engineering

Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral

Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral rather than just read about it. In short: The Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral was a church labyrinth installed on the floor of the nave of the Reims Cathedral. Structure The labyrinth was the shape of a complex square with cut corners and sides of 10.36 metres (11.33 yd) .

Key takeaways

Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral was a church labyrinth installed on the floor of the nave of the Reims Cathedral.

Structure The labyrinth was the shape of a complex square with cut corners and sides of 10.36 metres (11.33 yd) . The paths were 27.94 centimetres (11.00 in) wide, separated by lines of dark blue stone from Ardennes of a width of 11.43 centimetres (4.50 in). The labyrinth was made of soft stone that wore out beneath the feet of pilgrims. This stone was of the same kind as Pierre Libergier's tombstone that is now exhibited in the cathedral. A distinctive aspect of the labyrinth was the inclusion within it of depictions of the master masons of the cathedral. In other churches and cathedrals, they are unknown and anonymous. Indeed, the identities of these master masons are precisely known, because a survey of the labyrinth was drawn in 1640 by Canon Cocquault and in 1779, just before its destruction, by Robin and Havé. These surveys also contained dates and descriptions of the masons' works. The person at the center of the labyrinth is generally identified as Aubry de Humbert, Archbishop of Reims, who decided in 1211 to build a new cathedral in the place of the one destroyed by fire in 1210. The people in the corners of the labyrinth are successive master masons of the cathedral:

(Top right) : Jean Orbais (1211-1231) made the plans of the cathedral and began the apse. (Top left) : Jean-le-Loup (1231-1247) began the northern portals. (Bottom left) : Gaucher de Reims (1247-1255) began the arches and portals on the western façade. (Bottom right) : Bernard de Soissons (1255-1290) made five vaults of the nave and the great rosace. Bernard de Soissons was in charge during the inauguration of the labyrinth. There is no trace of the fifth (and probably best-known) contractor, Robert de Coucy, who was in charge from 1290 to 1311 and who oversaw the carpentry and the roof. The masons are represented hard at work, with their tools in hand. For example, Jean d'Orbais appears to draw a map on the floor. There were also two other silhouettes on each side of the entrance of the labyrinth; however, these could not be identified because they were already almost completely eroded.

History Church labyrinths made of colorful pavement represented Christ’s resurrection at Calvary. Christian people walked them on their knees as a symbolic pilgrimage or to win indulgences. The labyrinth was inaugurated at the coronation of Philippe le Bel on 6 January 1286. It covered the central part of the nave at the third and fourth spans. The labyrinth was destroyed in 1779 by the Canons (priests charged with running the cathedral).

Reconstruction project A plan to rebuild the labyrinth ran into technical and administrative difficulties. Instead, a choice was made to undertake a reversible and nondamaging reconstruction. This took the form of a light projection on the ground that plays only in the evening, during cultural events. It was inaugurated on 19 September 2009.

Logo of historical monuments The labyrinth has been chosen as the national logo for French historical monuments ("monuments historiques"). This logo depicts the labyrinth without people, rotated by 45°, and often in a dark red color.

References

Bibliography

Naert, Dominique (1996). Le labyrinthe de la cathédrale de Reims [Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral] (in French). 29 rue Gay- Lussac, 94120 Fontenay -sous -Bois: SIDES. p. 96. ISBN 978-2-86861-073-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

Illustrations

Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral: The labyrinth at its place in the nave. — The labyrinth at its place in the nave.

Logo for French historical monuments

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral

In research: Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1280s establishments in France, 1286 establishments in Europe, 1779 disestablishments in France, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral in simple terms?

The Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral was a church labyrinth installed on the floor of the nave of the Reims Cathedral. Structure The labyrinth was the shape of a complex square with cut corners and sides of 10.36 metres (11.33 yd) .

Why does Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral.