©Copyright 1999-2010 Claude and Vivian Corbin. All rights reserved.
Of Stones and Roots
Norman religious architecture flourished in the eleventh century, when the great abbeys were built under the auspices of the powerful dukes. The abbots who created them would transform the Masses of Darkness that were the early churches into the Mystery of Light of the great Gothic cathedrals.
At the same period, the Dukes of Normandy and their vassals erected some of the first great stone castles. Over the centuries, chateaux replaced castles, fortified farms became manorhouses, and country churches, deeply rooted in the traditions, emulated the style of the great abbeys and cathedrals.
Click to Start
Façades
Gates
Towers
Roots
Light
