The Architecture of St Davids Cathedral: Chronology, Catastrophe and Design

Abstract

This article reassesses the design of the nave of St Davids Cathedral in the light of modern scholarship, arguing that the cathedral has been a victim of an overly historicist approach to architectural writing. New documentary evidence is presented, including information about the existence of two churches on the site. Anomalies in the west bay are defined and some of the explanations offered by Lovegrove (1922, 1926) are rejected. Following an analysis of the design, the background of the scheme is firmly located in an English west-country environment and suggestions of French influence are dismissed. Although a vault may have been envisaged when the nave was first begun, it is unlikely that a stone vault was ever erected. Nonetheless, the design of the nave emerges as a more significant and creative piece of architecture than is generally realized.

Arquitectura gótica en Gran Bretaña: algunas observaciones sobre la literatura y las investigaciones actuales

“…Carolyn Malone a étudié en détail les qualités formelles de ces bâtiments dans sa thèse (non publiée) de 1973 (MALONE, 1973). Pour la grande église de Glastonbury, une étude moderne manque ; en revanche, des articles ont récemment été consacrés à la cathédrale Saint-David (DRAPER, 1999 ;STALLEY, 2002) et à l'abbaye de Dore (MALONE, 1984 ;O'CALLAGHAN, 1995 ;THURLBY, HARRISON, 1997 12 Le problème de la perception du gothique a intéressé Lawrence Hoey : il s'est penché sur l'une des énigmes de l'architecture gothique anglaise, l'extraordinaire variété des formes qu'affectent les piliers. Il montre de façon convaincante que cette question complexe est au coeur du sujet (HOEY, 1986 ;HOEY, 1987 ;HOEY, 1994 1963.…”