamic forces that draw the eye up to its spectacular interior heights. These include a much slimmer wall structure, made possible by the flying buttress, rib vaulted ceiling and most importantly, large spans of stained glass windows.

Both buildings have many basic elements in common. The two plans are variations on a common pattern - that of westwork, nave, ambulatory, a double ambulatory in the case of St. Etienne, and an apse opposite the westwork with radiating, semi-circular chapels. While Ste. Foy makes use of a transept, St. Etienne does not. The former uses round arches and barrel vaults while the latter is filled with pointed arches and rib vaults. The monolithic piers and columns of Ste. Foy create a heavy structure that blocks most light from entering the nave. At St. Etienne, although dark by modern standards, the nave is filled with colorful, rich light that filters through the double row of pared down piers and column clusters.