Construction of Gothic cathedrals

The construction of Gothic cathedrals was an ambitious, expensive, and technically demanding aspect of life in the Late Middle Ages.

From the late 11th century until the Renaissance, largely in Western Europe, Gothic cathedral construction required substantial funding, highly skilled workers, and engineering solutions for complex technical problems. Completion of a new cathedral often took at least half a century, yet many took longer or were rebuilt after fires or other damage. Because construction could take so long, many cathedrals were built in stages and reflect different aspects of the Gothic style.

The 11th to 13th century brought unprecedented population growth and prosperity to northern Europe, particularly to the large cities, and particularly to those cities on trading routes. The old Romanesque cathedrals were too small for the population, and city leaders wanted visible symbols of their new wealth and prestige. The frequent fires in old cathedrals were also a reason for constructing a new building, as with Chartres Cathedral, Rouen Cathedral, Bourges Cathedral, and numerous others.

Bishops, like Maurice de Sully of Notre-Dame de Paris, usually contributed a substantial sum. Wealthy parishioners were invited to give a percentage of their income or estate in exchange for the right to be buried under the floor of the cathedral. In 1263 Pope Urban IV offered Papal indulgences, or the remission of the temporal effects of sin for one year, to wealthy donors who made large contributions. For less wealthy church members, contributions in kind, such as a few days' labour, the use of their oxen for transportation, or donations of materials were welcomed. The sacred relics of saints held by the cathedrals were displayed to attract pilgrims, who were also invited to make donations. Sometimes relics were taken in a procession to other towns to raise money.

The guilds of the various professions in the town, such as the bakers, fur merchants and drapers, frequently made donations, and in exchange small panels of the stained glass windows in the new cathedral windows illustrated their activities.

The key figure in the construction of a cathedral was the master builder or master mason, who was the architect in charge of all aspects of the construction. One example was Gautier de Varinfroy, master builder of Évreux Cathedral. His contract, signed in 1253 with the master of the cathedral and Chapter of Évreux, paid him fifty pounds a year. He was required to live in Évreux, and to never be absent from the construction site for more than two months.

Master masons were members of a particularly influential guild, the Corporation of Masons, the best-organized and most secretive of the medieval guilds. The names of the master masons of Early Gothic architecture are sometimes unknown, but later master masons, such as Godwin Gretysd, builder of Westminster Abbey for King Edward the Confessor, and Pierre de Montreuil, who worked on Notre-Dame de Paris and the Abbey of Saint-Denis, became very prominent. Eudes de Montreuil, the master mason for Louis IX of France, advised him on all architectural matters, and accompanied the king on his disastrous Seventh Crusade.

The skill of masonry was frequently passed from father to son. A famous family of cathedral-builders was that of Peter Parler, born in 1325, who worked on Prague Cathedral, and was followed in his position by his son and grandson. The Parlers' work influenced European cathedrals as far away as Spain. Master masons frequently travelled to see other projects, and consulted with one another on technical issues. They also became wealthy. While the salary of an average mason or carpenter was the equivalent of twelve pounds a year, the master mason William Wynford received the equivalent of three thousand pounds a year.