The Cathedral

Course Overview

Embark on a 24-lecture journey through Gothic cathedrals with Professor William R. Cook, featuring 3D tours of Europe’s most magnificent ecclesiastical structures from Chartres to Notre Dame.

Video Lessons

Foundations of Cathedral Architecture

1. What Is a Cathedral? (32 min)
   Origins and spiritual significance of cathedral architecture
2. Early Christian Architecture (31 min)
   Santa Maria Maggiore to Hagia Sophia (4th-11th centuries)
3. Romanesque Style (30 min)
   Transition from classical Roman forms to medieval innovations

Gothic Revolution

6. Saint-Denis: First Gothic Building (30 min)
   Ribbed vaults and stained glass origins
7. Notre Dame de Paris (30 min)
   Iconic facade and flying buttresses
   10-12. Chartres Trilogy (90 min total)

• Structural innovations
• Sculpted portals narrative
• Legendary stained glass

French Gothic Masterpieces

13-14. Amiens Cathedral (60 min total)

• Record-breaking heights
• Most elaborate Gothic facade

1. Reims Royal Cathedral (31 min)
   Coronation site with Joan of Arc connections

Construction & Evolution

16. Building the Impossible (31 min)
    Medieval construction techniques revealed
    17-18. Late Gothic Developments (62 min total)
    Flamboyant style and painted glass evolution

International Gothic

19-20. English Gothic (62 min total)
Canterbury to Cambridge’s King’s College

21. Holy Roman Empire (31 min)
    Cologne Cathedral and Prague’s Gothic gems
22. Italian Gothic (32 min)
    Siena to Milan’s Duomo
23. Iberian & New World (31 min)
    Spanish influences to Santo Domingo

Gothic Legacy

24. Neo-Gothic Revival (33 min)
    Global 19th-20th century reinterpretations