Architectural Fantasy - Architectural Reality

Research project P 14011 Architectural Fantasy - Architectural Reality Elisabeth VAVRA 24.01.2000 The project is based on recent years` researches into Gothic Architecture in Austria. It will concentrate on aspects of medieval church interiors and their usage and festive decoration. To build medieval churches, often needed long time that regularly lead to the consecrations of parts of them. The interruptions of building activities and the different style of individual parts of the churches are indicators for changes of the plan, for reconstructions and for additional structures. The consecrations of parts of the churches also show that the ecclesiastical buildings were already used liturgically before having been finished. For that, preliminary wooden parts were constructed to hold services without disturbance. Additionally, one seems to have been confronted with rich textile decorations that regularly are mentioned in written and pictorial evidence. The second part of the project will deal with the outer construction of the churches. There, we will not concentrate on actual church architecture but particularly on the necessary temporary architectural display that was used at official festive occasions. Written sources show that the visit of an Austrian ruler, a court meeting, etc. developed to a spetacular show. For its realisation, wooden scaffolds, tents or simple canvas covers were used. Moreover, we should not forget that most of the churches had their shortly used, mainly wooden additional buildings. The aim of the project is to analyse written sources and images (out of the database of the IMAREAL) to represent the mentioned aspects virtually for a number of places in the medieval duchy of Austria.

The project is based on recent years` researches into Gothic Architecture in Austria. It concentrated on aspects of medieval church interiors and their usage and festive decoration. To build medieval churches, often needed long time that regularly lead to the consecrations of parts of them. The interruptions of building activities and the different style of individual parts of the churches are indicators for changes of the plan, for reconstructions and for additional structures. The consecrations of parts of the churches also show that the ecclesiastical buildings were already used liturgically before having been finished. For that, preliminary wooden parts were constructed to hold services without disturbance. Additionally, one seems to have been confronted with rich textile decorations that regularly are mentioned in written and pictorial evidence. The second part of the project will deal with the outer construction of the churches. There, we will not concentrate on actual church architecture but particularly on the necessary temporary architectural display that was used at official festive occasions. Written sources show that the visit of an Austrian ruler, a court meeting, etc. developed to a spectacular show. For its realisation, wooden scaffolds, tents or simple canvas covers were used. Moreover, we should not forget that most of the churches had their shortly used, mainly wooden additional buildings. The aim of the project is to analyse written sources and images (out of the database of the IMAREAL) to represent the mentioned aspects virtually for a number of places in the medieval duchy of Austria. There are three examples medieval architecture reconstructed on computer with CAD-software Tulln, the church of the nun of S. Dominic, Started in 1280 finished in 1290; The Building owner: Rudolf I. The church was demolished in the 19th century. The reconstruction shows the important decorative elements (candle light, textile decoration) in ecclesial buildings in the middle age. The West-Portal of St. Stephan cathedral in Vienna, about the middle of the 13th century In the years from 1995 Restorations from the aim of monuments took place. The door was cleaned and the restaurateurs found little pigments of colour: Red, Yellow, Blue and Green. Together with the restaurateur the Portal of the 13th century was reconstructed on computer. It is an example for the coloured and decorative architecture in the middle age. St. Virgil in the city of Vienna, the first chapel, about the middle of the 13th century This is reconstruction an example project for wooden parts in the architecture. The chapel was discovered in 1970 till 77 when the works for the subway started. The part, which was founded, is a big room underground - it has five niches, the sixth once was demolished, when the chapel was found, the wall painting look like originally.