Design and medieval construction: The case of Tortosa cathedral (1345-1441)

Identifier:  PC:2012

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/PC2012

Authors:  Lluís i Ginovart, Josep; Costa Jover, Agustí

Abstract:
Gothic construction was subject to the knowledge of the magister operis but in cathedrals, it was determined by the influence of the Chapter. The knowledge of these two figures and the transfer of their learning suggest that the construction of some buildings was an experiment. The construction of the apse of Tortosa cathedral was a test bank, aimed at the total liberation of the wall from the radial chapels, and when its stability was confirmed, the structure was expanded with the construction of the ambulatory. From this perspective, the builder provided a solution to the layout of the enigmatic heptagon, and solved complex structural problems in order to meet the challenge to build the ideal of the City of God set by Chapter. The idealization of this City was built according to a Neoplatonic theory of proportional order.